Lyin' Eyes

This past Saturday night The Eagles were in town.  I have to confess that I committed the sin of envy, because I missed the boat on getting tickets yet wanted to go so badly!  I was working all day in my niece's pie shop that day, even stooping to begging a couple of customers to take me with them to the concert!  (I knew them, lol!)

As some of you know, The Eagles had a long line of #1 hits, including one called "Lyin' Eyes".  That song came to mind this morning as I was reading in Proverbs 12.  (Yes, I'm backtracking; I know.)

19Truthful lips endure forever,

but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

20Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil,

but those who promote peace have joy.

21No harm overtakes the righteous,

but the wicked have their fill of trouble.

22The Lord detests lying lips,

but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

There's another passage that lists "the sins God hates", as if He doesn't hate them all.....but those are the ones He hates especially.  You can find the list in Proverbs 6:16-19.  Some refer to these as The Seven Deadly Sins (as if all sin is not spiritually murderous).  At any rate, guess what is on the list?  Yep, lying.

When I was young, I did not understand the significance of this particular sin's inclusion in the list, nestled between haughtiness1 and murder.  "What is the big deal about a little lie here and there?", I thought.

The problem with that line of thinking is this: lying, in all its proportions, is destructive.  Not only that, like most sins, it is progressive.  I like to think of lying the same as drinking alcohol.  No one starts drinking alcohol with the intention of becoming an alcoholic.  Similarly, no one intends to become a serial liar by telling "a lie here and there".

Yet, the massive "battle of the cosmos", the battle for the hearts and souls of people, is essentially a battle between truth and lies:  God's truth vs. Satan's lies.  This is why when Jesus gave Satan a title, He chose "The Father of Lies".  I guess this is what bothers me most about lying, thinking that, when I succumb to that temptation, I am emulating The Enemy of My Soul, Satan.

(The Eagles song is right about one thing.  "You can't hide your lyin' eyes" forever, and most especially from a holy, righteous God.)

Why do "truthful lips endure forever"?  Because those who have heard and embraced the truth of Jesus Christ's gospel message will be with Him in Heaven forever.  Those who have rejected Jesus may appear in this world to be "livin' the dream" (dare I say, "livin' it up in the Hotel California?), but in reality they are "livin' the lie".  And, their time of apparent happiness will last only as long as their body's next breath.

Those who are truly living spiritually, in spite of the tribulations and trials of this earthly life, have in their hearts eternal joy (vs. 20).  Verse 21 appears to indicate that the righteous, those who belong to Jesus Christ, never have any problems in this world.  But, we all know that is a ridiculous misinterpretation.  Verse 21 is referring to what I call "eternal harm".  Looking at "life" as the continuum from conception through eternity, this earthly life is hardly a "blip".  Verse 21 is a long-view verse.  It is referring to eternity.

The Lord delights in His people (vs. 22), those who have accepted His offer of eternal salvation through Jesus.  He calls us "trustworthy".  Wow....that's something to aim for, isn't it?

The LORD your God is in your midst; he is a warrior who can deliver. He takes great delight in you; he renews you by his love; he shouts for joy over you." 

Zephaniah 3:17 NET

Isn't this last verse for today's meditation magnificent?  We don't often go to Zephaniah (yes, that is truly a book of the Bible....) but Oh!  This verse!  This promise to Believers!

Even better than an Eagles concert, I'd say!  ;)


Source:

1    http://resplendentdaughter.blogspot.com/2017/08/holier-than-thou-perfume.html