Denying and Lying

Several years ago, one of my friends came home from a hectic day at work only to find that her nephew's head was half shaved.  To protect the innocent, let's just call him Buzz.  Since Buzz lived with her, she knew when he received haircuts and knew this was an unauthorized cut.  The boy resembled Mr. McGoo.  As she questioned him about his head, his responses went from denial of knowing what happened to an outright lie.  The story he decided to go with was that he was reaching into the closet and the clippers jumped out and hit him on the head shaving him in the process.  You have to understand, he was around 13 years old.  He didn't think through basic facts like the clippers needing  electricity  to work or how they got out of the box.  I told her what I knew to be the absolute truth - a girl was involved.  Indeed, that was the case.

If you think Buzz's lie was good, think about Aaron's lie.  Buzz was  only 13, impressionable and still maturing.  Aaron was consecrated as Israel's first high priest.  This was after the Lord used he and Moses to deliver the children of Israel.  He knew better.  Yet not long after the consecration, Aaron participated in a heinous sin.

Exodus 32:1-4(NKJV)
¹Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”  ²And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”  ³So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.  ⁴And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

When Moses came down off the mountain after calming the Lord's anger, he confronted Aaron.  Aaron's lie was about as creative as Buzz's lie.  He went into denying, lying and playing the blame game.

Exodus 32:21-24(NKJV)
²¹And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”  ²²So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil.  ²³For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’  ²⁴And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

Moses saw the burning bush; but believing a fire that can spontaneously produce a golden calf aka false god....umm not so much.  I don't think there is ever a good lie - a more creative one yes, but lying is never good.  Aaron's lie was neither good nor creative.  He just didn't want to be in trouble with Moses.

We shouldn't be critical of Aaron since many of us have behaved similarly.  I've heard many creative excuses as to why some people can't attend bible study, Sunday school, give in the offering, sing in the choir, etc.  We have plenty of justifications for why we don't read more, pray more, study more, serve more, etc.  We give answers that are full of everything but faith when we explain why we don't obey the great commission to go be witnesses, to work miracles in the lives of those around us or to make Jesus known wherever we find ourselves.   These excuses we give are usually denials that have advanced to well dressed lies.  When we deny ourselves to follow God, nothing comes before Him, His commands or His leading.  Anything offered as a reason for disobedience to His will is a denial of His sovereignty and leadership in our lives.  In order to continue in disobedience, we must believe that our reasoning trumps His commands leaving us lying to ourselves and others.

Let the clippers jump out of the closet and snip the cords of excuses, denials and lies.  Repent and be refreshed.  His forgiveness is waiting for you.