About this episode

This episode explores the ethical implications of deception in the Bible, particularly during wartime, through a conversation between Tony Payne and Jack Day.

Have you ever debated the question, “Is it ever okay to lie?”? If so, it usually doesn’t take very long for someone to raise the uncomfortable fact that people in the Bible—particularly people in the Old Testament—lie quite a bit. Furthermore, not only do they get away with it, they’re often commended for it—like the Hebrew midwives in Exodus 1:15-21, who lie to Pharaoh about what’s going on with the Hebrew babies, and Jehu in 2 King 10, who very deceptively lures the prophets of Baal into a trap and then kills them all. If you’ve ever wondered about those incidents, what to make of them and what the implications are for the Christian life, tune into Tony Payne’s conversation with Moore College Old Testament Lecturer Jack Day in this episode of the Centre for Christian Living podcast. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit our website . To ask questions or to get in touch with us about this series, send us a voice memo or email to ccl AT moore edu au . Find out more and register for our July live podcast recording with Paul Grimmond and Simon Flinders on Transforming Work (Wed 29 July 2026). Support the work of the Centre by making a tax-deductible donation . Please note…

People in this episode

Host: Tony Payne

Guest: Jack Day

Topics covered

• deception
• lying
• Christian ethics
• Old Testament
• warfare
• biblical narratives

Keywords

• deception
• lying
• Old Testament
• Christian ethics
• war
• Hebrew midwives
• Jehu
• Exodus
• 2 Kings

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Moore College

Books & works: Exodus, 2 Kings

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