Good Morning!

Hope all is well with everyone. Consider sharing what’s going on with you. Don’t forget, there’s caring folk here at ASYGR. Make your prayer requests known. And also consider putting forth some questions about the faith/ Bible/ theology. We’re just about done with our 10 Commandments study…

Today we cover the 9th Commandment:

Exodus 20:16
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

What comes to mind when you read and think about this command from the Lord? For me, the word “bear” jumps out. I think of “bear one another’s burdens”, I think of “I just couldn’t bear it any longer” and I hope you all can “bear with me” for a little while longer, ha!

To bear… what does it really mean? In the context, I would suggest that Merriam’s dictionary definition # 3 is pretty suitable:

3
a: to support the weight of : SUSTAIN
b: to accept or allow oneself to be subjected to especially without giving way <couldn’t bear the pain> <I can’t bear seeing you cry>
c: to call for as suitable or essential <it bears watching>
d: to hold above, on top, or aloft
e: to admit of : ALLOW
f: ASSUME , ACCEPT

So let’s plug that in to the command to see how it reads:

You shall not [support, accept or allow] false witness against your neighbor.

The other word that jumps out at me is the word “neighbor”. Who’s your neighbor? Joe and Sally next door? Well yes, but not only them. Your neighbor happens to be anyone you are around. We all have a “sphere” in which we live. Our presence in various circumstances constitutes our “sphere”. Just think of your fellow man or woman.

You want to know how I’ve come to regard the word “neighbor”? They are anyone who I see/ take notice/ come across/ think about/ know/ work with/ and love. Don’t you think this is true too? Perhaps you have other categories of “neighbor” you’d like to share.

Let plug that in again and see how it reads:

You shall not [support, accept or allow] false witness against your [annoying co-worker]. Ha!

Now the last part that jumps out at me is the phrase “false witness”. Okay, false is opposite of truth and witness is some person in court. Oops, I mean witness is evidence, telling of something true… yoo hoo, oh Merriam…

1: attestation of a fact or event : TESTIMONY

You shall not [support, accept or allow] [untrue][attestation of facts] against your [fellow grocery shopper].

Notice an implication in this command, namely that we’ve got to already know what is true and what is false about our neighbor.

“But Jim, what if I don’t know?”

Ahh… this is where a higher principle must be deferred to:

Leviticus 19:18b
…You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

I love how God utterly covers any and all bases real and imagined!!! Hallelujah! It always comes to love. Love, love, love, love, love!

Lying is not loving, gossip is not loving, not defending someone who is being slandered is not loving, and if we don’t know the truth from the false, then we fall back on love, not assumptions. If I love this fellow neighbor of mine, then I am going to want what’s best for them. See how this works?

And since I am pumped up on the thought of lovingkindness right now, let’s see how the 9th Commandment speaks to us in terms of love…

We shall not bear false witness because love is truthful.

It is such a blessing to know the truth. All sorts of pain (theirs and our own) can be avoided when we deal with people in truth. I know sometimes the truth hurts, but what I mean is dealing in truth is being straight up with people in a loving and kind and considerate
way. The truth is like a shining light. Truth is something solid that people can stand on. Integrity is built on truth. People are comforted by honesty. To come across a clear and honest and truthful and straight up, non-ambiguous person is a real delight! They can be counted on. I am sure you all can relate.

But probably the biggest benefit (humanly speaking) is that cultivating and living in truthfulness unburdens our own conscience. And a clear conscience, rightly informed by the word of God in truth is a treasure worth preserving at all costs.

1st John 3:21
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

Confidence toward Almighty God… let that sink in 😉

Peace,
Jim