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I was reading from Zechariah the other day and came across a story of one of the prophet’s visions from God. In the vision he sees a large scroll hovering above. I caught a glimpse of something that I had not noticed before, but spoke so clearly about God’s attitude towards lies. It’s found in Zechariah 5:3-4:
“Then he said to me, ‘This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. I will send it out, declares the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones.'”
We know that sin is a serious matter to God, but it’s not always that easy to picture just how serious it is. In this scripture, we come to terms with just how serious the seemingly small sin of lying can be. In the vision, God makes it evident that swearing falsely is not something He can let pass by as many of us can sometimes do. He assigns a serious curse that blocks God’s heavenly blessings in the form of a large scroll.
Lies can vary in magnitude and size. Some people tell big lies that can have grave consequences the way a politician can lie about how millions in public money is being spent. Other times, people can tell small white lies that might not seem harmful and are only said for the sake of convenience.
No matter how big or how small, God hates lies as seen in Zechariah 5. The weight of a false witness lies in the fact that it shades the truth, which is what God values and what God wants for us. John 8:32 says, “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Lies are a serious matter to God and it’s something that we must deal with. But seeing the magnitude of a sin as seemingly small as lying points to two things: Our depravity as terribly flawed human beings and the generosity of God’s grace that He would spare us such wrath for devaluing something that means so much to Him.
That’s why the truth of the gospel is so powerful – because it overcomes any lie that we may falsely confide in and exposes the truth for what it really is. A false witness may seem good for the timebeing, but it is ultimately God’s truth that sets us free, and that truth is found in Jesus Christ.
Lies are a big deal to God no doubt, but nothing too big that the cross cannot save us from them and that’s a price Jesus – our always truthful Saviour – was willing to pay for sinners and liars like us.
