Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - DECEIVED

 DECEIVED

From the very first part of the book of Genesis, the problem of deception has been a prominent factor in the Bible and subsequently the world. This is one reason we are warned, repeatedly throughout scripture, not to be deceived. In multiple places, one reads phrases such as:

• “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived…” (Deuteronomy 11:16)
• “…‘Take heed that you not be deceived…’” (Luke 21:8) 
• “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived…” (1 Corinthians 6:9)
• “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33)
• “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) 

There are other examples as well, but the main point from the above is to avoid deception and the Bible shows this as well. For example:

• “Your fierceness has deceived you…” (Jeremiah 49:16),
• “The pride of your heart has deceived you…” (Obadiah 1:3)
• “…‘My servant deceived me…’” (2 Samuel 19:26)

Being deceived by others can be, and is, a dangerous issue. Deceiving ourselves is even more so, and the deception that come through pride seems paramount:

• “When pride comes, then comes shame…” (Proverbs 11:2)
• “By pride comes nothing but strife…” (Proverbs 13:10)
• “Pride goes before destruction…” (Proverbs 16:18)
• “A man’s pride will bring him low…” (Proverbs 29:23)     

Pride is defined as “a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority” (dictionary.com) and is probably the dominant reason why we are either deceived by ourselves or by others. Even Eve admitted that she had been deceived when she said: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13). She ate the fruit because she saw “…that the tree was good for food…pleasant to the eyes…[and] desirable to make one wise…” (Genesis 3:6). She was deceived by her own desires motivated by Satan.

So, it is still today. Satan still “…walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8) and this deception comes about through “…the lust of the fresh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life…” (1 John 2:16). Is it not pride that makes one feel that they deserve more than others, that they can do better than others, that they know more than others, or that they can lack respect for others?

It is not such sentiments that have caused and still cause mankind to create multiple religions in an attempt to improve on God’s plans? It was pride that made Hitler feel he could conquer the world and also pride which caused Europe to feel it could accept Hitler’s word. And it is pride again which is behind the world’s present difficult situation. 

Satan has deceived mankind in the past and still “…deceives the whole world…” as well as “…those who dwell on the earth…” (Revelation 12:9&13:14) because of man’s pride. Besides, has it not been man’s pride that has caused him to make his own way to reach God, with his own rules, religions, and promises rather than by the way God had intended? 

We should all, therefore, as the Bible states, “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them,” (Deuteronomy 11:16). The problem of pride and of bring deceived: certainly is something to think about.