You Shall Not Bear False Witness

Well, thank you, Mr. Mango. Happy Sabbath to all of you. Hope you're enjoying this winter wonderland that God has given us today. What I would like to do during this first split this morning is continue the series on the Ten Commandments that I actually began in the fall of 2022. Thankfully, they were written quicker than I've been going through them.

We've come to the Ninth Commandment, and hopefully when I return to Ohio next spring, the Tenth Commandment is actually an ideal sermon to prepare for the Spring Holy Days. But today I would like to discuss and hopefully all of us learn a little bit more about the Ninth Commandment. So we'll go where we usually go when we talk about the Ten Commandments.

We'll go to the book of Exodus. Exodus chapter 20 and verse 16, and we will learn about what the Ninth Commandment is. It may be a little different in its original context than many of us have thought. Exodus chapter 20 and verse 16, it says, You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Now the purpose of the Ninth Commandment is to prohibit false witnessing or perjury, especially against another member of the covenant community.

It protects a person's name. It protects their reputation from slander, just as the Third Commandment protects the name of God from slander. In its strict original context, this is something a lot of people don't understand, this commandment applied to a false witness who was called before the elders and asked to state and proclaim what they had seen, an event they had experienced, or something that they knew about a particular problem that had been brought to the community.

And it's a prohibition against someone who tries to misuse justice procedures to harm his neighbor. By lying on the witness stand, as we would say the term we would use in our modern 21st century, and it also applies to forbidding any type of lying, especially in the new covenant. We'll see that's more emphasized in the new covenant. Now we'll see in some other scriptures in the Old Testament here that it goes far beyond just being a false witness in a trial or before magistrate.

It does also include the fact that lying is an abomination to God as well. But to be honest, the original context and intent of this commandment was in a community, the covenant community of ancient Israel, you had to have a judicial system. And judicial systems only work when the process works, when the judges are honest, when the witnesses are honest, when the attorneys are honest. I'll let you think about that one for a while.

But sorry about that, Jim. But a judicial system only works when people have trust in the system. Otherwise, it devolves individual antiism. If no one trusts the law, what happens? You have more law-breaking and you have people taking law and justice into their own hands, and that's not a good thing.

Let's go now to Exodus chapter 23 and verse 1, and let's take a little drill down into this. This is a little more of an explanation of this ninth commandment, Exodus chapter 23 and verse 1. It says, You shall not circulate a false report, do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. You shall not follow a crowd to do evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute, so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.

Again, justice only works when people are honest, when the judge is honest, when the witnesses are honest, when everybody involved from the best of their heart and from the highest level of integrity is being truthful in what they claim and proclaim and state and witness. That's what makes a good system work, and this was a big danger in any community, but particularly in the covenant community, where sometimes it could result in a difference between life and death. It could result in a difference between a mild punishment or severe beating, depending on if the witness lied and was a false witness and did not tell the truth. Continuing here, you shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute.

And again, the idea was there that you have to have honest, pure justice. You can't say to yourself, oh, I feel sorry for this person because they live in poverty, they're poor, therefore I'm going to rule in their favor, therefore I'm going to slant my story to their benefit. No, the scripture says that you have the chips need to fall where they may, and you need to have honesty and justice in every situation, and certainly not favor the rich, but on the other hand, not favor the poor. Verse 3, I'll read here from the New International Version, and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit. So circulating a false report is lying about someone in an effort to hurt their reputation, maybe in an effort to get them punished, in an effort to steal their land, in an effort to take advantage of someone, in an effort maybe to support a family member, and to lean towards them rather than telling the truth when you were called before the elders of the congregation. In a court of law, it could be the difference again between innocence or harsh punishment. Let's go to Deuteronomy chapter 19 and verse 16. Deuteronomy chapter 19 and verse 16.

