In a non-legal context, the law of Moses condemns falsehood, and the wisdom literature is especially clear regarding God’s attitude toward lies.  Surprisingly, there seems to be no rule against lies in the judicial contexts of the law. But, several places prohibit bearing false witness (Exodus 20:16, 23:7, Deut. 5:20).  Other contexts outside the legal rulings prohibit dealing deceitfully or falsely swearing falsely in God’s name (Lev. 19:11-12).
The Old Testament texts are full of lies told in the narration of the events in the lives of the major characters. We must judge each example of deceit case by case because some appear to be told favorably, while others are not.  For example, we sense the disapproval of the deception of Jacob’s sons who deceived Jacob about the death of Joseph, though there is no explicit statement condemning them.  This perception is based on the injustice of jealous brothers who sell him into slavery to rid themselves of his presence.  On the other hand, the initiative taken by Tamar to secure her future is described favorably because of Judah’s unfair treatment to withhold his son. Even Judah justifies her (Gen. 38:26).  Even though the measures she took were so extreme and reprehensible to us, she is rewarded by the birth of her twins, Perez and Zerah, through whom the tribe of Judah is established (Gen. 38:27–30). Such deception in cases where the lie was done to secure what already belongs to them by right but is withheld is given some allowance. The impression left on us is not so much the wrong in the lies themselves but in the evil motives that precipitate those lies.  Examples of these are Potiphar’s lie about Joseph (Genesis 39:14-15, 17-18), Jacob’s son’s concerning Joseph’s demise, or Gehazi’s lie to Naaman that he had been sent to accept gifts and his additional lie to Elisha about those actions (2 Kings 5:22-25).  When the lies harm the innocent, who are treated unjustly or motivated by selfish ambition or greed, the case is clear.  Still, what is not clear is whether the lie was the wrong or the evil intent of the heart that is behind the lie.
The classic example of deception is the case of Jacob’s deceit to gain the blessing from his father, Isaac difficult to access (Genesis 27). In one sense, it seems that Jacob was God’s choice to be the father of the twelve tribes.  He is born holding on to the heal of his brother, Esau. Yet, the means chosen to obtain it do not appear to be approved.  The only buffer that makes Jacob’s part in the deception less offensive is the fact that his mother was the person who initiated the plan and pushed it onto Jacob.  Yet, Jacob carries it out just as his mother tells him. The deceiver is later deceived by his father-in-law, Laban, so his action is returned to him in the same way (measure for measure).
Other examples when lies appear to be forgivable or justified are David’s lie to Ahimelech (1 Sam. 21:3) and King Achish of Gath (1 Sam. 21:14) to save his own life. David is the rightful king and is on the run for his life.  Similarly, Michal lies to save her husband David’s life (1 Sam.19:11–16) and then her own (1 Sam. 19:17).  Also, Jonathan lies to his father to save his friend David’s life (1 Sam. 20:28–29), and the woman from Bahurim lies to Absalom’s servants to save David’s spies Ahimaaz and Jonathan, hidden in the well in her courtyard (2 Sam. 17:18–20). In addition, the authors take a favorable view of deceit to accomplish some noble goal. When Jehu lied to the Baal worshippers, it would lead to the death of their prophets and eliminate Baal from the land (2 Kings 10:18-28). These are just a few that could be cited.