When I was a kid I can remember watching a TV game show called, "To Tell the Truth." The game consisted of four celebrity panelists who would try to determine which guest was telling the truth. Three guests would all pose as the same person, a doctor or nurse or scientist, etc. The panelists would ask each guest questions to determine who was the real doctor.
Each of the guests tried to answer all the questions as if they were that person they claimed to be. They would say things they thought that the panelists wanted to hear in an attempt to fool them. Some were very good at the game and often would fool the majority of the panelists. At the end of the game, the panelist would vote on who they thought was telling the truth. Then the host would ask the famous question, "Would the real Dr. Smith please stand up." After the guests would try to fake everyone out, the real Dr. Smith would reveal himself.
Many of us are very much like the guests on that show. We're good at telling people what we think they want to hear. We probably learned it as kids, but have developed the art of slight deception as we've grown to adulthood. We really don't look it at as lying. After all we're just trying to appease our questioner. And since we don't want to offend someone, especially if they are close to us, we shade the truth. We often times will tell someone what we think they want to hear simply so that we can remain in that person's good graces, even to the detriment of that person.
Macaiah was an Old Testament prophet that we hear about rarely. In fact, I've only heard one message in my lifetime that even referred to him. In short, King Ahab wanted to attack a town called, Ramoth Gilead, and recapture it from his enemy. But when went to inquire from the Lord, all of his prophets but one told him that God would give him the victory. All that is but Macaiah.
When Macaiah was summoned to the king, the messengers warned Macaiah to agree with all the other prophets. Initially he did. But when pressed by King Ahab to tell the truth, Macaiah told him the Lord told him it was trap and that if he went, he would be killed. Ahab was so angry that he put Macaiah in prison on bread and water until he returned. The problem was that Ahab never returned.
Macaiah told the truth and didn't relent even under pressure. He was trying to help the king, but the king didn't want to hear it. Nor did the other prophets who challenged him. Yet, Macaiah told the truth even though as far as we know he died in prison on bread and water.
Telling the truth isn't always the easiest or the most popular thing to do. Sometimes, we'll pay a penalty for telling the truth. Sometimes we'll be ostracized for telling the truth. Sometimes we may suffer for telling the truth or even lose a friend. But in the end, truth is truth. And if we learn to speak the truth in love as God commands us, we just may be celebrated in the end.
God, sometimes I find myself wanting to protect myself by not telling the whole truth. I realize I'm not trusting in you at that moment. Help learn to speak the truth in love and with wisdom. Help stand for your truth even though sometimes it's not popular.
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