More we learn about being a false witness, and the dangers of being a false witness, not only in ancient Israel, but in our modern context today. Surveys show that Americans have the least level of report and respect for the court system, and particularly the Supreme Court, perhaps than ever. Certainly lower than it's been since the Civil War, when there was a lot of controversy with decisions made by the Supreme Court. But people's confidence in the Supreme Court, people's confidence in our judicial system is very low right now because what they see is favoritism. When they see presidents, pardoned family members, what do they see? They see favoritism, and that bothers people who clamor and believe that we should live in a just and a fair society. Deuteronomy chapter 19 and verse 16. If this false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priest, and the judges who serve in those days. So it had to be a public. So if there's a question between who's telling the truth publicly, the individual, the one accused of a crime, and the witness had to stand in front of the tabernacle, had to stand with the priest, and the judges, verse 18, and the judges shall make careful inquiry. And indeed, if the witness is a false witness, he who has testified falsely against his brother, verse 19, then you shall do to him as he thought they have done to his brother. And that could be very severe. If the intention was capital punishment, as there were some crimes that were worthy of that in the old covenant, that's what the false witness would receive. So shall you shall put away the evil from among you, and those who remain shall hear and fear. And by the way, witnessing a punishment, someone being punished for a crime, that is only effective if the punishment happens immediately. It doesn't, it isn't effective if 20 years later you read about someone who was executed for a mass murder in California in 1965.

It kind of loses its effect. There's no hear and fear when you delay punishment for 20, 30 years through appeals. And hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you, because there will be a healthy respect of fear, that this could happen to me if I'm a lying false witness. Verse 24, your eye shall not pity, life shall be for life, for eye, for eye, tooth, for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot. And by the way, that closing sentence there in verse 21, a lot of people misunderstand this phrase, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. This phrase is a metaphor for the concept of fairness and balanced judgment. It was not literally calling for someone's eye to be poked out if they had poked out the eye of another person in a struggle. That's not what this scripture is saying. It said the judgment has to be equal to the crime. It has to be fair. It has to not exceed, be ultra harsh. On the other hand, it shouldn't be extremely lenient with no punishment at all. It has to have a degree of fairness. I'll give you an example in Exodus chapter 21 and verse 6. If a man put out the eye of his servant, the judgment was that the servant would receive complete freedom forever. Not poking the eye out of the one who poked the eye out of the servant, but that the servant, what would be just and fair, is now they have their complete freedom forever. See? So it's not literally meant tooth for tooth, eye for eye, hand for hand, foot for foot. As an Israeli prime minister, one said if we continue to live by that, eventually we'll all be blind and toothless.

And that was not the intent of Deuteronomy chapter 19 here. Now let's go to Leviticus chapter 5 and verse 1. Chapter 5 and verse 1.

This also includes failing to come forward with relevant testimony in response to a public charge when you know something. So if you know a fact and you are called as a testimony to say what you know and you don't tell the whole story, you don't tell everything you know that was also considered being a false witness. Leviticus chapter 5 and verse 1. If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter, if he does not tell it, he bears guilt. So that's also being a false witness. I'm going to read that in a more modern translation of verse 1. If a person is ordered to tell the court what he has seen or what he knows and he does not tell the court, he is guilty of sin. So this declares that a person is also a false witness if they withhold something they know regarding a fact or anything relating to that case. Let's take a look at a couple of proverbs together. Proverbs chapter 6 and verse 16. Proverbs chapter 6 and verse 16.

The proverbs state, these six things the Lord hates, yea, seven are an abomination to him, a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift to running to evil, in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among the brethren. I want you to notice they're different, but they're both an abomination, a lying tongue, which is, we could say, a byproduct of this commandment, and also a false witness who speaks lies. Both are considered an abomination to God. So this shows that being a liar is just as bad an abomination as being a false witness, which is, again, the technical aspect of this commandment. And why is that? Because slandering another person or lying about an action or an event is hating your neighbor.

It's not showing love for them. Leviticus chapter 19 verse 18 says, "...you shall love your neighbor as yourself. You shall not hold vengeance, nor bear a grudge against the people of Israel. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord." And obviously, slandering someone, lying about someone, and this would include gossip, even if the gossip is true, then that is not something that God desires of his people.

