Deception by Nuance
Satan is a Deceiver
Why is it so important to discern Satan’s nuances? Because God is truth. Jesus is truth. And we can’t honor Them if we do not honor truth and, in fact, if we do not hate lies, specifically in Christ’s name!
“From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.” – Psalm 119:104.
“I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way.” – Psalm 119:128.
“I hate and despise falsehood, But I love Your law.” – Psalm 119:163.
“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.” – Proverbs 12:22; how much more of an abomination is it, do you think, when people lie in Christ’s name?
One who lies is an abomination. If we “justify” the wicked, we are also an abomination in the eyes of God: “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 17:15).
In our hearts, do we have the same respect for the truth of God? Do we truly hate every false way?
SATAN IS A DECEIVER:
This is not a biblical matter but it illustrates how someone can deceive through nuance. We are all familiar with our first amendment:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
On January 6, 1941 early in the days of World War II, President FDR gave his state of the union address in which he proposed four fundament freedoms that people all around the world should enjoy: “freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.”
Did you notice a change in nuance? President Roosevelt did not mention freedom of “religion;” he mentioned “freedom of worship.” There is a very big difference. I do not know if he intended to unleash such deception on the American people, but I surely believe modern politicians do. “Freedom of religion” is broader than “freedom of worship,” isn’t it? In fact, just to make things clear, our Founding Fathers wrote: “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
The Secular Left in our country are fine with us worshipping any way we want; they just don’t want our religious beliefs to impact or influence our behavior in the public square. For example, Jewell is an editor. If someone approached her to edit a book they had written that promoted homosexuality, should she be required by law to edit that book? Does she have the right to exercise her religion or does she simply have the right to worship as she desires?
That question is at the core of lawsuit before the SCOTUS right now in which the justices will decide if a web designer in Colorado has the right not to design a website for same-sex couples.
I’m not talking in this devotional about homosexuality – or about religious freedom for that matter. I’m talking about Satan deceiving people through nuance and changing “freedom of religion” to “freedom of worship” is such an example.
When Satan deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, didn’t he say some truth? When he told her, “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). Wasn’t there some truth in that? Yes, but it is nuanced.
In Jeremiah 28, in the middle of the siege by the Babylonians, a prophet by the name of Hananiah spoke in the name of Jehvoah God: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. ‘…I am going to bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon” (28:2-3). Everything Hananiah said in that statement is true. Well, almost. You see, Hananiah was able to deceive many Jews into believing that what he said was from Jehovah God. That part was not true. Because one part that was not true I have left out. You see, Hananiah actually said, “Within two years…” That changed everything.
Paul Holland
