Liar, Liar

Saturday, August 18, 2007

It’s nice to have DSL back up. It feels like FOREVER since I was really back online and reading the Bible like this. What is an extra special pleasure is what has happened last night and this afternoon. I attended the “Pure in Heart” meetings with Dave from Chicago. I’ll be looking more into that and studying deeper in the next several days (at the absolute least). What I want to look at right now is lying. It’s just something that has been on my heart of late.

Liar, Liar – Edition #1

Deuteronomy 19:15-21

One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

This is the “Old Law”… and this is “New Law”.

Matthew 5:38-42

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

Now, I have tried this thing. It’s not easy, but what I like about both the Old and New Testament versions is that in the Old, the dynamic of what to do with sin. If someone finds another person in sin, it was dealt with in a TOUGH manor. They had the attitude of purging the sin or the “evil” amongst them. Did it work? Well, not quite what God had in mind, but at least at first, it did. Then people started going easy, making excuses, and became to accept the sin in their lives and in others. It’s not really all that different in today’s society. In fact, I think today is just the same as yesterday in regards to sin, but with more opportunity to create better excuses. That is what technology does for today. The internet is full of opportunity and excuses. It is also full of opportunity to do the right thing, but seriously, it doesn’t get used for the righteous things nearly as much as it should. I mean, how many pornography websites are created in one day? I couldn’t quickly find out what the “per diem” was, but there are more than 300,000 websites (according to nationalcoalition.org) as this moment.

More on this tomorrow... Johnny Out.