Lying, and the spreading of falsehoods have been part of humanity since creation. Our dictionaries hold hundreds of variants of these types of lies. Occasionally, we see a few new terms pop up, like “gaslighting.”1The term “gaslighting” comes from the 1938 British play “Gas Light” by Patrick Hamilton, which was later adapted into films in 1940 and 1944. The story involves a husband who manipulates his wife into believing she is losing her mind as part of his plot to steal from her. He does this by dimming the gas lights in their home and then denying any change when his wife notices it. The term has since entered the realm of psychology to describe a type of psychological manipulation where one person seeks to undermine another person’s confidence in their understanding of events or their surroundingsGaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation where a person is made to question their thoughts, beliefs, and even their memories of the events occurring around them. By manipulating history, facts, and the obvious, gaslighting has become a tactic used to gain power over someone. In some cases, people can do it to themselves by ignoring the true world around them.
Recognizing a lie is always challenging. We have our own biases, and experiences that cloud our reasoning. Sometimes, we just trust the wrong people. The Bible doesn’t provide direct advice on how to spot a lie, but it does offer wisdom on discerning truth from falsehood. For example, in Ephesians 4:25, believers are encouraged to “speak truthfully to your neighbor,”2NIV New International Version Translations which implies the importance of honesty and truth in interactions with others. Additionally, Proverbs 12:22 states that “lying lips are an abomination to the LORD,” suggesting that God values truth and detests lies. As believers, we are also encouraged to pray for discernment and wisdom, which can aid us in recognizing when we are being deceived.
”Gaslighting,” however, is different. There are psychological and social attributes, heavily influenced by self-interest and the desire to control others. It is professional lying on a large scale, sometimes, so large that the truth cannot even be seen. It might even be called “team lying,” where groups band together using the complexities of our world as a smoke screen. Today, politics, media, large corporations, social media, and search engines are at the heart of this cooperative deception. Add to this concern that Artificial Intelligence is coming, and it is cloaked in secrecy, which adds additional risks. Many people have their fingers on the lamp of our nation’s freedoms—people we do not know or see.
While the term “gaslighting” is modern and not used in the Bible, the sin of gaslighting-like behavior, where individuals are deceived or led to doubt their perception or memory, was alive and well a long time ago. We will look at two short stories to better understand this deceptive technique.
Anointed by the prophet Samuel, Saul was chosen by God to be the first king of Israel. We find this history in the First Book of Samuel. Saul was initially humble and successful in uniting the tribes of Israel and leading them against their enemies. Saul’s reign began to take a turn for the worse when he began to disobey God’s commands. For example, Saul failed to destroy the Amalekites3The Amalekites were the first nation to attack the Jewish people after their Exodus from Egypt. They launched a vicious surprise attack on the Jews while they were encamped in Rephidim in the Sinai Desert. Although the physical nation of Amalek no longer exists, its name symbolizes evil and enmity toward the Jewish people. and their possessions. as God had instructed him to do. It had been his prime duty to protect the Israelite nation. Because of his disobedience, God eventually rejected Saul as king and had Samuel anoint David as his successor.
This now becomes a story of jealousy. After David’s victory over Goliath and his growing popularity, Saul’s behavior toward David led to erratic behavior and a decline in Saul’s leadership. Saul, approaching the end of his life, sought guidance from a medium at Endor (1 Samuel 28:3-25). This was paramount to abandoning God because Saul was fearful and not in communication with God. Saul’s actions and the resulting spiritual and psychological turmoil he experienced can be likened to the confusion and self-doubt that are hallmarks of being gaslighted. Saul’s increasing paranoia and erratic behavior, particularly towards David, reflects the inner conflict and distress that can result from prolonged exposure to manipulative behaviors driven by jealousy. Remember, “gaslighting” involves manipulating someone to doubt their memory, perception, or sanity. While Saul himself is not a victim of gaslighting by Samuel, his actions, and the consequences of those actions, as narrated by Samuel, led to a situation where Saul’s grasp on reality and his kingship became increasingly tenuous. God’s Word shows us how deception, whether self-inflicted or from external sources, can lead to doubt and confusion. The consequences of turning away from God’s guidance caused Saul to make a desperate move and ask a medium to summon the spirit of Samuel.
Let’s stop for a moment and look at our world today. How many people fall into that same trap? Having abandoned God, they have no plan and go searching for self-proclaimed experts. We have an entire government filled with “experts” doing the same thing. What we are missing is God! The medium in Saul’s story calls up a spirit who is presumed to be Samuel. The spirit then predicted Saul’s defeat and death. Saul’s life ends tragically in a battle against the Philistines.4As a nation, Philistia no longer exists. The descendants of the Philistines inhabited the heartland of ancient Philistia along the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Their cities included Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza.When Saul realized the battle was lost, he took his own life to avoid capture.
