Lying in the bible

[hmblsrvnt]

I teach 7th grade cathechism and was presented with a question about lying. We were discussing angels and I used the story of Tobit to illustrate that angels sometimes help us without us knowing who they are. The problem came up in Tobit 5 particularly in verses 9-13 where Tobias asked what tribe that Raphael was from and he said that his name was Azarias son of Ananias. This brought up the question why was it ok for Raphael to lie about who he was?

I could not provide an acceptable answer in which the class could understand.

How do I explain to the class that it is ok for someone even an angel to lie, especially in the Bible which proclaims the Truth?

Any (name removed by moderator)ut would be appreciated

 

[Pete_Holter]

Luke65 gives some help on this here.

May God bless you!

 

[teachccd]

This story reminds me of Genesis chapter 27 when Jacob deceives his father Isaac for his blessing. It seems to me that just because lying, adultery, murder and many other sins are mentioned and/or committed in Scripture does not make it o.k. Scripture usually indicates why these actions end up with some kind of punishment and a lesson learned.

I also teach 7th grade Religious Education and I know how those questions can spin us around. It almost seems as if they look for something to “quiz” us on. And that is a good thing because it keeps us on our toes. So, I would just mention that Cain killed Abel right after satan lied to their parents. The message of Scripture is truth and the individual sins (and all sin is deception) are noted so that we can learn from them and know how upset it makes God. We are a fallen humanity and God still works with us…I hope that I helped a bit. I’m sure some other ideas will surface…God bless…teachccd

 

[Christy_Beth]

I think it shows that God can use anyone, in any circumstance. It’s not just a lesson for those involved at the time, but also for us. Someone we look down on may be just the right person for us to learn something from.

 

[una_fides]

I teach 7th grade cathechism and was presented with a question about lying. We were discussing angels and I used the story of Tobit to illustrate that angels sometimes help us without us knowing who they are. The problem came up in Tobit 5 particularly in verses 9-13 where Tobias asked what tribe that Raphael was from and he said that his name was Azarias son of Ananias. This brought up the question why was it ok for Raphael to lie about who he was?

I could not provide an acceptable answer in which the class could understand.

How do I explain to the class that it is ok for someone even an angel to lie, especially in the Bible which proclaims the Truth?

Any (name removed by moderator)ut would be appreciated

I found an article that has some helpful content: catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0307bt.asp

Here’s the relevant text:

Some critics object to the fact that the angel Raphael disguises himself and gives a supposedly false name for himself.

This is a complicated subject, since human names can never express the true names of angels but only an aspect of their celestial identity. In Tobit, the angel identifies himself as Raphael (“God Heals,” the most fundamental name he presents) and Azariah (“the Help of the Lord”). Both of these reflect an aspect of his mission and therefore can correctly be said to be names for him. We also know from other Scripture passages that angels do travel incognito (cf. Heb. 13:2). Even Jesus did so (cf. Luke 24:13–29).

Since in any protracted stay with someone—even overnight—the angels would have had to identify themselves as someone, they would have used human names (which would have included a lineage, given the patriarchal society of the Bible). They also would have given points of origin for themselves, as any traveler in the biblical world was certain to be asked, “Who are you, and where are you from?”

We also know that the group of angels to which Raphael belongs—the seven who stand before God (cf. 12:15)—is a real group of angels, for it is mentioned in Revelation 8:2.

Hope this helps. Also if you do a Google search you may be able to find more on the subject.

One possible explanation is that there could have been a copyist error and that we are not reading the original text; however, that one would not be good to pass on to young students.

Another explanation is similar as from the article above and involves that angels take on human bodies and that body could have truly been as one from that particular tribe.

Lastly, because the passage is dealing with angels such that is beyond our human understanding in how they assume earthly bodies and such, we could also safely conclude that we simply do not understand this passage completely.

Regardless, this passage cannot justify telling a lie.

There are two other passages for you to consider in Scripture.

One is when king Solomon said he was going to cut in half the baby when the two women were arguing over whose child it was. If he was not willing to kill the baby, then wouldn’t he have been lying? Scripture goes on to praise king Solomon for the wisdom he displayed in that action.

Another example is Rahab the Harlot who lied to the soldiers about the whereabouts of the Hebrew spies. Scripture also seems to praise her on account of this action.

Do these passages justify telling white lies in order to accomplish a greater good and as long as no one gets hurt?

 

[ryanoneil]

Tobit is a classic example of an “entertaining angels unaware” story (cf. Heb. 13:2). We know who Raphael is all along. When Tobit cried out to God for help, God immediately answered him by sending Raphael. But, as is often the case, God’s deliverance was not noticed at first. Raphael introduced himself as “Azariah,” which means “Yahweh helps,” and then rattles off a string of supposed mutual relations, all with names meaning things like “Yahweh is merciful,” “Yahweh gives,” and “Yahweh hears.”

By this device, the author is saying (with a nudge and a wink), “Psst, audience. Get it?” And we, of course, do get it, particularly if we’re reading the story in the original Hebrew. Indeed, by using the name “Yahweh helps,” Raphael isn’t so much “lying” about his real name as he is revealing the deepest truth about who God is and why God sent him to Tobit. It’s that truth and not any fluff about history or geography or the fun using an alias that the author of Tobit aims to tell.