Commandment #9  Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Your Neighbor

Exodus 20:16

THIS IS ABOUT INTEGRITY!!!

Expanded on:  EX 23:1 "You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. 2 "You shall not follow a multitude in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; 3 nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute. (NASB)

Evil intent. Stand up for what is right, regardless of the cost.  Go against the multitude. 

Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind.  Love your neighbor as yourself. 

As Paul wrote, it comes down to loving your neighbor as yourself. 

What about lies to protect people?  (Righteous Gentiles who saved Jews during the Holocaust) People’s feelings?  (How do I look?)

LIGHT NOTE: (feel free to use this)  Two stories about  lying:

When our daughter was 4, our pediatrician told me that it was perfectly normal that she lied all the time. Dumb lies that  could be easily refuted, like, “Did you make your bed?” “Yes”.  No, she hadn’t.  Easily checked. 

1)We were living in Pennsylvania.  She was playing in the sand box in the back yard when I came to scoop her up to go to her baby sitter.  Her shoes were nowhere to be found.  Here’s the conversation.

Mom: Where are your shoes?

Nina: An alligator got them.

Mom: There are no wild alligators in Pennsylvania.  No alligator got them.  Where are they?

Nina:  I’m sorry, Mommy.  You’re right.  It was a frog.

2)Frustrated by her continuous lying, I had her sit on the carpet on the floor in an all white corner at the foot of the stairs, with the instruction that she could come out of the corner when she could think of three reasons lying was bad.

When I walked by 20 minutes later, she was still there.

Mom:  Why are you still here?

Nina, in tears:  I’m going to be here until I’m OLD!  I can’t think of a single reason it is bad to lie.

REASONS it is bad to lie:

     1.We are to reflect God in all we do and he doesn’t lie.

     2. People won’t believe you ever again once they catch you in a lie.  (Boy

         Who Cried Wolf)  (unless you are Bill Clinton)  (I didn’t say that. Yes, I

         did)

     3. Whenever we lie, we are trying to hide something.  We have to be afraid

        we will be found out.  There are many things to be afraid of as we go

        through life without creating fear for ourselves.  If ywe never lie, we do     

        not have to be afraid of remembering your story or being caught in a lie.

     4.You WILL be caught someday. Jesus promised:  LK 8:17 "For nothing is

         hidden that shall not become evident, nor anything secret that shall not be

         known and come to light.

My advice to my kids: Live as if you lived in a glass house, with nothing to hide, transparent. What you see is what you get.  You may not be popular, but you will be genuine and won’t have to be afraid you’ll be found out.