Is it ever morally permissible to lie?

Before I start a stampede on the subject.  Let us go to a story from the Old Testament:   Joshua 2 verse 3 to 7;

“The King of Jericho sent word to Rahab:  ‘Bring out the men who came to you to stay the night in your house. They’re from the people of Israel.’  the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, ‘Yes two men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they come from. At dark when the gate was about to be shut, the men left. But I have no idea where they went. Hurry up! Chase them – you can still catch them!’ {she had actually taken them up on the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax that were spread out for heron the roof. So the men set chase down the Jordan road towards the fords.

So not telling the truth in order to preserve a higher moral law. Rahab saved the life of the two men because they were considered spies, may well be the right thing to do and thus not actually a lie.

So while the Bible does not condone lying for the sake of lying, it does through Rabah case condone not telling the truth to preserve a higher moral consequence.

Do you think there are circumstances where it’s permissable to lie?

A though to ponder?

God Bless.

O F J ?