The Ten Commandments, Part 9
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16) First things first…we are all neighbors in this small world.
A man is only as good as his word. Thankfully God’s Word is good! We know this because in Titus 1:2 we see God cannot lie. With God, if He says you’re wearing a purple suit then you are, and if He says you should speak of the Light to a little girl, then now, right now, is the perfect time to do so.
“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:16-19) Lying is committing a serious offence against God.
The little saying, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ is not so. One who ruins another man’s reputation by falsehoods and lies can cause great harm to him and his soul. When emotions are aroused it is popular to go along with the crowd, and so often the innocent are unjustly accused. Don’t give in to the crowd and give a false testimony against your friend, but rather speak only truth in the manner God would have you do it.
God desires man’s heart to be truthful. “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” (Psalm 51:6) Man must not only understand the truth, but also live the truth, and make the pursuit of truth life’s goal. The truth makes one free (John 8:32); free from the guilt of sin brought on by lying.
Children lie to keep their parents from finding out what they have done that is wrong. Parents must be fervent in their children’s correction and upbringing or the practice of lying generally continues on through youth and adulthood. Self-esteem is lowered as a result of lying, and gained by telling the truth. One who commits a wrongful act, then tries to cover it up, will only find the pit becoming deeper and deeper. A majority of people cannot avoid the temptation to lie in order to cover a sin. They fail to realize lying will only make matters worse.
A bragger thinks he is building a reputation by his boasting, but when his overstatements fail to materialize, his reputation is damaged. While he lies to gain the good opinion of others, in the end their opinion of him is diminished. It is a habit that must be broken like any other bad habit…with fervent prayer.
We are constantly plagued with the sin of lying; in fact, it is so natural it seems to be the normal thing to do (Psalms 58:3). We know controlling the tongue can be a matter of life or death thanks to Proverbs 14:25. It’s true that over the centuries countless deaths have resulted from falsehoods told in and out of courts. Satan, the father of lies, inspires lying, so his influence should not be discounted.
People who lie have little regard for God and His law. They are more concerned about what people think, so they lie to keep up a good image. The desire of some business people for financial gain overrides their honesty and they engage in fraudulent schemes constantly, some people promise but do not follow through, some people hide the truth that could set men free, while others lie to themselves saying, “I do enough for God.” But no liar will enjoy the harvest of their work.
Honesty is indeed the best policy. “A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.” (Proverbs 14:5). The fate of those who bear false witness and lie will be the same as those who murder and practice magic arts, a fiery lake of burning sulfur, the second death as spoken of in Revelation 21:8 and Revelation 22:15. We must always speak the truth and flee from the Father of lies lest we become his son by disobeying God. “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will perish.” (Proverbs 19:9)
“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:33-37)
One who always tells the truth can never legitimately be accused of lying. But lying is so pervasive in this world that few men seek to avoid it. Men must value the truth, and in fearing God learn not to lie. Since we are only as good as our word that comes from our heart this ninth commandment was given to protect our worth. It grants freedom from the fear of being found a liar (the biggest fear of any liar is that he will be found out); it insures justice in the courts, checks against slander, is a benefit and blessing for all mankind who observe this command. Over a period of a lifetime, many downfalls arise that tempt us to lie or to bear false witness, and only the one who truly fears God will always be on guard against this impulse to sin.
“Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:10) Please read Exodus 23:1, Ephesians 4:24-25, Zechariah 8:16-17, Malachi 3:5, Ephesians 2:1-5 and James 3:5-6 to further your study.