My homeroom teacher had a poster on her wall that said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember what you said.” One lie often leads to more lies, as the offender seeks to cover his or her tracks. People lie for many reasons:
- They don’t want to offend.
I love your new hairdo.
- They stand to gain financially.
It still runs like new!
- They hope to entrap or ensnare.
One time won’t hurt.
- They want to avoid confrontation.
I didn’t see what happened.
- They get a thrill from getting “one over” on others.
People also lie to cover their tracks. Solomon hints at this in Proverbs 10:9, “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” The latter part of the verse implies that the man lacking integrity tries to hide his misdeeds. Solomon knows, at one point or another, the truth will come out.
I can’t help but think of David here (see 2 Samuel 11–12). Though he had a heart that sought God, in his sin with Bathsheba, David lacked integrity. He tried to cover his tracks; first, by trying to send Uriah home, then by murdering him when he refused to go. David had the opportunity to repent at the words of Nathan the prophet. Yet, terrible consequences followed his sins.
The way of integrity is much easier than the way of sinning and lying to cover it up! The person of integrity doesn’t have to worry if someone is observing them when they don’t know it. The person of integrity doesn’t have to blush when answering questions about where they’ve been or what they’ve been doing. Doing the right thing when “nobody is watching” (an impossibility, since God is always watching, Proverbs 15:3) has countless benefits. Walk in the way of integrity, Solomon says, and your steps will be secure.
Clay Leonard
