Commandment Series: The Ninth

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." Exodus 20:16

The 9th commandment is a very specific requirement based on the ancient Jewish court system established in the Old Testament. Witnesses were called to testify against wrongdoers before any sentences were carried out against them. In this way, if you lied that someone was guilty in court, they could very wrongly be punished for someone else's transgressions. Punishment, of any type, given to an innocent would be horrible, but the sentences spelled out in the Old Testament were many times death. No wonder lying in court was forbidden in the very important ten commandments; it has to be one of the worst things a person can do.

Many say the 9th commandment itself is, strictly speaking, only touching upon the situation in which a person would lie, causing an innocent to be punished wrongly. However, as with all of God's laws, they are all about matters of the heart. Jesus brought this idea up during his Sermon on the Mount.

“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." Matthew 5:33-37

You, as a child of God, need not make promises to others. The words you speak must be so consistently true that, when you open your mouth, every thing you utter is considered in stone. That is the way God is, and He expects us to follow His ways.

What about lies spoken/done in love? God is all about love, right? Satan, get thee behind me. If you think this, than know the world has twisted a truth into a lie, and made you believe it.

"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." 1 Corinthians 14:33

He even gives examples in the Bible where people lied in love and caused trouble. In Genesis, we see Rebekah wrapping her son Jacob in furs and deceiving the blind Isaac into giving blessings to him. She certainly was thinking this was done in love for the betterment of her son, but it only caused strife between brothers that lasts for years, making Jacob run away from a murderously angry Esau. Another example is when Abraham feared for his and his wife's life, causing him to lie to the pharaoh that Sarah was his sister and not wife. This caused the pharaoh to almost commit adultery, expelling them from his kingdom when he found out his deceit.

What about bending the truth , half-truths, or concealing the truth? Well, if anything you say has the intention of deceiving the other person, whether your words are literally truth or not, your heart is full of deceit. So, yes those are lies too. If you stand near a cliff, you don't see how close to the edge you get before you fall, you see how far BACK you can get. The Bible gives many examples of just this, but the most prominent one I can think of is that of Joseph. Remember Jacob? His most beloved son was Joseph for whom he made a beautiful coat of many colors. His brothers sold him into slavery out of jealousy. In order to lie without lying (they thought), they covered his coat with animal blood and showed it to Jacob, saying only "Does this look like your son's coat?" They never lied, with words, but their hearts were full of the intent to deceive Jacob into thinking Joseph was dead.

So, you can lie with words, actions, half-truths, or simply concealing the truth with the intent to deceive. If you're lying in court or any other situation that would cause an innocent person to suffer, that's obviously the worst lie you could commit. However, every lie is wrong, and we should adhere to the truth even when it's painful. It is God's way, the way of light and love.

Need more verses about God's view on lying? They're innumerable. Well, maybe there's a number, but it's a really high one, so we won't be putting the vast majority here. Instead, here's a hand-selected few:

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” Proverbs 6:16-20

"'You will certainly not die,' the serpent said to the woman." Genesis 3:4

"The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy." Proverbs 12:22

"Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." Revelation 22:14-15