Proverbs chapter 12 and verse 17, "...he who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness deceit." So there's an intention of deceit. There's something, there's a purpose that you're being deceitful and withholding or distorting information when you're a witness. Verse 18, there's one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.

"...the truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment," because eventually you're found out, it all catches up with you. Verse 20, "...deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy." And if you've ever been a victim of that, none of us enjoys being slandered or becoming the victim of a lie. It cuts us emotionally. Do you like the Scripture? It says like the piercing of a sword, only emotionally it hurts when someone slanders us, when someone says a lie about us, and it gets back to us. And that only comes from one place. It comes from a deceitful heart, as the Scripture says here. One final proverb, chapter 19 and verse 28. Chapter 19 and verse 28 appear in Proverbs, a disreputable witness scorns justice in the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.

Judgments are prepared for scoffers. Eventually you'll be caught.

If not in this life, there is a judgment day. So judgments are prepared for scoffers and beatings for the backs of fools. I'm going to read this from the new international version, a different translation. A corrupt witness mocks at justice in the mouth of the wicked, gulps down evil. Penalties are prepared for mockers and beatings for the backs of fools. Again, a justice system only works when people are honest and not corrupt. Someone who lies in their testimony about another is actually mocking the whole concept of a justice system. They're trying to distort it. They're trying to get an innocent person declared guilty of something they're not guilty of. And it says in Scripture here, eventually, either in this lifetime or on the judgment day, they will be punished for it. As a side note, the Hebrew concept of justice did not include locking someone in prison for years. To the Hebrew mindset, that would have been considered cruel and unusual punishment, but to put a human being in a cage, a 10 by 10 room, for 20 or 30 years until they died. In their system, when one was found guilty, punishment was immediate and that was over. Get back and live your life. It was done. The idea of prisons is a Roman concept, something that was introduced by the Roman Empire. It was not a Hebrew concept.

Now, under the New Covenant, the spiritual aspect of this commandment also emphasizes that a lying, deceitful heart was a violation of this commandment. Let's now go to the New Testament. We looked at some Old Testament scriptures. Let's now go to the New Testament, Matthew 19. Verse 16. I think many of us are familiar with the young man who came to Jesus and called him good teacher and asked what he might do to inherit eternal life. Matthew 19. Verse 16.

And behold, one came to him, good teacher, what good things shall I do that I may have eternal life?

And he said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good, but one, and that is God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. And the young man says, Well, which ones? And Jesus said, You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness. Honor thy mother and their father, and love your neighbor as yourself. So Jesus repeats the importance of observing six of the commandments, especially those relating to our relationships with our neighbor. Now, some might ask, and I've had some anti-law people say this to me, they, Well, why doesn't Jesus quote the first four commandments in relation to our respect and the proper worship of Yahweh? If they're so important, how come Jesus doesn't mention the first number of commandments? Well, the answer actually is very simple. No one would have questioned the need to repeat the commandments regarding our relationship with God. The entire covenant was based on having a healthy, obedient relationship with God. All four of the commandments, the first four, are self-evident truths that you would have no need of repeating. Jesus repeated the ones that were in relationship to how this young man should act to his neighbor, how he should act to God's creation. It was a given how he should act and react to his Creator God.

So I think that's important for us to understand. Now let's focus on the spiritual application of this commandment as taught by Jesus. So now let's go to Matthew chapter 15 and verse 9. Matthew chapter 15 and verse 9. You may remember this story. The Jews of the times of Jesus, the Pharisees, came and were complaining that the disciples didn't wash their hands before they ate bread. And this was part of the oral law that you would ceremonially wash your hands before you ate something. And it may not be a bad idea, aside from the ceremonial aspect, but for them it was part of their religious faith and they wanted to impose it on everyone else, even though it's not something that's taught in the old covenant. So let's pick it up here in verse 9. And in vain, Jesus says, do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. That's doctrines invented by men with just mere human understanding that they say, you got to do this. This is as important as anything else that God teaches, because this is what I believe using human reasoning, human understanding. Those are the doctrines of men. Verse 10. And when he had called a multitude to himself, he said to them, hear and understand not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth defiles a man. Then his disciples came to him, do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying? I'm not sure that bothered Jesus too much, but they informed him that the Pharisees were offended by his statement. Verse 13. But he answered and said, every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. They were tares, and we've had a sermon on that, which I think within the last year. Continuing, he says, let them alone, speaking of the tares, speaking of the Pharisees within the religious community. They are blind leaders of the blind, and if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into the ditch. And Peter answered and said to him, explain this parable to us. So Jesus said, are you still also still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? So if you eat a little piece of dirt under your hands, right, and he gets into your mouth, what happens? The natural digestive process that God created works through your body and then eventually splat. Okay? So that's what Jesus is saying. People are getting OCD about a piece of dirt on their hands. I'll step out on a plank here and tell you that I have the same personal opinion towards people that read boxes. I've had people come to me, well, I'm not going to eat this. It says marshmallows, but it doesn't say what kind of marshmallows. I don't know if it's a beef marshmallow or if it's made of, you know, but it doesn't matter.

Now, I've never purposely eaten an unclean meat, but when I go to a restaurant, I don't worry about if a pork chop was on that same grill that they cooked my steak a minute earlier, and if some of the juices and suet got mixed in, by the way, if you ever went to a kitchen of a typical restaurant, you'd probably never eat out again. You wouldn't worry about unclean meat. You'd be worried about how filthy the kitchen is, frankly. But if that happens and you get some suet, if you eat a marshmallow and there happens to be, and they didn't tell you, and it happens to be made out of the hoof of a pig, you know where that's going? Splat! That's where it's going. Again, I have never purposely eaten unclean meats, but on the other hand, I don't get obsessed about that happening. Verse 18, But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man. And here is the core of the spiritual application of this commandment in the New Covenant. It's spiritual, like the other commandments are. It's at a higher standard than the mere letter of the law. It's our evil thoughts and intentions that are at the heart of sin, even before a literal action occurs. It starts here, we think about it, we ponder it, that's the root, that's the heart of sin before we even act upon it and do anything. The Pharisees wanted to look righteous and pious on the outside. They even created artificial laws, like washing your hands to show everybody how righteous they were, but on the inside they were corrupt and sinful. They had unconverted hearts. They were vile individuals.

And this is what being defiled really means. Not a piece of dirt on your hands. It means something that comes out of our heart, something that comes out of our minds. Now, it's interesting to note that Jesus and Stephen were both victims of false witnesses, if you ever thought about that.

Later on, in both cases, they were the victims of false witnesses. Let's read about the one for Jesus quickly in Matthew chapter 26 and verse 57. This is the arrest and the interrogation of Christ.

Matthew chapter 26 and verse 57.

And those who laid hold of Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled, but Peter followed him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard.

And he went in and sat with his servants to see the end. What's the result that's going to happen here? Now, the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put him to death. So we want to get an accusation that's severe enough that we can say this man is guilty of death, and we can take him to the Romans and have the Romans do it for us. Verse 60, but found none, even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. Now, what that means is they came forward with accusations about Jesus, but none of those accusations were punishable by death. They were just accusations, and some of them may have been severe, but they weren't punishable by death. They weren't blasphemy. They weren't to that level continuing, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none.

Again, their lies were not able to condemn death, but the last two false witnesses came forward and said, this fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and build it in three days. And we'll stop there even though the rest of the story, that's what the high priest wants to hear, and he turns that around, and Jesus claims to be God, and of course that's blasphemy, and that's what they were looking for. The Jewish leaders were looking for false testimony. That was severe enough to call for the death sentence of Jesus Christ. Again, in the book of Acts, the disciple Stephen was also condemned because of false witnesses. That's in Acts 6, verse 11. Okay, just a few more scriptures from the New Testament to see that the followers of Jesus, the apostles, endorsed and believed in what he said and taught it. Colossians chapter 3, and verse 5. Paul's writings to the church at Colossae, in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 5. Therefore put to death your members, meaning your human nature, that earthly human nature that's in your mind, put that to death those thoughts of wickedness and deceit, corruption, which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you all yourselves once walked when you lived in them. And Paul is implying they no longer did these things, not as a way of life. They're human. They may have slipped occasionally in sin, like we all do, but they certainly were no longer living this way as a way of life. Verse 8.

