No. God does not honor, sanction, or turn a deaf-ear or blind-eye to any sin we commit. To suggest otherwise perverts the truth and these perversities set in motion the practice of manufacturing counterfeit gods; the world is filled with these man-made, Christian-like deities who wink at our sin. Sadder still is that the producers of these idols point to today’s scripture (and others like it) and erroneously surmise that sin; under certain circumstances, is acceptable. They could not be more mistaken.
What God Approves
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Matthew 10:28; Hebrews 13:6
The Exodus text is extremely clear, these women were blessed because they feared God–period. God is never mocked and we will always reap what we sow, but God, having weighed the impulse of their hearts, chose to focus on that which they did correctly rather than that which they did in error. We should never assume that because the consequences of their lies were not recorded [in the Bible] that there weren’t any. The truth be told, their lies had little impact–Pharaoh was merely determined to kill the babies in another way.
The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits. Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established….Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts. Proverbs 16:1-3; 21:2
An Application For Us
Is there ever a situation where a lie would be justified? What about those who hid Jews in their attics during Hitler’s reign and then lied to soldiers who came looking to carry them off to concentration camps—did they sin? The answer is still the same—sinning is never justified and (not but) God weighs the heart. To our disgrace, there will always be consequences for sin and to God’s glory, there will always be blessings for our obedience. Consider this truth in 1 Corinthians 10:13…
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Understand the implication of the verse. It does not declare that ‘God will not give us anything we cannot handle, ’ but rather that He will not give us anything that He cannot handle.
Submission to Authorities
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Romans 13:1-2
I am kind of back-tracking, but this verse often comes up in defense of the women who lied. It is common church doctrine that we are to obey all authority unless that authority is in contrast to God’s authority. The argument is often that these women, in defiance of an illegal order, were authorized to lie. No, they were not so authorized. A more accurate policy is that we are to deny the illegal directive and willingly suffer the consequences. Am I suggesting that under similar circumstances I would not lie? I knew you were going to ask me that. I hope I would proceed as Peter, but if I fail I know I have already been forgiven…that’s my answer and I am sticking to it.
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this (Jesus) name?… But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men….And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. Acts 5:27-29, 47
He Dwells -- The B'log in My Eye 