To lie about a person under oath is to ruin their reputation and to invite a penalty upon them. The most immediate application of this truth would be perjury in a court of law (see Exodus 20:16 Deuteronomy 5:20). A lying tongue might hurriedly fabricate an untruth, but a false witness carefully and deliberately plans the lies he plans to tell-or at least fails to honour a commitment he carefully and deliberately made. “A false witness” is similar, but the inclusion of the word “witness” indicates that Solomon is thinking of something a little more formal.Ī lying tongue can be exercised in any setting, but a false witness specifically breathes out lies in the context of a vow or an oath. We saw, when considering that sin, that the motive of the lying tongue is to hurt the one being lied to or about. “A lying tongue” describes the person who speaks something that is untrue when he knows it to be untrue. As the Israelites were to reflect the character of the Lord God, Christians are to reflect to the world the character of Christ that identifies us as His own.The British poet John Dryden once wrote, “Truth is the foundation of all knowledge and the cement of all societies.” The God of the Bible is a God of truth, and in the list of seven things that he hates, we have already considered “a lying tongue.” But Solomon also includes in this list “a false witness who breathes out lies.” It may seem as if the Lord is repeating himself here, but in fact, while the two are related (“lying” and “false” translate the same Hebrew word), there is a subtle difference between a lying tongue and a false witness. We have been released from our “old self” with its evil practices such as lying and bearing false witness. Christians are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and, as such, we reflect His nature. Colossians 3:9–10 explains the reason for the continued prohibition against lying. When this happens, chaos ensues and the innocent suffer.Īs noted before, the New Testament is equally condemning of false witness. Without a trustworthy judicial system, based on eyewitness testimony from reliable, truthful witnesses, societies are at risk of the breakdown of law and order. Third, false witness was seen as so destructive to society that courts of law, both in the days of the Israelites and today, could function only if the witnesses who were called to testify could be trusted to tell the truth. Loving our neighbors precludes lying about them. Leviticus 19:18 makes it clear that the Israelites were to love their neighbors as themselves, a command reiterated by both Jesus and Paul (Matthew 22:39 Romans 13:9). Second, bearing false witness against another was destructive to the individual who was the victim of the lie, and he suffered by it in his credibility and reputation, as well as in his trade and business. Lying to or about one another brought reproach upon His holy name, and this He would not tolerate. ![]() Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” The people who were called by God’s name and who represented Him in the heathen world were expected to accurately reflect His character. Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. The Lord is a truthful God who does not and cannot lie. ![]() First, God’s people are to reflect God’s character. The reasons for God’s prohibiting lying and testifying falsely against one’s neighbor are three-fold. The people were not to lie publicly, as in a court of law by laying at another’s feet any false charge that could injure him, nor were they to lie privately by whispering, talebearing, backbiting, slandering, or destroying his character by innuendos, sly insinuations, and evil suggestions. In other words, the Israelites were commanded to be truthful in all things, but especially when speaking about another person. The Hebrew word translated “neighbor” in this commandment can mean an associate, a brother, companion, fellow, friend, husband, or neighbor. To bear false witness against others is to lie about them, especially for personal gain. Part of the Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue, this 9th commandment forbids the Israelites from bearing false witness or giving false testimony against one another (Exodus 20:16 Deuteronomy 5:20).
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