“You nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another” (Leviticus 19:11)
June 7, 2023
Mankind shall foremost reckon His creator who is a true and truthful God. if we are to know He is a true God who loves truth, we would be able to tell the truth and live by it as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)
The Holy bible teaches us to always speak the truth but not the lie within the life we lead with our parents, elder brothers and sisters, relatives and neighbors in every conversion and discussion saying, “You….., nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. (Leviticus 19:11)
The beginning of a sin was lie: enemy Satan first lied saying He created the angels in heaven and misled them in falling into hell. Only those who were did not believe his lie and remained in Faith as Saint Gabriel and Saint Michael were able to know their creator God but misfortune to the others who believed his lie to only be cursed and fall deep into hell.
The punishment of sin is being thrown into eternal fire.; and there is no little sin before of God. We might assume it is alright to lie in our daily life in solving our problems and even think that God might allow it. But the holy book says, “ You….., nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.”
To not speak lie is not to tell any idea that is far from the truth; sometimes it becomes easy for us to tell a lie in bringing reconciliation between people or to bare them from emotional pain. However, though we might think we helped them, the truth will eventually come out and bring pain upon the people care and thus it is better to tell the truth but not a lie. Also, when they find out the truth, they will still get hurt and might call us a liar which is another chaos. Lying to the people does not only disappoints them but also God.
A lie is a bring a big disaster in our life whilst it is habited. There are many family members, Husband and wives and friends who are separated due to lie. It is important to always remembers that enemy Satan who seek not for love, care and sympathy to be amongst people, bring wage between us by swelling lies. We might have encountered these kinds of situation in our lives or within others. There might be people who strive f or there not be a love and unison within brothers and sisters, for husband and wives not to live in unison and lead a blessed marriage, for the miscommunication to be bent amongst neighbors by swelling lies.
The lie that we tell causes huge social crises. The love, caresome and sympathy that is needed for others is destroyed by the mistrust and hatred caused by our lies. When we consistently lie to others, their trust upon us would gradually lessen and created hated amongst us.
We can only survive on earth when we love one another, care for each other and feel sympathy for others. The pretentious life we lead by the feeling of hate has extremely cost us. On these days where the increment of our life expense, we are having difficulty to cover our expense and live in misery. But the fact that we are unable to pass on this hard time and unfettered from our tribulations and desolation is because of our false living. To resolve problems, to earn money and to gain power we lie; be it a little or big, it is vital to know our lie lead to punishment. Though we might be facing huge problems, if we believe in the truth, God will resolve any kind of problems and save from agony.
The life of Saint Susanna is exemplary to be mentioned here: She was the wife of Joachim, a Jewish nobleman, and one of those who had been carried away captive into Babylon. All his kinsmen used to come to him to judge their causes. Now Susanna was exceedingly beautiful and feared God. Her righteous parents taught their daughter the Law of Moses.
Saint Susanna had a fruit-garden (orchard), which belonged to her husband. She used to go at noon and walk about therein. In those days there appeared two teachers who were hypocrites, such as God spoke of when He said “Sin went forth from Babylon through hypocritical teachers who said, Let us protect the people”; These men frequented the house of Joachim.
When they saw Susanna walking in the garden they lusted for her, and their hearts went astray and turned their eyes perversely to her. They remembered not the judgment of God. Both loved her and wished to bed with her; but neither told to the other what was in his heart, for they were afraid to declare their lust. They waited the whole day long to find her, and one of them acting craftily towards his fellow said, “Let us go to our houses for it is the time of evening.”
They passed out of the garden, separated from each other and told each other of their desire. They agreed together upon a time when each would find her alone, and then they waited for her. On a day according to her wont, she came with two of her handmaidens and wished to bathe in the garden because she was heated. There was no one in the garden.
Now the two men had hidden themselves and were awaiting her. She said to her handmaidens, “Let them bring to me the oil and the soap wherewith to wash myself, and let them shut the doors.” When her handmaidens were departed, the two teachers rose up, seized and said to her, “We wish to bed you, and if you refuse we will be witnesses against you that we found a man with you.” Sussana wept, and said, “I am in affliction in every way: If I do what you want I shall die, and if I do not I cannot be saved. It is better for me to fall into the hand of God than to sin before Him.” Sussana uttered a cry at the top of her voice, and the teachers cried out at her. Then one of them ran and opened the doors of the garden. When the cries were heard by the members of her house, they all ran out and came by way of a side door. They saw what had happened. When the teachers had told them this matter, all the servants of her house were ashamed, for such a thing had never been heard in connection with Sussana.
On the following day all the people gathered together to Joachim, and these two teaches came with their hearts of violence, and declared before all the people, laying their hands upon her head as they did so, “We were walking alone in the garden, and this woman came with two of her handmaidens, and they shut the doors of the garden. She sent her handmaidens away, and there came out a young man from the place in which he had hidden, and lay with her. When we ran after him we could not catch him, for the door was open and he had gone out; we seized Sussana, but when we asked her she would not tell us his name.”
The bystanders believed them because they were teachers of the people. Sussana who was weeping and whose heart trusted in God, looked up to heaven, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, “O God of the world, you know that they have laid false information against me, and I, behold, I must die, although I have not committed the sin.”
God heard her petition, and whilst they were carrying her away to kill her, the Spirit of God moved a certain young man called Daniel, and he cried out, saying, “I am innocent of this woman’s blood.” They said to him, “What is the meaning of these words?” He said to them, “Are you fools that you condemn a daughter of Israel to death without making any investigation of the charge against her?” When the council had come back to the synagogue, they had the two teachers brought, and set each at a distance from the other. Daniel said to one of them, “By what kind of a tree did you see her?” And he said “under a peach tree,” and the other teacher said “under a Pomegranate tree.” And Daniel condemned them by their own words, and the people blessed God Who had saved Sosena.
Anyone who heard and read this story, shall not only realize the power of truth but the severe punishment of lying. Be it far or near, liars will be exposed and face a death trail both on earth and in heaven.
May God guide us in the path of truth and be true person, Amen!
Source: Ethiopian Synaxarium