Lying To Save Someone In Peril

Jerry · December 6, 2021

I was curious if any on these boards thought lying to save someone was justified, was merely overlooked by the Lord, was still wrong but allowed by the Lord anyway. Please give Biblical reasons for your conclusions on this subject. Two main passages come to mind, and I want to look at a third type of related incidence.

Yes, I believe lying is wrong in all cases, especially for the New Testament believer today - however, I am wondering why God allowed or possibly overlooked these two cases in the Bible and how that applies to people hiding Jews and others whose lives were at peril during the Second World War. And no, don't get the idea that I am condemning or judging someone because they did so to save others and to protect themselves. Was it the best way to go about it? What would I do if I was faced with the same situation today?

1) The midwives in Egypt:

Exodus 1:15-21 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

It is very possible that the midwives did not lie at all. They could have taught the Israelites what to do when a mother is about to give birth and delayed their arrival until just after each child was born. And we know from the NT, Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. We can obey the Lord and reject the commandments of men when they contradict God without necessarily doing wrong ourselves. We can choose silence when asked to speak, we can take the consequences of our rebellion after we protected those we chose to protect, we can hide from the authorities as well and perhaps not be forced to give them an account of what we did. Just some possibilities. Not saying these are the only options or that I would look down on someone else for their different choices when put in those difficult situations - but what would I do if I believed (which I do) that lying and deception is unjustified in any situation? For example, I would not dress men as women or women as men to disguise them as God says it is an abomination to Him when men and women wear clothing that is particularly specified for the opposite gender.

2) Rahab hiding the Israelite spies:

Joshua 2:1-7 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. 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: 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. 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. And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

As the historical events go on to show, the Lord rescued her and her family for risking her life to protect the spies. And we get this wonderful passage and type in the same chapter:

Joshua 2:21 And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

Bible believers often talk about the scarlet thread of redemption that runs all throughout Scripture. This passage about Rahab is where it comes from. And to me, one of the neatest things I have thought about in the last few years is the story of Ruth and her marriage to the godly man, Boaz. Boaz is Rahab's son - which means Rahab 100% turned her life around and raised her son in the knowledge of the Lord. Rahab, Boaz and Ruth are all in the line of Christ in Matthew 1.

Back to Rahab. It is possible that God overlooked her sin of lying because she was literally a brand new believer who did not know the Law of Moses or the nation's history, but chose to place her faith in the true God and risk her life to save His people. The Bible does say there are things that God overlooked until Christ went to the cross, and things that will be judged when He returns: Acts 17:30-31 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Just some food for thought. What are your Bible-based convictions and ideas on this?

Edited December 6, 2021 by Jerry

BrotherTony · December 6, 2021

I don't believe that lying when in warfare (we ARE in a Spiritual War against our adversary and the adversary of God, the devil)...Lying to save someone's life I don't believe is wrong. I don't like lying, but I believe that in this warfare against the evil forces of this world, it's a necessary evil at times. I may be able to answer more fully in a little while...I've got so much on my plate with my great nephew, my BIL's mother passing, my other BIL still in the hospital fighting to live from the effects of Covid, and my wife possibly getting ready to file for disability and wanting to move back to Augusta. My own 'brain fog" from Covid doesn't always allow me now to comment as fully as I'd like to.

Jerry · December 6, 2021

Thanks for the input. I just thought of this: causing the enemies to go into an ambush would be a form of deception, which God led the people to do at various times. Though it is not a verbal deception, but perhaps a physical one.

swathdiver · December 10, 2021

Jericho was a form of psychological warfare.

Jerry · December 27, 2021

I was just reading a commentary on the life of David that was pointing out David's lying when he was fleeing from Saul in 1 Samuel 21 had some bad consequences (a community of priests getting wiped out), and his lying and working with the Philistines while he fled from Saul gave him a very questionable testimony with them and showed he was not trusting the Lord as he should have been.

Abraham lied about Sarah twice and Isaac lied about his wife once - to attempt to protect themselves - yet these occasions resulted in clear complications and God had to step in and deal with Abimelech to keep Abraham and Sarah safe, and they were rebuked by the unbeliever for their deception and the problems it caused. Jacob's manipulation and deception with his family and while working for Laban created major problems for his family, and in fact was one of the main reasons God wrestled with him all night (ie. to show him he could not manipulate every situation and always rely on his wits to get him past every difficulty). God had to change Jacob's character completely.

Maybe one takeaway from this is that God seems to overlook deception to some extent from a brand new believer (Rahab in an earlier post), but will not do so in a believer who should know better, and who should be trusting in God rather than his own resources. It seems that these other situations that I mentioned in this thread all had obvious consequences, even if the intention seemed right (ie. to protect themselves from harm in some way).

Pastor Scott Markle · January 7, 2022

On 12/27/2021 at 12:31 PM, Jerry said:

Abraham lied about Sarah twice and Isaac lied about his wife once - to attempt to protect themselves - yet these occasions resulted in clear complications and God had to step in and deal with Abimelech to keep Abraham and Sarah safe, and they were rebuked by the unbeliever for their deception and the problems it caused.

Actually, it appears from Genesis 20:13 that Abraham's instruction to Sarah about this matter was not just a two-time thing, but was actually a habitual thing -- "And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother." In fact, I believe that this practice is what taught Isaac to do the same, that he learned this practice himself from the example of his father.

On 12/27/2021 at 12:31 PM, Jerry said:

Maybe one takeaway from this is that God seems to overlook deception to some extent from a brand new believer (Rahab in an earlier post), but will not do so in a believer who should know better, and who should be trusting in God rather than his own resources. It seems that these other situations that I mentioned in this thread all had obvious consequences, even if the intention seemed right (ie. to protect themselves from harm in some way).

I agree with this viewpoint. In fact, concerning the case of Rahab, it is possible that she was not even quite yet a convert/believer at the time of her lie.

Joe Chandler · May 18, 2023

My mother had dementia. My wife and I cared for her at home until she passed. You cannot argue with folks with dementia. You cannot reason with such folks either. So I had to lie to her. I hated it, but it was the only way besides physical coercion to get her to go to her room at night. I feel no guilt about this, but I did at first. As Jerry pointed out, the intent of lying is important.

Here is an example I didn't see cited. 1 Kings 22:20-24 And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. 21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. 22 And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. 23 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

BrotherTony · May 18, 2023

41 minutes ago, Joe Chandler said:

My mother had dementia. My wife and I cared for her at home until she passed. You cannot argue with folks with dementia. You cannot reason with such folks either. So I had to lie to her. I hated it, but it was the only way besides physical coercion to get her to go to her room at night. I feel no guilt about this, but I did at first. As Jerry pointed out, the intent of lying is important.

Here is an example I didn't see cited. 1 Kings 22:20-24 And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. 21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. 22 And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. 23 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

I have had several relatives who had dementia...my maternal grandmother and great-grandmother; my mother's sister, who passed away three years ago from Alzheimer's, and most recently a great aunt who also passed away from a fall while in a nursing home in Indiana who also had Alzheimer's. It was impossible NOT to have to lie to them to get them to do what they needed to do. I believe that if the intent is to help in situations like this, to protect them from themselves, it's perfectly acceptable. I mean, Christian parents lie to their children and tell them that there is an Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, elves, and flying reindeer, though, for the children I don't believe parents should be doing this...but, it's up to them on how they raise their children, and it isn't like it is with grown people who are suffering from a brain-killing disease.