Distortion and Truth

This morning I felt I should read from the Prophet Isaiah.  He is my favorite of the Old Testament Prophets, so I am always excited to open up that book.  This morning I felt particularly led to verse fourteen - here is the particular part that I have been meditating on - Isaiah 19:14 NIV: "The Lord has poured into them a spirit of dizziness; they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit."  This is a bit of a surprising focus, for this chapter also has some very interesting things to say about the middle-east.

The NIV translation of this particular verse seems to me to miss a little of the meaning of the original Hebrew.  I like this NASB translation better - "The LORD has mixed within her a spirit of distortion; They have led Egypt astray in all that it does, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit."

The specific phrase that grabbed my attention was "spirit of dizziness" or in the NASB, "spirit of distortion".  The reason this grabbed my attention is that it seems to me that we in the USA are being affected by a similar spirit of distortion.  I am not sure if you have facebook, or watch the news, but if you do  you can easily find commentaries and people's perspectives about certain events that offer wildly different portrayals of the truth!  Often the same situation is described by two different people as the exact opposite of each other.  I believe both can't be true, but yet both believe their perspective is true.

The original Hebrew word that Isaiah uses here is the word (`av`eh) and it means distorting, perverting, warping.  I do believe that part of the USA's problem is a spiritual problem.  In the Bible, Jesus describes the devil as follows - John 8:44b NIV:  "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."  Later, Paul writes something similar in describing the enemy and how he affects people - 2 Thessalonians 2:10 NIV: ..."and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved."  There are numerous other scriptures that offer similar descriptions of the devil and his works, and clearly from a scriptural perspective lies, deception, distortion and perverting truth are the handiwork of the enemy.

The problem with deception, delusion and even distorted perspective is the one who is affected usually doesn't know it.  For them, their perspective and beliefs are true.  I am reminded of the old old story of several blind men describing an elephant, each only describing what they can touch and feel. Here is a version I found online describing the six blind men as they described the elephant:

"Everyone of them touched the elephant.

"Hey, the elephant is a pillar," said the first man who touched his leg.

"Oh, no! it is like a rope," said the second man who touched the tail.

"Oh, no! it is like a thick branch of a tree," said the third man who touched the trunk of the elephant.

"It is like a big hand fan" said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant.

"It is like a huge wall," said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant.

"It is like a solid pipe," Said the sixth man who touched the tusk of the elephant.

They began to argue about the elephant and everyone of them insisted that he was right."


Sometimes our perspective is limited by our view, sometimes by our mind-set, and sometimes by our experience. In this story, each was sharing their experience, and for them it was true, but they were clearly lacking the big picture truth.  If someone were to purposely only let every blind man only touch the trunk, they would all agree that the elephant was like a thick brach of a tree, and they would all be only partially correct and they would have a distorted perspective. In this case their distorted perspective would be the result of a conscious effort to influence them.

So, in today's information age where everyone has an opinion, and everyone seems to want to share their "truth" or the truth that appeals to them, how do we know what is really true?  I believe the answer is that we need to go to the one that can see the whole truth, whose perspective is not tainted by delusion, deception or limited view.  In my opinion, we need to go to the source of all truth and ask for clarity and right perspective.  Jesus describes Himself as the truth (John 14:6) and He is willing and able to help us if we ask Him.  He says the following as well concerning the Holy Spirit - John 16:13 NIV: "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."

So, in these times of confusion, distorted truths, deception and delusion, let us turn to the one who is the Truth, and allow His truth to adjust our perspectives, and lead us to the whole truth!  Help us Lord!  Clear away the spirit of distortion that is affecting us!