Is Lying Ever OK? Ninth Commandment, Pt. 2

Is it lying to bluff in poker or fake a pass in football? Is it lying to tell a joke about something that could never really happen? Is it lying to say things that you know aren't really true, like, “I've never laughed so hard in my life,' or “I'd never be caught dead wearing that”? Is what an actor does lying?

...Christians are divided on what the ninth commandment teaches. Some say it means that we are always to speak the absolute truth as we know it, no exceptions whatever.

...Other Christians say the ninth commandment means we are never to lie, but there are a few exceptions, such as acting, playing games or sports, using rhetorical exaggerations, or telling jokes.

...Note that Rahab did much more than just conceal the truth. She outright lied. She knew exactly where the Israelite spies were. And remember, too, she did more than lie. She defied the king by helping them escape. The king's word was law, and she broke it. The penalty for that was death.

...A lot of Christians argue back and forth about Rahab. But I have never heard anyone point out that the two spies were also liars. A spy by definition has to deceive. Spies are liars.

...But doesn't Scripture also say that lying is a sin, hateful to God? Indeed it does. So how are we to Biblically reconcile this?