The ninth commandment says that we should not bear false witness against a neighbour. Invariably, this commandment forbids lying. Whereas many people may not lie frontally, there are various ways that an infraction of this commandment can take place. Half truth, for instance, falls into this category. Abram said Sarah was his sister, not his wife. That was half truth. Though Sarah was born to his father by a different woman, she was nonetheless his wife. Calling her a sister in that instance was a cover-up. Exaggeration is another infraction of the law that forbids lying. It is common that when people want to build a case for themselves, they exaggerate issues. They feel the bigger the issue looms the greater the chance of making it believable.

Exaggeration is untenable, even when we think we are speaking on behalf of God.

This was the problem with the children of Israel in our text. They compared their state then to what life was like in Egypt. They actually meant to say that they miss Egypt! They claimed they ate fish in Egypt “freely”. If they were enjoying so freely, why did they cry to God for deliverance? If life was that good, why did they celebrate greatly when they came out of Egypt? Their claim did not match their reality in Egypt. They had exaggerated issues. Simply, they lied! This error can be committed even while we think that we are praising God. There are some who give unwarranted juicy details to the testimony they give in Church. Exaggeration is untenable, even when we think we are speaking on behalf of God.