No one can escape falling for lies.  Lies affect everyone.  False claims of a better life seduce people into thinking their lives now are not good right now.  Lies of grander lives cause people to think their lives are less than what they should be living.  Lies cause people to want less of God and more of human consumption of man-made things that give only seconds to no pleasure and wear out as soon as they roll off the “showroom” floor.  Our enemy knows this weakness in humans, for we were born into sin, so he goes for the jugular every time.  His tricks, lies of deception with “bait and switch” are not new but they work so over the centuries, since Adam and Eve, he continues to use these same methods.  Our enemy—The Father of Lies. 

Nahum, the prophet speaking for God, calls out the Liar and exposes the truth of the sins of the people as a result.

Nahum 3, The Message

Let the Nations Get Their Fill of the Ugly Truth

^1-4 Doom to Murder City—
    full of lies, bursting with loot, addicted to violence!
Horns blaring, wheels clattering,
    horses rearing, chariots lurching,
Horsemen galloping,
    brandishing swords and spears,
Dead bodies rotting in the street,
    corpses stacked like cordwood,
Bodies in every gutter and alley,
    clogging every intersection!
And whores! Whores without end!
    Whore City,
Fatally seductive, you’re the Witch of Seduction,
    luring nations to their ruin with your evil spells.

* * *

^5-7 “I’m your enemy, Whore Nineveh—
    I, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
I’ll strip you of your seductive silk robes
    and expose you on the world stage.
I’ll let the nations get their fill of the ugly truth
    of who you really are and have been all along.
I’ll pelt you with dog dung
    and place you on a pedestal: ‘Slut on Exhibit.’
Everyone who sees you will gag and say,
    ‘Nineveh’s a pigsty:
What on earth did we ever see in her?
    Who would give her a second look? Ugh!’”

Past the Point of No Return

^8-13 Do you think you’re superior to Egyptian Thebes,
    proudly invincible on the River Nile,
Protected by the great River,
    walled in by the River, secure?
Ethiopia stood guard to the south,
    Egypt to the north.
Put and Libya, strong friends,
    were ready to step in and help.
But you know what happened to her:
    The whole city was marched off to a refugee camp,
Her babies smashed to death
    in public view on the streets,
Her prize leaders auctioned off,
    her celebrities put in chain gangs.
Expect the same treatment, Nineveh.
    You’ll soon be staggering like a bunch of drunks,
Wondering what hit you,
    looking for a place to sleep it off.
All your forts are like peach trees,
    the lush peaches ripe, ready for the picking.
One shake of the tree and they fall
    straight into hungry mouths.
Face it: Your warriors are wimps.
    You’re sitting ducks.
Your borders are gaping doors, inviting
    your enemies in. And who’s to stop them?

* * *

^14-15 Store up water for the siege.
    Shore up your defenses.
Get down to basics: Work the clay
    and make bricks.
Sorry. Too late.
    Enemy fire will burn you up.
Swords will cut you to pieces.
    You’ll be chewed up as if by locusts.

* * *

^15-17 Yes, as if by locusts—a fitting fate,
    for you yourselves are a locust plague.
You’ve multiplied shops and shopkeepers—
    more buyers and sellers than stars in the sky!
A plague of locusts, cleaning out the neighborhood
    and then flying off.
Your bureaucrats are locusts,
    your brokers and bankers are locusts.
Early on, they’re all at your service,
    full of smiles and promises,
But later when you return with questions or complaints,
    you’ll find they’ve flown off and are nowhere to be found.

^18-19 King of Assyria! Your shepherd-leaders,
    in charge of caring for your people,
Are busy doing everything else but.
    They’re not doing their job,
And your people are scattered and lost.
    There’s no one to look after them.
You’re past the point of no return.
    Your wound is fatal.
When the story of your fate gets out,
    the whole world will applaud and cry “Encore!”
Your cruel evil has seeped
    into every nook and cranny of the world.
    Everyone has felt it and suffered.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Be born again in a new life that is forever by believing in Jesus! Repent of falling for the lies and come to the One who is Truth. Believe Truth and be saved forever from death.  Who do you believe—really believe?  The Father of Lies or Truth?  What we believe will be seen in our behaviors.

Jesus came to earth as Truth to expose the enemy, the “father of lies.” The father of lies had affected all people.  Religion was taught with rules without relationship with God.  The people lived oppressed lives guided by those given temporary power who believed the Liar. Nahum’s words about evil rang true in Jesus’ day as well, “Your cruel evil has seeped into every nook and cranny of the world.  Everyone has felt it and suffered.”

John, the Beloved gospel writer, quotes Jesus;

“If God were your father,” said Jesus, you would love me, for I came from God and arrived here. I didn’t come on my own. He sent me. Why can’t you understand one word I say? Here’s why: You can’t handle it. You’re from your father, the Devil, and all you want to do is please him. He was a killer from the very start. He couldn’t stand the truth because there wasn’t a shred of truth in him. When the Liar speaks, he makes it up out of his lying nature and fills the world with lies. I arrive on the scene, tell you the plain truth, and you refuse to have a thing to do with me. Can any one of you convict me of a single misleading word, a single sinful act? But if I’m telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Anyone on God’s side listens to God’s words. This is why you’re not listening—because you’re not on God’s side.”  John 8:44, MSG

Jesus said, “I am the Way, Truth, and Life”.  Jesus is the Way to the Father, God who gives Life everlasting.” (John 14:6) Jesus wasn’t just telling the truth—Jesus was the Truth and always will be Truth as the person of Jesus.  Our Savior who wants to be our Lord who helps us avoid falling for The Liar. 

God does not lie.  It is not in His character; therefore God detests liars and will not come near to those who lie.

Same verse, John 8:44, in the New Living Translations states clearly, “For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

We respond by choosing who we will believe.  Truth or the father of lies.  Choose wisely.  Our very lives depend on our decision.  It is a matter of life or death!

Lord,

I choose You for there is no one else like you. You love us now and forever.  You want the best for us.  You are Truth.  Your Word of Truth is unchanging, unshakable and withstands the test of time.  Why believe anyone else but You?  You are Truth.  I believe.  Thank You for helping us when the lies weaken our resolve.  Be our wisdom, strength, insight and understand so we can tell the difference between truth and lies.

In Jesus Name, Amen