Lies?

Exodus 5:1-6:1

This passage has worried me for a long time. We all know that God was intending the Israelites to return to Canaan and make it their own. Why then did he tell Moses to say to Pharaoh that they were only going for three days? I assumed that in the culture of the time 'a three day journey' was a euphemism for going away and leaving. However, on Sunday we we reminded about the Israelite midwives telling Pharaoh that they never got to a birth on time to kill the baby ( Exodus 1), a definite lie. Perhaps the three days here is a lie too. Maybe God lies. Maybe God has his agenda of which we are not aware. Maybe God sees sin in a completely different light from us who are so set on rules and obeying them. Lies for my own selfish ends are what they are, lies.