Emet and What it Means For God’s People

Last updated on: September 3, 2023 at 6:03 pm by Martin Thomas Johnson

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Emet and What it Means For God’s People 2023-09-03T18:03:11-04:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

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Lately, there have been multiple accounts in the news about spouses trying to have their husbands killed. These women lied when they gave their wedding vows to love their spouses. They are more concerned about immediate happiness.

Wedding vows

Image by Pixaby

Another ironic twist in the news is the fall of a social media superstar who was known for giving strict parenting advice. She and her business partner were arrested for aggravated child abuse.

The truth is, these people tricked others into trusting them to make everyone happy. People don’t always like the truth, although it is a noble concept, for good reason.

It doesn’t always make them happy
Causes guilt
Exposes us

Last year I left my church home after nearly 10 years. Another church member tried to convince me that some sins aren’t as bad as others and that lying isn’t bad. The member was confident that he knew better than me and the church’s doctrine.

Jesus, Himself, warned His followers against looking down on the sins of others (Luke 18:9-14). Some people want a twisted gospel that will only make them happy; they don’t understand the importance of truth.

Emet

Truth in Judaism is called Emet and Judaism places a high emphasis on the need for truth. The Torah gives specific rules for being honest in daily and business practices.

Emet is important because the word is made up of the first (aleph), middle (mem), and last (tav) letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The teaching is clear; truth should penetrate every aspect of a person’s life from beginning to end.

Torah

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The Torah shares the story of the fall of man after Satan deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, thus the human race and the earth were cursed (Genesis 3:1-14).

Then, time and again God’s people were led astray by false prophets. That is why the books of Jewish wisdom in the Ketuvim state how much God detests liars (Proverbs 6: 16-19, 12:22, 13:5).

The need for truth is found in the ninth commandment, God said not to bear false witness (Exodus 20:16). God’s people are commanded to always tell the truth!

Tell the Truth

Parents can have a hard time teaching their children to tell the truth. Judaism places high emphasis on teaching children to do what is right (Deuteronomy 6:7, Proverbs 22:6).

When I was growing up, my father told me why he hated being lied to; it’s a lack of respect. As an adult, I share the same belief. Below are some common benefits of telling the truth.

You don’t have to remember your lies.
You’ll create deeper connections with people.
You’ll be more confident.
You’ll build trust.
You’ll be respected.
You won’t get caught lying.
Truth attracts truth.
You’ll feel less stressed.

Psychology and biology both show that lying is bad for our health. Truth is a fundamental Christian teaching. The Bible reveals that truth is rooted in God’s divine nature (Numbers 23:19, Psalm 43:3, Isaiah 65:16).

Jesus taught the truth is freeing (John 8: 31- 32). When Jesus confronted the religious leaders of His day, He called them liars and sons of Satan (John 8:42-44.) The Pharisees were skilled at the craft of deception.

Deception

The danger of deception is, there is always a little bit of truth twisted into it. People like what they hear and buy the lie hook line and sinker. Deception twists the truth in three ways.

Justifies
Rationalizes
Satisfies

These were the very tactics Satan tempted to use against Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Satan tried to use the same playbook he did in the garden with the first Adam.

Desert