Discerning Truth from Lies

 

By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Jeremiah 3:1-5

 

Jeremiah 3:4-5

Have you not just now called to me,
    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—
⁵ will he be angry forever,
    will he be indignant to the end?’
Behold, you have spoken,
    but you have done all the evil that you could.”

(ESV)

 

One of the blessings and curses of living in the information age is the abundance of words available to us at our fingertips.  Included in this abundance of words is the Word of God now available on our devices, computers, and phones in a variety of translations.  However, there is also an abundance of evil, hate, pornography, other ungodly words.  In the information age, people must exercise Godly discernment regarding the words they feed into their minds with God’s Word provide the standard.  In the information age, it has never been more important to know God’s Word, using it to properly discern the information available at our fingertips. 

 

In Jeremiah 3:1-5, the theme is Israel and Judah playing the whore (Jeremiah 3:1-2).  These are strong words for a whore is a woman that sleeps around with any man with a commitment to none of them.  This is how God viewed Israel if they worship any God other than the one true God (Exodus 34:11-16).  Israel has committed a great sin for they know the one true God and the first commandment not to have any other Gods (Exodus 20:2-3) but have decided not to totally commit to God but instead to have divided loyalties by worshiping the pagan gods of the land.  So egregious is this sin that it will manifest in the climate causing drought (Jeremiah 3:3), but please do not interpret this as man-caused climate change but instead as God removing the blessing of rain, something vital in an agrarian society.  Israel and Judah speak good words calling God their father and the friend of their youth while doing all the evil they could (Jeremiah 3:4-5).  God’s people must be committed to truth and discern truth from lies by,

 

1)      Asking God for discernment (James 1:5) – The broken world of 2020 that continues into 2021 comes with confusion as the world faces unprecedented challenges.  Take Covid19 for example, While the disease began in China, our ability to travel the globe in hours caused the disease to spread globally, resulting in a pandemic.  Normally one escapes disease by running from any exposure to it but in this case, the virus has gone global leaving no safe place to escape to.  Therefore, health professionals and authorities recommend social distancing and the wearing of a mask, but the disease continues to spread despite these recommendations adding to the confusion.  The pros and cons of social distancing and masks is a popular subject on social media and the internet, but one should ask God for discernment regarding whether to wear a mask or social distance, especially those with health issues. 

2)      Seek reliable and relevant information based on truth (John 8:32) – Jesus reminds us that the truth shall set us free.  The other side of this coin is lies which hold one in bondage.  Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44) with lying and distortion of the truth as his tactic beginning in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-5).  While the information age makes massive amounts of information conveniently available, not all of it is true for anyone can post something online or on social media.  For us to discern truth from lies we must have something to measure truth.  God’s word is the measuring stick of truth and why God’s people must study and meditate on it daily, using it to discern the truth from lies of what they see online and in social media. 

3)      Ask God for discernment regarding any hidden agendas in the information (Matthew 22:15-22) – What we see written online and in social media usually has an agenda behind it, including this blog which has the agenda of viewing world events through the prism of biblical truth.  The agenda of information based on truth need not be a hidden agenda for since it is based on truth, it can stand up to any scrutiny.  However, the agenda of information based on lies and distorted truths must remain hidden for if revealed, the lies in the information would become known.  When the Pharisees approached Jesus with the question on taxes, they had a hidden agenda of wanting to entangle Jesus in his words.  Had Jesus answered do not pay your taxes, they would have turned Him over to the Roman authorities.  Had Jesus answered pay your taxes, they would have said that this would prevent them from giving to God.  Jesus’ answer told them they must do both (Matthew 22:20-21).  Jesus knew the hidden agenda of the Pharisees and gave them an answer they could not respond to, causing them to just walk away. 

 

We live in a time where information is readily available to everyone, but the information is unfiltered making it necessary for the reader of the information to use discernment to filter lies from truth.  One of the major areas of debate in the world recently has been the censorship of information by tech companies who manage the information.  Unfortunately, many of these tech companies have hidden agendas leading them to censor and remove any information contrary to that agenda.  The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution grants freedom of speech meaning that anyone should be free to post information on online forums and social media.  If the information is the incitement or commission of a crime, the tech company should alert the proper law enforcement authorities and then remove it from the forum.  The responsibility of filtering truth from lies does not lie with those storing the information but with the reader of the information.  For believers in Christ, this process involves praying for discernment from God, measuring the truth of the information against the Word of God, and asking God for discernment regarding any hidden agendas.  This Godly discernment will lead to the discovery of the truth which will set us free (John 8:32).