Why does the Bible approve of lying in Joshua 2:4-6 and James 2:25 and Exodus 1:18-20 and Kings 22:21,22?

Question

All this time I thought lying was a bad thing. I don't understand why a Christian would regard the Bible as holy, if it says to lie.

Answer 1

Thats from the white man's translation

Answer 2

At times there are moral dilemmas where you only have two bad choices. In Joshua 2:4-6 Rahab was faced with choosing between lying about those who were spying out the land or participating in the Canaanites' evil desire to kill them. James 2:25 explains this further, and is not another "lie."

Exodus 1:18-20 is even a better example of a moral dilemma. When faced with having to commit murder or disobey the king of Egypt. They disobeyed so that they could do the greater good. You see the result here that God was kind to them for what they did.

1 Kings 22 is not telling people to lie or saying that it is something that should be done. The king wanted to hear lies. In 22:8 the king had said "There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad..." The king wanted to hear lies, so as punishmet, God sent a "lying spirit" into the mouths of the prophets.

This is like Romans 1 where God gives people over to their own corruption. He doesn't like it, but it is like saying, fine, if that is what you want, then I will give it to you.

The Bible then doesn't tell people to lie. Exodus 20 (the 10 commandments) specifically says not to lie.

My guess though is that you are simply being antagonistic and don't really care about truth yourself. This is certainly apparent from all of your other questions.

Answer 3

Hi Larry. First we must realise , God's judgment against the unsaved will be terrible and He will use many means to deceive them and He tells us so throughout the Bible. You have given 3 references, but lets look at 2Kings 22:20-23:

"And the LORD said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ 22 The LORD said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the LORD said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ 23 Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours,"

As we read in the these verses God requests that He wants someone to persuade King Ahab to go to war. A spirit comes forth in verse 21 and "volunteers" to do the job. This spirit will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all King Ahabs prophets.

So when we read these passages carefully, we can understand that it is a angel which is in view here. The spirit God is speaking to is an angel and not any Elect person who may be there. We know that angels are in the service of God to minister and to do God's Will. Hebrews 1:13-14 tells us angels are to be ministering spirits.

But to answer your question better let's look at 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12:

"And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

There are many false gospels being taught by false prophets in the world today. God gives us these warnings to stay true to His Word or we will face an eternety in Hell.

Answer 4

4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
5 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
Where does it say she was instructed by God or that she was Godly? Don't you know men of God are sinners and this woman was not even a woman of God....Have you not herd that we are all sinners only Christ was perfect and he died to atone for our sins and this was long before Christ or Christians Nowhere does the bible say to lie or God say to lie if you go back to Genesis you will see Cain killed Abel does that mean the Bible says killing is good?

Answer 5

Well, I have wondered about that myself, but what Rahab was commended for was not her actions but for her faith. It was her faith that saved her and her household. As far as the lie, I am still trying to undersand some things in the Bible, but I am not ready yet to throw out the Bible because there is something in it that I don't understand. In Kings, the prophet Micaiah was telling the truth in analogy form to the king and was slapped for doing it. But he did not lie in that passage.

Answer 6

that`s a lie.