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Truth, only Truth

We are the people of the truth. Right?

So the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this fellow in prison…”’”

  - 1 Kings 22.26, 27

St. Columban happened one day to go to Brunhilda, who was then living in Brocariaca. As she saw him enter the court, she led to him the illegitimate sons of Theuderich. When St. Columban saw her, he asked what she wanted of him. Brunhilda answered, “These are the king’s sons; give them thy blessing.” He replied, “Know that these boys will never bear the royal scepter, for they were begotten in sin.”

  - Jonas, Life of St. Columban, Italian, 7th century

Ahab pretended that he wanted the truth from Micaiah. He was well aware that the prophets who populated his court would only ever tell him what they thought he wanted to know. And most of the time, that was OK. But this was a different situation, what with the king of Judah present and all.

So, when Micaiah merely parroted the response of Ahab’s lackeys, the king of Israel charged him to tell it straight.

Which he did, landing himself in jail.

When Ahab finally heard the truth, he couldn’t handle it, and it was off to the prison for Micaiah. Telling the truth to narcissistic sinners can be a risky business.

Brunhilda wanted Columbanus to overlook the matter of Theuderich’s illegitimate sons. Her son, the king, was a notorious philanderer, and to this point in the story, he’d enjoyed the Church’s blessing to continue his life in sin. As long as he didn’t trouble them.

But then Columbanus arrived in Gaul.

So the queen mother was just making sure all the bases were covered when she presented Theuderich’s sons to Columbanus to be baptized. But he would not, not until the king repented of his ways and proved himself to be a faithful follower of Christ. Columbanus thus became the lifelong enemy of Brunhilda, and she worked relentlessly to exile him from her domain.

Christians have been tip-toeing around the truth for too long now. We don’t want to offend anyone. Who are we to judge? We just want everyone to be happy and to feel good about themselves. And we don’t want to be deprived of those conveniences or indulgences which, while we suspect they don’t quite line up with Scripture, we continue to delight in nonetheless.

We have to be loving and tolerant in such matters, beginning with ourselves. So we continue to rationalize our way around the truth, in the process, leaving ourselves and our neighbors mired in the Lie. We reason, “This is not the place or time to talk about my faith.” Or, “I’m afraid I’ll lose my friend/job/reputation (choose one or more) if I say anything.” Or, like Lot (Gen. 19.17-20), “It’s just a little deviation, right?”

I’ve heard these and many similar rationalizations from truth-concealing Christians who don’t have an ounce of the Spirit that indwelt Micaiah and Columbanus, but who persuade themselves, week-in and week-out, that their shameful silence about the demands of the Gospel, and their secret dalliances in the courts of sin, are OK with their pastors, their church leaders, and their fellow believers, so they’re OK with them as well.

Are our churches no different from the courts of Ahab or Brunhilda when it comes to the matter of truth?

We are a people on the wall, beloved (Ezek. 33), and a day of wrath is coming. If we do not speak up, if we continue to cherish our safety and comfort more than the souls of lost men and women; if we think we can use the sword of the Spirit only to soothe our troubled souls and not wield it against the enemies of the faith; or if we think truth is not as important as tolerance, we are sorely deceived.

We are the people of truth. God calls us to live the truth, proclaim the truth, defend the truth, speak the truth and leave the results to the God of truth. He will be there to provide for and protect us, come what may – even if it means rejection, persecution, or suffering.

Today – this day – you are called to stand for and stand in the truth that is in Christ Jesus. Will you?

Psalm 19.9-14 (St. Christopher: Beneath the Cross of Jesus)
The fear of God is cleansing, forever shall it last.
His judgments all are true and just by righteousness held fast.
O seek them more than gold most fine, than honey find them sweet;
Be warned by every word and line; be blessed with joy complete.

Who, Lord, can know his errors? O keep sin far from me!
Let evil rule not in my soul that I may blameless be.
O let my thoughts, let all my words, before Your glorious sight
Be pleasing to You, gracious Lord, acceptable and right.

Help me, O my God, to stand and live in Your truth!

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T. M. Moore
Principal
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All psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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