Is lying ever justified?

Psalm 25:21May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you.

Psalm 101:7I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house, and liars will not stay in my presence.

Psalm 119:163I hate and abhor all falsehood, but I love your instructions.

Proverbs 12:17An honest witness tells the truth; a false witness tells lies.

Proverbs 13:5The godly hate lies; the wicked cause shame and disgrace.

Proverbs 20:10False weights and unequal measures—the Lord detests double standards of every kind.

1 Peter 2:22He [Jesus] never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.

While we all sometimes fail to tell the truth, God wants our hearts to always desire it. God hates it when we tell the truth only when it benefits us.

Exodus 1:19-21“The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,” the midwives replied. “They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time.” So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

Joshua 2:4-5Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from. They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.”

Hebrews 11:31It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

God did not necessarily condone the lies of the midwives and Rahab. But God did reward them for unselfishly seeking to protect the innocent, despite their using lies to accomplish it. This is a reflection of God’s gracious character, not a defense of their lying. God could have rescued the Hebrew babies and the Israelite spies in other ways had he chosen to do so.

Job 32:21-22“I won’t play favorites or try to flatter anyone. For if I tried flattery, my Creator would soon destroy me.”

Proverbs 27:6Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.

Proverbs 28:23In the end, people appreciate honest criticism far more than flattery.

Proverbs 29:5To flatter friends is to lay a trap for their feet.

All white lies harm relationships. Flattery is a form of manipulation. It cares more about making others approve of us than in giving them genuine encouragement or insights about themselves. A friend who speaks honestly regarding difficult truths is a great gift.

2 Samuel 12:1-9The Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.” David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife.”

Matthew 13:10-13, 16His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” He [Jesus] replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. . . . But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.”

Speaking indirectly is not always a form of lying or flattery. Nathan and Jesus both used parables to open their listeners’ hearts. We need to note that Nathan and Jesus were never trying to create lies through this approach. They were seeking to tell the truth in a way that would effectively communicate to their audience. Not everyone is receptive to difficult truths, so speaking truth often requires subtlety and tact. Through the careful words of Nathan and Jesus, both David and Jesus’ disciples learned to accept God’s truth in their situations.