Strong Feelings About a Lie

Jealous over the favoritism that their father showed toward Joseph, his brothers first conspired to murder him. Reuben, however, convinced the blood-thirsty brothers to throw their little brother in a pit. Judah then persuaded them to sell the boy to a band of traveling traders bound for Egypt (Genesis 37:28). These heartless brothers then devised a plan to cover up their sinfulness by taking Joseph's coat, dipping it in blood, and presenting it to their father (37:31-32). When their father saw the bloody coat, he jumped to the next conclusion, "It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!" (37:33). As a result Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and began a period of intense mourning for his son whom he believed to be dead (37:34). Jacob's grief was so intense, his emotions so ravaged, he refused any comfort that his family would offer (37:35).

A clear application from this story is that we can feel very strongly about a lie. In fact, we can feel just as strong about a lie as we can the truth. In truth Joseph was not dead, no matter how much it felt like it. Emotions are an important part of being human and should not be quickly dismissed. God does not want us to have a completely intellectual faith devoid of emotion. Jacob was certainly not wrong for feeling the way he did.

But the application that we can draw from this story is that truth is not based upon emotions. Truth is truth. Too many in the religious world today base their convictions and beliefs upon what "feels" right. Thankfully, what Jacob "felt" eventually was proved to be wrong--his son was really alive and well in Egypt. However, if we base our faith upon emotions we may find that we have been wrong all along--and at Judgment we may not find such a happy ending (cf. John 12:48). Biblical truth is based upon hearing God's word, not listening to the language of our emotions (Rom. 10:17). We may feel strongly about something, but if it is not based upon actual truth, we may find we have had strong feelings about a lie.