The Apostle James reminds us that those who transgress one of the commandments of God break them all (Jms. 2.10). The story of the balloon hoax foisted on their community by a Colorado couple provides a perfect example of this.

The Heenes, a family afflicted with misplaced values and priorities, determined that the best way to get a reality TV program of their own (coveting) was to pull off the balloon stunt of which we have all by now heard quite enough, thank you. Thus, lying to their neighbors and the authorities (ninth commandment), about their youngest child's whereabouts, they showed utter disrespect and contempt for the local magistracy (fifth commandment) and plunged their neighbors into undo worry and stress over the safety of their child, depriving them of their peace for a space of several hours (fifth and eighth commandments).

Now the jig is up, at the expense to the community of tens of thousands of dollars (stealing) and to their children of a measure of innocence and future wellbeing. If the Heenes don't go to jail, they will at least have a huge debt to repay the community in fines and reimbursements, thus robbing from their children as well.

It's not my purpose to vilify the Heenes; they have managed that quite well themselves. Rather, if their goofball lie can bring such sin and upheaval on a single community, what do the multiplied lies, equivocations, and half-truths of a government do to its people and to the wellbeing of a nation? Soviet Marxism showed the devastating power of a lie to breed murder, deceit, theft, and atheism among a people; what havoc are the lies of materialism, secularism, and statism foisting on Americans, even as we sit by and watch?

Pray for voices of Truth to emerge in these lying days (Ps. 12), so that we may find shelter in the Word of God against the devastation that The Lie inflicts on a nation.

T. M. Moore