Buy the Truth
- Details
- Category: Perspectives
- Published on Sunday, 11 September 2011 11:53
- Written by Aurelius
- Hits: 83
Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. KJV
This admonition from Proverbs 23:23 is as valid today as it was when it was first penned. The righteous are exhorted to buy the truth. The implication is that truth is not something that one owns through natural means. An effort has to be made and a price paid for one to come into possession of the truth. Once the righteous has the truth, he is exhorted not to sell it. Truth is something the righteous owe to themselves to own and keep without regard for the profit one may make by selling it. The bottom line is the righteous are exhorted to obtain the truth and hold onto it.
Proverbs 23:23 came to my mind after hearing about a poll in which the number of Americans that believe President Barack Obama is a Muslim is increasing. According to the poll, the number of people that do not know the President’s religion is also quite high. Thinking of the results of the poll I could not help but think about the Reverend Jeremiah Wright episode that was widely discussed when the President was running for the office. Back then we were told that the Christian, Jeremiah Wright, was Senator Obama’s Pastor for twenty years. We were told that a man that would submit himself as a parishioner to Jeremiah Wright for twenty years was not fit to be president because of a serious character flaw. Back in those days, no one questioned the Senator’s religion. It was clear to all that he was a Christian as we were forced to view pictures tying the candidate to a close affiliation with Pastor Jeremiah Wright, who at the time was the senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ. At the time, we saw pictures of the Obama’s Christian wedding as well as pictures of his children receiving Christian baptism. Though Obama eventually severed his ties with Wright and Trinity United Church of Christ, voices continued to tie the two together. Now eighteen months later people believe Obama is a Muslim and some refer to him as an Imam.
From a Biblical perspective, no matter how much we do not like a person or hate that person’s politics, we are not to accept lies about the individual. It is easy to want to believe something bad or evil about people we do not like. However, the inspired scriptures strongly encourage the faithful to go with the truth no matter how much better the lie may sound. If we as believers are so quick to accept an untruth about someone because of the way we feel about the individual, we need to take a moment and make sure we have not allowed a spirit of hatred to find a place in our hearts.