“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). The ninth commandment. “Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbor” (Deut. 5:20). For the most part, this has to do with legal testimony in a court of law. The Jewish legal system relied upon honest witnesses.
Human testimony has the power to convict or even condemn. We can see why the Lord would safeguard truth in testifying. Other safeguards included the need for more than one witness for a death sentence — “Only on the testimony of two or three witnesses shall a person be put to death” (Deut. 17:6). And the provision that the accusers would themselves throw the first stones —”The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people” (Deut. 17:7).
If someone was caught committing perjury, they received the same punishment the accused would have received, “If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother” (Deut. 19:16-19). These provisions, along with the ninth commandment, safeguarded civil justice in Israel.
This is the primary context for the ninth commandment, but false testimony renders harm even outside a courtroom and is thus a sin wherever it takes place. Whenever we make a truth claim, we are required by God to do so truthfully. The biblical condemnation of untruth spreads a very wide net. They include false witness and accusation, cheating in any form, wrongly defending yourself, denying the truth, leading others astray and slander of any kind. No wonder the wise man prays, “Keep falsehood and lies far from me” (Prov. 30:8). God obliges us to always seek and serve the cause of truth. As Jesus said, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’” (Matt. 5:37). Paul writes, “Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25).
Someone might reply, isn’t it true that by speaking the truth we often do more harm than good? Should I say, “Yes,” when someone asks me, “Do you think I’ve gained weight?” Should I say, “I’m sorry, but the food was terrible,” to the bad cook who asks about the meal? Let me say, in response to this, that there is a place for social tact; honesty does not always demand brutality. Yet, before we start excusing any pattern of untruth, perhaps we would do better to seek wisdom in our speech.
What, then, about deceiving an enemy in war? What if someone comes into my house and puts a gun to my head, demanding to know if my wife is in the house? (The latter is the classic example of situational ethics.) How, then, do we handle seemingly competing values?
The answer, as usual, is that we should pay closer attention to the Bible. The Bible does not say that everybody has the right to demand information from you. Here, we return to the main context of the ninth commandment as truth in testimony. The reason Rahab was not sinning when she deceived the soldiers in Jericho was that she was participating in Israel’s war with the Canaanites; it is not lying to deceive your opponent in war. There are, in fact, a number of circumstances in which people do not have the right to demand information from you. In the case of the criminal looking for your wife, or of the Nazi soldier looking for the Jews hiding in your basement, these are not the “neighbors” spoken of in the ninth commandment, at least not in that capacity.
Far from thinking of situations in which we may excuse the impulse to tell a lie that is so deeply ingrained on our hearts, we should ask God for a new heart, for His Spirit to work His own character into us — including a deep and abiding love for truth — so that we might do His will in every situation.
From Our Missionaries
Misión Creciendo en Cristo (Growing in Christ), North Little Rock: Juan Carlos Posadas writes, “On Sunday, Jan. 29, Jose Carlos and I accompanied Fernanda to an audition she had in Chicago. She is looking for a university to continue her Master’s studies. Thank God, the trip was made without mishaps despite the winter storm that was ravaging the country.
“Oscar Gomez preached the portion of the book that corresponded to the series of studies we are developing on Hebrews. In the worship team, Marlon played the guitar and Oliver the drums. Both are learning to play those instruments. Thank God for these boys’ ability to learn musical instruments.
“On Thursday, Feb. 3, Anahí left for the presence of the Lord. She was a two-year-old girl for whom we were praying. God decided to take her to His presence. Don Roberto and Doña Norma are the maternal grandparents. They have joined the church through the study group on Thursdays. Let us pray for comfort for the family and that this is an opportunity for Anahí’s parents and the rest of the family to draw closer to God.”
Ebenezer, West Little Rock: Ruben Isturiz writes, “On Sunday, Feb. 5 (as is our custom on the first Sunday of each month), we celebrated the Lord’s Supper. It is always a good time to remember the sacrifice, covenant and the coming of Christ. We continue praying and ministering to the Venezuelan family.
