False Witness (8-16-12)

Exodus 20:16 - "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."

In the ninth commandment, as with the others, the character of God shines through. God loves the truth. When the Lord revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus 34 He described Himself as "abounding in truth." The Lord Jesus said in John 14 - "I am the way, the truth and the life." God is a God of truth and since He is a God of truth He cannot tolerate falsehood. In Proverbs chapter 6 we're given a list of seven things which the Lord hates. Proverbs 6:16-19 says - "There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers." Two of the things that are abominations to the Lord refer back to lying. And we read it again in Proverbs 12:22 - "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight." The Lord hates anything that has to do with deceit. On the other hand, Proverbs 12:19 says - "Truthful lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only for a moment." God cannot tolerate falsehood, and so He must judge it. We read in Proverbs 19:5 - "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will not escape."

The fact that the Lord even has to mention false witness in the ten commandments shows that man has a problem with it. We don't have to be taught to lie, it's our nature. In our human nature it's so easy to deceive people and so hard to tell the truth. And we'll lie for all sorts of reason and in all sorts of ways. slander, exaggeration and flattery are all different forms of lying. Sometimes we'll lie for financial gain, although Proverbs 19:22 says - "it is better to be a poor man than a liar." Sometimes we lie because we're afraid of the consequences of being honest about something that we did, although lying for that reason simply gets you in bigger trouble and digs a deeper hole for you to fall into. That's the fear of man rather than the fear of God. The fear of man will cause us to lie but the fear of God will cause us to speak the truth. God says in Isaiah 57:11 - "Of whom were you worried and fearful when you lied, and did not remember Me nor give Me a thought?" Another way we lie is by deceiving someone simply for our pleasure. Proverbs 26:18-19 says - "Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows and death, so is the man who deceives his neighbor, and says, “ Was I not joking?”"

God loves the truth, it's part of His essential character. We were made in the image of God, and when we live honest lives and speak the truth God is glorified because we are reflecting His nature. However, in John 8:44 the Lord Jesus said - "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." Therefore, when we lie, we are not reflecting the nature of God in Whose image we were made, but were reflecting the nature of the devil, the father of lies, the one who has been lying from the beginning ever since the garden of Eden.
Lying can cause some major problems and so the Lord set some very strict laws concerning things like a court testimony. A matter could only be considered if it was given by the mouth of more than one person. And the witnesses had to have the exact same accusation otherwise their testimonies were dismissed. But even so, people still managed to use falsehood in order to condemn others. In First Kings chapter 21 we're given the historical record of Ahab king of Israel coveting the vineyard of a man by the name of Naboth. The king wanted it but Naboth wasn't willing to give up his inheritance and so Ahab got upset and told his wife, Jezebel. And Jezebel, having the gentle and quite spirit that she had, told her husband that she would get it for him, and she came up with a wicked plan. This is what we read in 1 Kings 21:9-13 - "Now she wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people; and seat two worthless men before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘ You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters which she had sent them. They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people. Then the two worthless men came in and sat before him; and the worthless men testified against him, even against Naboth, before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones." Notice the description of the witnesses "worthless men." That is a great word to describe anyone who tells lies. Only a worthless person would lie, and in this case their lies cost a man his life.
As you know, this is not the only time in history that a man was put to death based on a false witness. The very same thing happened to our Lord on the night that He was betrayed. The religious leaders tried to make it look like they were obeying the Law, and tried to make it look like they were giving Jesus a fair trial, but they were so blinded by their jealousy that they didn't care about justice or fairness and they gave Him a mockery of a trial. We read in Mark 15:55-56 - "Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent." They heard many false testimonies, but they couldn't even find two that were consistent with one another in order to charge Him. And yet He was still crucified. He died for the very sins of the ones who were bringing the false accusations against Him. We read in Revelation 21:8 that all liars have their part in the lake of fire, and yet Jesus died in order that those who turn from their sins and turn to Him might be saved from eternal death in order to serve the living God.

Since God loves the truth and hates a false witness and lies, we're commanded in Psalm 34:13 - "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit." But more than that, Ephesians 4:15 tells us - "but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." Not only are we not to lie, but we are to speak the truth. And not only are we to speak the truth, but we're to speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4:25 says - "Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another." The Lord Jesus makes it clear in Matthew chapter 12 that the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. If lies are coming out of our mouths it simply reveals what is in our hearts. Rather than trying to change what we say we need to have the Lord change who we are. If we are children of the truth then truth will come out of our mouths. Rather than praying "O God, change what I do." We need to pray, "O Lord, change who I am!"

Colossians 3:9-10 - "Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him."