A Cure for the Liar

May the arrogant be put to shame, because they lead me astray with a lie; But I shall meditate on Your precepts.  Psalm 119:78  NASB

Lead me astray – How many lies have you believed?  How many of your usual assumptions about life are actually based on lies?  Those seem to be particularly important questions in the political world today.  It appears that most of our social communications can’t be trusted.  Today, who knows what is real and what isn’t?  We also sadly discover that when a lie is finally revealed, it is much more likely that the perpetrator will offer another lie as justification rather than admit culpability.  Lies breed lies at alarming rates.  It’s not surprising that false fecundity fosters fallacies.  No wonder they lead us astray.

Interestingly, the poet admits that he’s been deluded.  He believed the sham and ended up regretting it.  But he doesn’t confess his ignorance.  Rather, he demands punishment for the perpetrators.  He wants public humiliation for those who started the chain that eventually bound him to error.  It’s not enough that they should retract their false declarations.  The damage extends beyond the words.  What is needed is community scourging.  All must know so that all may be protected.

How, then, are to we avoid such devious detours from the truth?  After all, no one will stand and proclaim, “I’m lying, but believe me anyway.”  The power of a lie is that it seems to be true, and the deception of a lie is that we take it at face-value.  What we need are safeguards, signposts that tell us when we are encountering the snare.  The psalmist offers us the solution.  “Meditate on Your precepts.”  Of course, by now we know that “meditate” and “precepts” are much deeper concepts than the English terms suggest, but perhaps it’s worth being reminded.  śîaḥ (meditate) isn’t simply inner reflection.  “The basic meaning of this verb seems to be ‘rehearse,’ ‘repent,’ or ‘go over a matter in one’s mind.’ This meditation or contemplation may be done either inwardly or outwardly. Since English differentiates these two notions, the word is usually rendered ‘meditate,’ or ‘talk.’”^[1]  Perhaps we should think of this term as reminding oneself.  The first step in lie protection is to remind yourself of something you already know.  What is it that you already know?  Precepts. Piqqûdîm.  “The basic meaning is to exercise oversight over a subordinate, either in the form of inspecting or of taking action to cause a considerable change in the circumstances of the subordinate, either for the better or for the worse.”^[2]  In other words, you remind yourself that God is the overseer, that He is in charge, and that He sets the standards of behavior.  Therefore, anything that challenges His character, that feels suspect, that violates His law is a red flag lie protector indicator.

Now this seems to be straightforward.  If you want to know what’s true, consult God’s word.  But often it seems that the application of these instructions isn’t quite so clear.  Or we think that we are listening only to discover later that we’ve been off track.  How do we resolve these situations?  Community, and in particular, a deliberate openness to disagreement.  The willingness to hear what someone else believes.  A difference of opinion is an essential ingredient in lie detection.  When everyone believes the same thing, we should be very cautious.  Even the Torah contains differing opinions.  So, meditate, agitate, ruminate—and discuss what God’s oversight means among us.  Tread lightly.  This is sacred ground.

Topical Index: meditate, śîaḥ, precepts, piqqûdîm, lie, lead astray, Psalm 119:78

^[1] Cohen, G. G. (1999). 2255 שִׂיַח. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament(electronic ed., p. 875). Moody Press.

^[2] Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., Jr., & Waltke, B. K., eds. (1999). In Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 731). Moody Press.