Saul’s disobedience and subsequent rationalizations of his actions could be interpreted as attempts to manipulate reality to fit his narrative, especially when facing the prophet Samuel. Saul’s increasing paranoia and erratic behavior, particularly towards David, also reflected the inner conflict and distress that resulted from prolonged exposure to manipulative behaviors. Yes, most were self-inflicted, but some also came from external sources. For “gaslighting” to work well, it takes a team effort. When governments hide the truth and align with groups loaded with nefarious motives, it is just another form of lying.
You might want to also add the story of how quickly the triumphant entry of Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was replaced with His crucifixion and death. The leaders and the high priests manipulated the attitude of the crowds by holding a bogus trial. Jesus, an innocent man, was sentenced to death, by an unjust court and false witnesses. Those leaders were able to erase a three-year ministry filled with healing, hope, and love, substituting in the minds of the crowd hatred and revenge. The Romans were also more than happy to join in. This is just one more example of how a little sleight of hand and psychological turmoil were strong enough to even impact the apostles, making them question their knowledge of the Savior Himself.
The risks to a nation begin when the focus is lost, no longer prioritizing obedience and faith in God. Suddenly, the consequences of turning away from God become secondary and are substituted for more worldly concerns like personal safety and the health of the economy. The question that is at hand is whether this is by chance or by design. Is this another successful attempt at team lying, you know, “gaslighting.”
When the truth is absent, stress and discomfort quickly fill the void. “Gaslighting” undermines the trust and authenticity of any relationship. Whether political, social, or professional, lasting relationships must be based on the truth. Add in a bit of fraud, defamation, or other serious matters, and what you have before you is a divided nation, abandoning the very God who created us. God’s Truth has been clear, lying is a sin, and truthfulness is a virtue to be upheld. When the Apostle John responded to someone about lying, here is what he said:
(John 8:44) – “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
John was referring to a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. The Pharisees were involved in using the woman to try to trap Jesus in an ethical dilemma. They asked Him whether the woman, who was caught “in the very act” of adultery, should be stoned as per the Law of Moses. Jesus’s wisdom and His message of forgiveness and grace had been calling for repentance and forgiveness. The dilemma was to instill in Jesus, a conflict in His beliefs. Our lesson is just to keep it simple. Demand nothing less from anyone, “Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another” (Leviticus 19:11). Not much wiggle room is there.
Contemplations
- How does the idea of manipulation and unequal justice work against the truth?
- Ideas to Explore: Where in our contemporary world are we losing sight of truth because of manipulation and lies? Why is it dangerous to have politics, the media, search engines, social media, and large corporations team up to control the narrative?
- In a world of increasing complexity, how is it that you find what is true?
- Ideas to Explore: Is any source of information that the world provides free from bias, and misrepresentation? What is your secret to digging for the truth? In what way does simplicity protect against “gaslighting?”
- Leadership’s role is to bring people together and bring people to God. Where do you see the idea of complex untruths and gaslighting, being applied to hide the real objectives being implemented in our world today?
- Ideas to Explore: Are you sure you know the truth about topics like immigration, the national debt, the scope of the drug crisis in our nation, the real risks to our environment, or other issues affecting us today? There are lots of issues, pick a few.
- What is your plan?
- Ideas to Explore: Can you spot it? Can you avoid it? Can you fight it? Can you help to stop it? What is the role of God’s Word in your plan? Satan has a plan. Do you?
- 1The term “gaslighting” comes from the 1938 British play “Gas Light” by Patrick Hamilton, which was later adapted into films in 1940 and 1944. The story involves a husband who manipulates his wife into believing she is losing her mind as part of his plot to steal from her. He does this by dimming the gas lights in their home and then denying any change when his wife notices it. The term has since entered the realm of psychology to describe a type of psychological manipulation where one person seeks to undermine another person’s confidence in their understanding of events or their surroundings
- 2NIV New International Version Translations
- 3The Amalekites were the first nation to attack the Jewish people after their Exodus from Egypt. They launched a vicious surprise attack on the Jews while they were encamped in Rephidim in the Sinai Desert. Although the physical nation of Amalek no longer exists, its name symbolizes evil and enmity toward the Jewish people. and their possessions.
- 4As a nation, Philistia no longer exists. The descendants of the Philistines inhabited the heartland of ancient Philistia along the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Their cities included Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza.