Aug-08-0486-The destructive power of half-truths
486_The destructive power of half-truths Psalm 52 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day. 2 Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. 3 You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah 4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. 5 But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah 6 The righteous shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, 7 “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!” 8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. 9 I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly. Many years ago, during a tense court trial, a witness was called to the stand to testify in a high-profile case. The prosecutor asked a simple question: “Did you see the defendant at the scene?” The witness replied, “Yes, I did.” On the surface, it seemed like a solid, damning statement. But he omitted the most important thing—that the defendant had been at the scene hours before anything unlawful happened. Just a few omissions were enough to nearly ruin an innocent man. Eventually, the truth came out, but not before rumors spread and reputations were shattered. The witness didn’t tell a direct lie. He merely shaded the truth—what we often call a “half-truth.” But Scripture and life both emphasize that a half-truth can be just as destructive as a blatant lie when used in the service of deceit. Psalm 52 is David’s response to a moment in his life where a half-truth led to horrific consequences. The heading of this psalm provides the context, recorded in 1 Samuel 21 and 22: “When Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’” Doeg was an Edomite and the chief herdsman of King Saul. On one occasion, he was “detained before the Lord,” possibly as part of some punishment or cleansing ritual. During that time, he witnessed David’s hasty visit to the tabernacle. David on this occasion lied to the old priest Ahimelech, pretending to be on the king’s business. In his innocence, the priest supplied David with the old shewbread and with the sword of Goliath kept there. But David immediately realized Doeg was a great danger, and fled from Israel to Gath, knowing Doeg would inform Saul about his visit to Ahimelech. Sure enough, when Saul demanded of his servants why they were all conspiring against him instead of informing him where to find David, Doeg spoke up. Saul was already ranting that no one cared about him, that his own son Jonathan had made a secret pact with David, and