# 180 Be Truthful

The Book of Genesis

Day 180

Ge 20:10 Then Abimelech said to Abraham, "What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?" 11 And Abraham said, "Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. 12 "But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 "And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, 'This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, "He is my brother."'

Abimelech wants an explanation! What was Abraham thinking when he turned Sarah over to Abimelech’s harem?  What did he have in view? What was on his radar screen? 

Abraham tells how God caused him to pick up stakes and how he had checked the radar even before he left. He saw a blip on that screen  that caused him some very real concern, and so he came up with a contingency plan to deal with it.  In his eyes, the plan was good because it included a half-truth, but let me ask you something. If a statement is half true, what is the other half?

Half truths conveniently leave out all the facts and are often used to justify disobedience to God. The use of “half-truths is a common tool of the devil as he seeks to lead us away from God. All three of the temptations he used against Jesus were half truths., but Jesus thwarted all attempts with the full truth of the Word of God. He said, “it is written” in all three cases!

May we too, look to Scripture for truth. As Jesus prayed in Joh 17:17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.It is the Scriptures that remind us of the importance of being a people of truth. Here are some examples:

Mt 5:37 "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Ex 20:16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

 Pr 12:19 The truthful lip shall be established forever, But a lying tongue is but for a moment.

 Zec 8:16 These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;

 Eph 4:25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.

Get the hint? There are so many more verses in Scripture that call us to be truthful people! And the Abimelech’s of this world need to see it!

Pray: Father, help me to steer clear from “spinning” the truth. Help me to be a trustworthy man of integrity for I know this is pleasing in Your sight.