If I have walked with falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit … — Job 31:5

Today's Scripture Reading (September 10, 2024): Job 31

"He who tells a lie is not sensible of how great a task he undertakes; for he must be forced to invent twenty more to maintain that one." The words belong to the English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744) and serve as a reminder that lying sometimes just isn't worth the effort. I sometimes wonder how habitual liars do it. I mean, there is so much to remember. But then again, sometimes the lie takes on a life of its own. And the lie blends into the truth.

There are many stories told about George Washington. However, according to legend, very little was known about the man besides his public endeavors when he died on December 14, 1799. The public wanted more. They wanted to feel like they knew the man they considered responsible for the existence of the United States. As a result, stories began to be told about George Washington. One of those stories was about a child who cut down a cherry tree and then couldn't tell a lie to his parents when questioned about the crime. Is the story true? Maybe, but not in the way we think of truth. The events were likely just made up, and yet the lie reflected the reality of the character that the real man of history reflected.

I recently walked through some sites that promised to reveal modern truth-tellers. The results actually left me a little more than a little dismayed. Many of the people I saw listed were conspiracy theorists or revealers of secrets. They weren't truth-tellers in the sense in which I would use the word. Maybe they believed in their truth, but often, it was either a lie that these people were gullible enough to believe, or they were insensitive enough to reveal a truth that could end up hurting people they didn't even know. None reached the level of the fictional George Washington, who, when questioned about his personal sin, refused to tell a lie, regardless of the personal consequences.

It was a George Washington type of honesty that Job had chased all of his life. It was not an honesty that caused trouble for others but an honesty about his own failures that Job wanted to exhibit in his life. Job had always had that kind of honesty in the past. With his life seemingly drawing to a close, what reason did he have to start lying? Besides, the stress of life amid tragedy had drained his energy. He didn't have the desire or the ability to keep up the pretense. It was something that his "friends" should have understood. And yet, it was something that they were obviously missing.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Job 32