But now you yourselves are to put off all these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, the old man who did those things that Paul mentioned earlier in these verses, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him. Now this phrase, how important is this in verse 9? Did not lie to one another.

It's so important to Paul that he says the exact same thing in the book of Colossians chapter 3 in verse 9. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds. Exactly what he says here. So Paul, that's a message that Paul is saying to multiple congregations.

James chapter 3 in verse 13. Let's see what James has to say.

Relative of Jesus Christ, who is wise in understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom, but if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. In other words, it comes from demons.

For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.

Alright, just one more of the disciples' writings. 1 John chapter 1 in verse 5.

1 John chapter 1 in verse 5. John is also going to say what James said here. James said, if we don't live by Christian thoughts and Christian actions, we lie against the truth.

And James is saying the same thing in slightly different words. I'm sorry, John here. 1 John chapter 1 in verse 5. This is the message which we have heard from him and declare to you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie. And do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. And the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves because we're all struggling with sin. We're all struggling with our humanity. It doesn't matter whether you've been in the church for a year or 60 years. We're all struggling with our own carnality and humanity.

So if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us if we confess our sins.

This is the key. He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So John is saying that if we're walking in the light, as Jesus Christ is in the light, we are fellowshiping with each other. And that's why it's really important. On these snowy Sabbaths, we can't get out. Maybe we're watching a number of Sabbaths on Zoom, or maybe due to health reasons, we're away from church and we're watching Sabbath services on Zoom for a while. It's really important during the week to call some of the brethren and fellowship with them. Just chat with them. How's your week gone? What happened in Sabbath services last week and fellowship and spend some time with people of like mind? All right, our final scripture today, Revelation 22 and verse 13. Revelation 22 and verse 13. The context here is after there are a new heaven and a new earth. The millennium is over. Some events following the millennium have all occurred as outlined in the book of Revelation. At literally the throne of God the Father comes down from heaven, descends, and goes into Jerusalem. And there's a new heaven and a new earth. That's what the context here is. The scripture is very beautiful. It says that God has come and tabernacled with man. Think of the Feast of Tabernacles. Now that's the ultimate fulfillment of what the Feast of Tabernacles has pictured for thousands and thousands of years. Verse 13. I am the elf and omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Blessed are those who do His commandments. That also includes the ninth commandment that we've talked about today. There are no exceptions. It includes the fourth commandment, which is to keep the Sabbath day holy. That they may have the right to eat or have the right to the tree of life. And by the way, this right is something that God gives due to His grace and mercy. This is not a right that we earn by ourselves. And may enter through the gates into the city. But outside, so outside of this beautiful paradise, are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters and whoever loves and practices a lie. Wow! Pretty powerful, but that's what this scripture says.

And this is a reason why we want to deeply respect and live more faithfully, not just in the letter of the law of the ninth commandment, but spiritually. And that affects how we think. It affects what's coming out of our heart. It affects what we say about others and being careful not to slander, not to gossip, not to say negative things about other people, because we don't want to be in that position. Today we've looked at the ninth commandment in its original application and its spiritual application, which appraises the heart. And that's what we need to focus on our hearts.

As we have seen, it's an important commandment, as important as any of the others. Jesus told a young man in Matthew 19 and verse 16 that it was needed to enter eternal life. So respecting that commandment should be a way of life for us. It should be something that's part of our value system like the other commandments. And we saw here in Revelation that when all is said and done, one who habitually lies will be outside of the kingdom of God. And we certainly don't want that to happen to anyone that we know or love. So, brethren, let's respect this commandment. Let's continue to spiritually grow in its application in our lives and how we apply it and how it becomes a value system in our hearts and minds. And that's let's all of us be sure to live in the light of the truth.

I wish you a happy Sabbath.