January 2 Daily Discovery

January 2 Daily Discovery
Read Exodus Chapter 1
When God Blesses Liars
15 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:
16 And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.
17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.
18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?
19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.
20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.
Exodus 1:15-21
Situation Ethics
Ethics is the philosophical study in philosophy that seeks to answer the question: "What is right?" Situation ethics suggests that whether something is right is dependent upon the situation.
In most cases "right" is right regardless of the situation. However, there are times when something in one situation is wrong in another situation is right.
This first chapter of Exodus plainly showcases a case when it is right to do something that is wrong.
Unacceptable Lies
The ninth commandment of the ten commandments has sometimes been paraphrased to "thou shalt not lie." However, the accurate translation is "thou shalt not bear false witness." The intent of the prohibition in the ten commandments was to prevent perjury (lying) in court.
If you are called to court to bear witness to what you have seen or heard, God requires that you tell the truth. This is operating under the assumption that the judicial system is properly functioning with the goal to come to the truth.
Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight. (Prov. 12:22)
A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow. (Prov. 25:18)
God killed Ananias and Sapphira for lying to Peter about a donation to the church. Peter told them, you have actually lied to the Holy Spirit. (Acts 5)
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
~ Rev. 21:8
When we deceive someone in order to advantage ourselves or to harm someone else, it is condemned by God.
Acceptable Lies
There is a reason it is important to point out that lying in court is specifically forbidden. Why? Because God does not judge us for telling lies in order to preserve the life of the innocent.
So God blessed the Hebrew midwives for protecting the lives of the innocent unborn.
When we fear God, we WILL NOT lie in order to take personal advantage or to cause harm upon another person. When we fear God, we WILL lie in order to protect the lives of the innocent.
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Continue Your Search
In this chapter, do you see any: Commands to Obey, Warnings to Heed, Promises to Claim, Examples to Follow, Vices to Avoid, Praises to Emulate, Prayers to Use, Principles by which to Live, Questions to Ask or Actions to Take?