Exodus 20:16 - The Ninth Point on our Spiritual Measuring Stick

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

This week, we continue in our look at the 10 Commandments and arrive at the 9th. We have been looking at these commandments and seeing how they relate to our lives more thoroughly than how they  seem to the surface. This commandment is no different. There is more to it than meets the eye.

How many of us have talked about someone else? How many of us have gossiped? All of us have and anyone who says they haven't is giving false testimony. Any of us who have talked about rumors or spoken of people behind their backs are guilty of false testimony, of gossiping, of rumor-mongering, of lying. If we do not know the facts, or do not give all the facts, we are misleading people by partial truth and are thus lying. We have all lied about ourselves and about others at some point or another. We have all given false testimony practically every week when talking about someone with someone else. Even if we are well intentioned, we cannot know all the details about why a person said or did something. If I should say that one of my co-workers is lazy without knowing that this is his second or third job and he is only getting a couple hours of sleep each day, then I am quite wrong about this co-worker since in actuality, it is myself who is lazy in comparison since I am only doing one job while he is working two or three each day and I sleep much more than he. I, then, have given false testimony about this co-worker.

We also know that the world is essentially our neighborhood. When we take a look at the lawyer who asked Jesus' “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29)  Jesus responded with telling the parable of the good Samaritan, after which He turned the question back on the lawyer who answered “The one who had mercy on him [the man in the parable]” to which Jesus answered “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:37)

Essentially then, we are to treat the whole world with respect and to ensure to our best efforts that we speak truly of them, not falsely or well intentioned. We can speak falsely and well of a person just like we can speak falsely and ill of him.

This week, let us re-examine ourselves and how we speak of others. Let us make every effort to ensure that we speak truth in mercy and love. Just as our actions towards each person should be positive, encouraging, and Christ-like, how we speak of them should be the same.

We shall do so much in the years to come,
But what have we done today?
We shall give our gold in a princely sum,
But what did we give today?
We shall lift the heart, and dry the tear,
We shall plant a hope in the place of fear,
We shall speak the words of love and cheer,
But what did we speak today?
                                           ^{Nixon D. Waterman, 1906.}