«They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths» (Zephaniah 3:13, NIV).
IT IS INTERESTING how all the suffering that befalls us began with an ancient, simple exaggeration on the part of the serpent in Eden: «Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’ » (Genesis 3:1, NIV). Was that really what the Lord had said? Not to eat from any tree in the garden?
Let’s take a closer look at what Genesis 2:16, 17 says: «And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.’ » There was only one tree from which our first parents could not eat: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, Satan exaggerated and said they could not eat from «any tree.»
In an attempt to score a point over the devil, Eve replied to the serpent’s exaggeration with another exaggeration: «We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die’ » (Genesis 3:2, 3, NIV). No eating or touching? God’s prohibition had nothing to do with touching. However, Eve exaggerated things; she added the verb «touch» and presented it as an explicit command of the Lord. All of us already know what happened next . . .
How dangerous it is to think that exaggerating is just a minor rhetorical resource in which we simply add something to a true statement, without really affecting the truth itself! No doubt, exaggeration is not only a sin, but also what led to the entrance of sin into our world.
It would be good for us to remember our Lord’s well-known words: «By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned» (Matthew 12:37). What we say is forging our path to eternity, whether for good or for evil. Ellen G. White points out: «God alone knows and measures the result of a careless, exaggerated mode of speaking.”
Although we must admit it’s hard for us to «tame the tongue» (James 3:8), God has promised to empower us so that there will be no «deceitful tongue» (Zephaniah 3:13) in us. May this promise be a reality in our lives and may we say «No!» to exaggeration.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Angelica Cuate