Thanks to God, Eduar is working and, little by little, his economic situation is improving. As I have told you, they have not made their decision for Christ, but my prayer is that they will do so soon and we will be able to baptize them.
“We see an enthusiasm in Ebenezer that is as it was before the pandemic. I see that both our attendance and offerings have improved and, little by little, we see the seed sown during the time of the pandemic. It has been very slow to get active, but God is touching hearts. We are almost ready for Sunday, Feb. 12, when we will talk about ‘True Love.’ It will be an opportunity to bring guests and share the gospel and food after our service.
“In the evening, we will gather at one of our member’s homes to watch the Super Bowl. Each year that we have been able to do this, we have met people who otherwise would not be able to attend. Pray that, in these two activities, God will allow us to meet and build bridges of friendship with people who would never go to the temple.
“Pray for my son, Rubencito (Little Ruben) who has already been accepted by the university. Pray that God will provide the necessary funds for his studies. May God be glorified in our lives.
Faith Chapel, Flippin: Johnny Shew writes, “We had a great time of worship this week at Faith Chapel! Our numbers were back up some, even though we still had several out sick. Three of our families with children were out, which quietened things a lot. We miss all of our kids so much when they aren’t there.
“We had ice all week and had to cancel our Wednesday evening service. The weather improved greatly and it got to over 60° and sunny on Sunday.
“The concrete contractor is planning on digging and pouring our footings for the new building on Monday morning — praise God! We were in Acts 26 Sunday morning, and it is fitting to remind us why Jesus called us to this mission, ‘to make thee a minister and a witness’ to this community, ‘to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.’” And we know that He will use this building, just as He uses us, to do just that.
“We thank you for your prayers for us, Flippin, those we are sent here to minister to and for this building that we, His church, will meet in. Please continue praying because He is answering our prayers.”
The Table, Springdale: Clinton Morris writes, “The weather caused several missed meetings this week. I came down with the worst case of strep I have ever had. It took me four days to feel better. I am praying this next week will be better in terms of health and weather.
“We have some great activities planned for this month, including building homeless giveaway bags for our community, gearing up for our new ministry called ‘Around the Table’ and the ladies are working on a Bible study.
Faith Journey, Benton: Bryan Clay writes “We had to adjust our community visits at the nursing homes some this week — one due to the weather, but one was due to an outbreak of COVID in the facility. Please be in prayer for the residents and staff to get through this time and keep them healthy. Hopefully, we will be able to get back in there as soon as it is all clear.
“God is starting to bring people into our lives that need to be ministered to. We are always open to pouring into the lives of others, young or old, and hope we please the Lord with whom we are given. God is always faithful, and we need to be faithful as well.”
Misión Gracia Soberana (Sovereign Grace), NWA: Roberto Marcelletti writes, “Thank God for His great mercy. After spending a week in the middle of the snow that made us stay home and did not allow us to meet in our small groups, we were very active in the biblical counseling of some of the marriages.
We notice that, despite being followers of Jesus, there is a lot of confusion about the roles, purpose and even the upbringing of our children. That is why we are offering counseling to our brothers and sisters. Within the annual planning, we have also designated May as the month of the Christian home, where we will emphasize the theme.
“We had good attendance yesterday and a very beautiful service where we could have an overflow of collective adoration when listening to the songs that give glory to the Lord. After the service, we had our usual and expected time of fellowship where we continue to get to know each other as a family of faith, and this was accompanied by coffee and cake.
“We continue praying for the husband of Maria Fernandez as he is still hospitalized”
Epic Life, Pea Ridge: Jake McCandless writes, We didn’t let the sleet and ice get the best of us this week. We met Thursday night after not being able to meet the week before. Everyone was ready to see each other and get in the Word. One of the things that has excited me the most about our Connection Groups is how much they want to connect and encourage one another.
“Speaking of exciting, I just returned from city hall, where I submitted an application to have the property rezoned for a church to meet. Yes, we’re zeroing in on a location! It’s exciting.”
