“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:16
It’s good to remember that each of the Ten Commandments reflects the character of God. The Bible tells us that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2), and that He always keeps His promises.
When we come into a relationship with God, He calls us to reflect His character in the way that we live our lives, and that means we seek to be characterised by truth in everything that we say and do.
Now, strictly speaking, the ninth commandment addresses the issue of perjury, which is standing up in court and making accusations that you know are not true: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
And this is precisely what happened when Jesus was arrested and brought to trial. False witnesses said many things against Him. They wanted to have Him crucified, and they were prepared to say whatever was necessary to achieve that desired result.
Now, you may be thinking, “I have never committed perjury in court,” but remember, each of these commandments addresses not just one sin, but a whole category of sins. We’ve used the picture of each of these commands being like a railroad track with many stations down the line.
The ninth commandment is about the issue of lying. Perjury in a court of law is down at the end of the track. You likely have never made a stop at that station, but everyone has been somewhere along the line.
What are some of the stops you’ve made along the line of lying?
