Hlth 551 Reflection Paper

Reflection Paper 2

HLTH 551

Abstract

The topic of deception is very broad, and can be complicated. Different people have different views about deception, especially how to accept it and when it should not be accepted. In the Bible, there are many accounts of when people lied or rather did not tell the truth. God dealt with these people differently due to their lies. Abraham advised Sarah to say that she was his sister instead of his wife because he was afraid that he would be killed and his wife taken. Rahab lied to the King’s officials of Jericho about the spies she was hiding in her house because she was afraid for her life. In both cases, God’s grace and mercy saved his people from his punishment because they lied to save to save themselves not because lying was accepted.

Truthfulness can be difficult to maintain, especially when one’s life depends on it. A lie is described in the English Oxford dictionary as an intentionally false statement. Regardless of the situation, how can we justify a lie? The Bible is full of verses that condemn lying or not telling the truth. Abraham was caught in a difficult situation where he felt the need to lie in order to save his life. The Bible records that, “as he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarah, “I know what a beautiful woman you are, when the Egyptians see you they will say, this is his wife, then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you” (Genesis 12:11-13 The Living Bible). Abraham understood that if he said that Sarah was his wife, he would be killed so that the Egyptians would be able to take her.

Because Abraham was afraid for his life, he decided to lie although he knew he was risking losing his wife. The Bible continued to record that, “When the Egyptians saw Sarah, and her beauty, they took her to Pharaoh. In addition, when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they took her...