The Voice of Truth

With election rhetoric heating up, more and more voices clamor to tell us what to think, believe, and do. The rhetoric reminds me of cupcakes. Fluffy, appealing appearance, frosted with a little truth, but loaded with sprinkles—promises mixed with lies.

But only one voice truly matters. Only one voice is always true. The voice that doesn’t shout. The One that doesn’t change.

To stay grounded and focused, I’ve been listening to Casting Crowns’ “The Voice of Truth” every night before bed. As I thought about the voice of truth, this struck me: God’s truth does so many things for us. It leads, teaches, guides, preserves, and sanctifies us. But what does God’s truth do for HIM?”

Things that make you go hmmm.

Before we can address that, what does truth really mean? Sounds like a “doh” question, but going to the original source blew me away.

The Hebrew word for truth is emet (eh-MEHT). The letters comprising the word “truth” are the first, middle, and last letters (aleph-mem-tav) of the Hebrew alphabet.

What an incredible, tangible reminder that God’s truth is ALL of Scripture!

But there’s more.

The Hebrew word for “real” (ah-mee-TEE) is spelled with the same letters as “truth.”

Also, if you look at the first letter of the final three words of Genesis 2:3, God’s completion of creation, those three letters spell emet. A reminder that everything God created is true, and God’s truth is real.

Last week’s blog mentioned Hebrew is a physical language and each word suggests an action in response to reading it. Emet tells us that we don’t get to fashion truth from cherry-picked parts of Scriptures. Truth is the entirety of Scripture because “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness“ (2 Timothy 3:16 [BSB], emphasis mine).

So, back to the question.

What does truth do for God?

Briefly, three things:

Truth testifies to who God is and gives Him glory.

The very Hebrew spelling of “truth” points to the Alpha and the Omega. Psalm 57:10 (NKJV) says, “For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds.” That’s Hebrew poetry for describing God’s unfathomable omnipresence and infinite abilities.

Truth manifests itself in Jesus.

I can’t grasp how God could contain and manifest His Word—His Truth—in a human being, but that’s exactly what He did. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NKJV). That is how Jesus could say, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6 NKJV).

Truth confirms God’s promises.

Romans 15:8 (BSB) explains this: “For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised [the Jews] on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs.”

Eternal implications

2 John 1:2 says the truth that abides in us lasts forever. Proverbs 12:19 says when you speak that truth, the words will last forever. Think about that! What you choose to say can affect some part of eternity!

The back side of emet

Every coin has two sides, and emet is no exception. Remove the first letter (aleph) from the word and you have the Hebrew word for “dead” (met).

It’s sobering but true: if we ignore or suppress God’s truth, we spiritually die. (Sometimes the body isn’t far behind.)

We see that dramatically throughout the Bible.

Because I write biblical fiction set in first-century events, I’ve studied Herod the Great and his family more than I care to mention. Talk about intergenerational consequences of not acknowledging God’s truth!

Herod the Great died a terrible death. One of Herod’s sons, Herod Antipas, tried Jesus. Antipas died in exile. Antipas’s nephew, Herod Agrippa, met a grisly end at the hand of an angel while furiously disputing trade regulations with Tyre and Sidon (territories beyond his jurisdiction).

God is serious about us paying attention to His truth and acting on it. Share on X

Conclusion

Amy Coney Barrett’s acceptance speech of President Trump’s nomination to the Supreme Court included a gracious tribute to her husband. I was particularly moved by this statement: “For twenty-one years, Jesse has asked me every single morning what he can do for me that day.”

What if we changed our gimme prayers to ask God every morning: “God, what can I do for You? How can I reflect Your truth today?” Share on X

Let’s try it. We could rock the world.

Never miss a blog! Sign Up!

A deeper dive

What are your thoughts about God’s truth—what it does for you vs for Him? I’d like to hear your thoughts!

Need help discerning God’s truth in all the voices clamoring for your attention? Want help recharging your batteries about God’s truth? Casting Crowns’ lyrics to “The Voice of Truth” never cease to re-arm me for battle. I encourage you to listen to and pray through the song (link provided). Draw strength from it:

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
The voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.

Amen.