Psalm 119:163 – Falsehood
I hate and abhor falsehood,
but I love your instruction.
When I read something like this, I ask myself if I could say it and be truthful.
That’s a tough question. With the rise of the internet and social media we’re more and more aware of the sheer quantity of falsehood that is spread around. Now falsehood is nothing new as the psalmist could have told us. False stories about others are nothing new. That’s why we have so many warnings against gossip and backbiting in the Bible.
On social media, our gossip is preserved and available for public comment. Do we hate, even abhor, false stories? Or do we have quite a different reaction, such as hoping nobody will notice, because the story is negative about someone we don’t like.
This reminds me of a saying I heard regarding lawyers: “Americans hate lawyers, but love their own lawyer.” We tend to hate falsehood that smears someone we like, but supposing it smears something we also hate. Do we hate it, or do we just reluctantly turn away from it?
If we’re really going to love God’s instruction, we do need to hate falsehood. Otherwise, we’re merely loving convenient parts of God’s instruction. We’re not nearly so happy about the parts that tell us not to spread falsehoods about others.
How will you respond if you hear or see something false today?
(Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)
