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WHAT IS FALSE WITNESS?
It is a common belief that the Ninth Commandment can be paraphrased “You should not lie.” That is not the full meaning. Read Exodus 20:16 above again: “…against thy neighbour.” False witness is a lie that has an effect on the life and well being of another person. Witness is testimony. False witness is false testimony. Dictionaries define testimony as evidence or proof, therefore the offering of false evidence is presenting false proof and is a sin. More than that, false witness is considered by God to be an abomination: (Proverbs 6:16, 19) These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A false witness that speaketh lies…
WHAT HARM DOES IT DO?
To falsely accuse someone, even when it is later proven to be false, leaves a stain on their life that, in the eyes of some, may remain forever. It is human nature to assume that “where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so there must be some reason for the accusation, although false, to be made.” (Proverbs 25:18) A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul (destructive), and a sword (a breaker), and a sharp arrow (causes wounds). We all know what a maul is, a sword, and an arrow. As in our English today, the Hebrew of Solomon’s time had its colloquial meanings. Those meanings have been inserted into the verse to help you understand what he was getting at. The person who troubles their neighbor with falsehood is “a destructive breaker who causes wounds.” This is truly an abomination when an innocent person is plagued by a lie that harms their relations with others. False witness is included in a list of evils that gives a clear picture of the character of this activity: (Matthew 15:19-20) For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man… Notice that in addition to being an abomination to the person you hurt, you have defiled yourself. Everybody suffers.
WHY SHOULD WE AVOID FALSEHOOD?
The point has been made that false witness can harm your neighbor and we are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves (Galatians 5:14) For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Causing harm to one’s neighbor through false witness defiles the one who tells the lie because it violates this second greatest Commandment. That doubles the sin. The Ninth Commandment was broken by the false witness and the Second Greatest was broken because the neighbor was hurt. This way of life is not going to generate great rewards in God’s Kingdom. Quite the contrary, the resulting retribution will be unpleasant. (Deuteronomy 19:18-19) 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: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. You reap what you sow (Job 4:8) and when you sow harm to someone else, you will be the recipient of the evil you intended for them. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you will get by with it. Whether in this life or the next, you will be punished (Proverbs 19:5, 9) A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape. A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish. False witness to cause harm to someone else or to protect yourself at the expense of someone else is wrong. The temporary gain realized by it is more than offset by the permanent loss of eternal life. Repent now and get it right.
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