In this chapter, David lied twice. To tells such lies to protect himself appears to demonstrate a lack of trust and faith in God. David lied first to the High Priest by telling him that he is on the King’s business so that he can get food for his men and a weapon for himself. But he may have lied to protect Ahimelech from the wrath of Saul. If the priest did not know what David was up to, he could not get in trouble. The second lie David told was to the Philistines at Gath. He feigned madness so that they would leave him alone.
These incidents may have been the leading of the Lord. David was in the midst of enemies. The Lord certainly would protect him even in such tight situations. The false statements were meant to confuse and mislead the enemy. They then can be interpreted not as lies but as legitimate tactics to use in holy war. The Lord prompted David to behave in this way so as to protect his life and thus carry out the Lord’s work. Sometimes it may be okay to lie if the lie is told to protect someone’s life or to help someone avoid danger or catastrophe.
Although lying demonstrates a lack of godliness and character, is it a commonly accepted way of life to many billions of people in our society. People lie all the time to look good, to get ahead, to earn wealth, fame and popularity and even to look holy. I have known many Christians who decide to take a course of action on their on without asking the Lord but then claim that the Lord led me to do this or the Lord is leading me to do this. That way they can do what they want, even hurt people and churches while still looking good.
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