To Tell The Truth Series

Let’s begin with a brief survey. Raise your hand if you’ve ever lied. If you didn’t raise your hand, it’s likely you just lied because Psalm 116:11 says, “All mankind are liars.”

In 2002, a University of Massachusetts study found “that 60 percent of people lied at least once during a 10-minute conversation and told an average of two to three lies.” The study also found lies told by men and women differ in content, but not in quantity: “Women were more likely to lie to make the person they were talking to feel good, while men lied most often to make themselves look better.”

This makes me think of the guy who saw a sign in front of a house which said, “Talking Dog for Sale.” He rang the doorbell and the owner told him he could see the dog in the back yard. The guy went around the house and asked the dog: “Can you really talk?” “Yep,” the dog replied. The man responded, “So, what’s your story?”

The dog looked up and said, “Well, I discovered my gift of talking pretty young so I told the CIA and in no time they had me sitting in rooms with world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. The travel really tired me out, so I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security work and now I’m just retired.”

The guy was really impressed so he asked the owner how much he wanted for the dog. The owner said, “Ten dollars.” The guy asked, “Are you serious? That dog is amazing. Why on earth are you selling him so cheaply?” To which the owner replied, “Well, he’s a big liar. He didn’t do any of that stuff. You can’t believe a word he says.”

Can people believe the words you say?

Today, we come to the ninth commandment found in Exodus 20:16: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

Last week we summarized Commandment #8 this way: When we steal, we take from the person who possesses it, and from God who owns it. When we trust God’s providential provision, we will treat people and their property with respect. I appreciated the perspective of a pastor who said the sixth commandment protects a person’s life; the seventh protects marriage; the eighth protects personal property; and the ninth protects the reputation of others.

Jen Wilken writes: “As the third word bade us to honor God’s good name, the ninth bids us to honor the good name of our neighbor. Just as we must not misuse the name of the Lord our God, we must not misuse the name of those created in His image.”

Let’s review the summary statements we’ve been using to help us remember the 10 Commandments.

1. One God

2. No idols

3. Revere His Name

4. Remember to Rest

5. Honor Parents

6. No murder

7. No adultery

8. No stealing

9. No lying

10. No coveting

Here’s what I’m hoping we learn today: Because God is truth, we must tell the truth. Simply put, God wants us to be truthful because He is truthful. Everything God says and does is true because He Himself is truth. In Isaiah 65:16, He is called the “God of truth.” Hebrews 6:18 says “it is impossible for God to lie.” Numbers 23:19 declares, “God is not a man, that He should lie…” In Psalm 51:6, David tells us what God delights in: “Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being.”

In Proverbs 6:16-19 God includes abuses of the tongue as three of the seven things He hates the most: “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.”

We see how highly God values truth in Zechariah 8:16-17: “These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD.”

Because God is truth, we must tell the truth. Let’s consider eight ways this command is broken.

1. False accusations. In studying Exodus 20:16, I realized this command forbids more than just not lying, though it certainly includes that. Let’s consider it carefully: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

The cultural context is one of an ancient courtroom. For the pagan nations surrounding Israel, there were few standards or protections for the accused. In some cases, defendants couldn’t give a defense and were presumed guilty until proven innocent. Because there were no DNA tests, fingerprinting, or video evidence, defendants could be convicted and condemned based on just one witness.