Someone once asked, “Is everything in the Bible true?” The answer is no, it isn’t. Don’t stop reading! The reason? It includes quoted lies. Our verse for today is one of them.

Jonathan replied, “David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem.” 1 Samuel 20:28

Jonathan lied to his father to save David’s life. The serpent lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Bible records many lies, but the message of the Bible is true.

So, here is a question worth asking. Did David and Jonathan need to conjure up a lie to save David’s Life? Consider this: Samuel had already anointed David as the next King of Israel.

God doesn’t lie or use deceit because He doesn’t have to. He never did, and He never will. The Bible reveals facts about God and how He uses sinful people to accomplish His will.

Have you ever thought about some of the people God used in the scriptures? It makes a person wonder why He used them. 

• Jacob was a deceiver, and yet the 12 tribes of Israel are his direct descendants. 
• David pulled some pretty shady stuff yet was called a man after God’s own heart.  
• Peter denied Jesus and became one of the main leaders of the church. 
• Paul persecuted the early church and jailed many Christians. Yet he ended up writing most of the New Testament.

Maybe we should focus closer to home and take a look at ourselves. Since I’m writing this, I’ll use myself as an example.

Let’s Talk About Lies Found Outside of the Bible

I have always tried to be good, sometimes to the tune of others calling me a goodie two shoes. But like everyone else, I’ve had my share of deceitful and sinful ways.

Sometimes my thinking went haywire. Envy got the best of me when I heard testimonies of how some had experienced God’s deliverance and how the Lord pulled people’s lives out of the gutter. 

I hate to admit it, but those feelings came from a young, immature Christian. I never thought of the pain and misery they went through. I just knew my testimony was less than exciting.

Even though I went to church all my life, I never heard the salvation message until my teenage years. As I grew and matured in the Lord, I realized the error in my thinking. The scripture says, 

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23

It doesn’t matter if someone grew up in the church or lived a respectable life outside of the church. Neither does it matter if someone fell into the gutter of sin and shame.

Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:24 

Even the most liked and accepted people on the face of the earth fall short of God’s glory. Therefore, we all need to call upon the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins.

Why God Uses Who He Uses

Why did God use the sinful and deceitful people that we read about in the Bible? Because He knew their hearts and used the strengths within them to accomplish His will

He does the same thing with us. God will use our strengths and those characteristics that charted our lives before our salvation, to further His Kingdom.

Case in point, the zeal of Paul used to destroy the church, God used to build the church. Remember the people God used in the Bible. He can use you, too.

Lord, I am thankful for my testimony and the testimony of others. No matter where we have come from and what we have been through, we offer ourselves completely to you.