May 12th-Evening | TRUTH

Proverbs 12:19 – “Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon exposed.”
Matthew 10:26 – “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.”

Are you having a hard time telling the truth? How can you be sure someone is telling the truth?
European explorers of Africa discovered a strange but effective test for this dilemma. Following any serious crime, all villagers were questioned by the village witch doctor. If no one confessed, then every suspect lined up to witness a spear point heated until it is white hot. It’s a really simple test: every suspect sticks out his tongue to be touched by the hot metal. They believed that only a tongue that was untruthful would be burned. Well, you know what usually happened? The guilty person would bolt and run into the bushes as the moltened speartip approached. Case settled. Sure, but what if no one ran? Well, to the villagers, the truth test still worked. As the hot spear moved down the line, it would touch innocent tongues without effect and only a guilty person would scream in pain.      Superstition? Not really. It actually has a scientific explanation. We now know that a normal tongue has enough moisture to prevent a quick burn. Anyone under intense strain, such as guilt and apprehension, however, generally has a dry mouth and dry tongue. Since everyone trusted the final result of the test, those innocent suspects relaxed. Their mouths and tongues were wet. But the guilty person’s mouth became dryer as the spear approached. Then his own tongue betrayed him… the same tongue used to provide an untruth. I guess Proverbs 12:19 was right… “lies are soon exposed.”