The Ninth Commandment (Q81-83)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Connection:
We live in a world of falsehood, lies, false witness, evil, wickedness, and slander. We live in a world that exchanges the truth of God for a lie; that worships the creature rather than the Creator; that calls good evil and evil good; that calls sweet bitter and bitter sweet; that calls righteousness wickedness and wickedness righteousness. Oh as God’s church we need discernment to be able to stand for truth, beauty, and goodness in God’s world, by God’s Word, and for God’s glory. We need to walk in the light, as children of the light; we need to walk in the truth, as children of the truth.
Theme:
The Ninth Commandment (81-83)
Need:
We need to be reminded about what it means that God is Truth and how we reflect God’s Truth in all of Life.
Purpose:
To exhort our church to be a truthful and loving community; to expose our sins relating to lying and falsehood; and to comfort us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ who brings grace and truth to all who believe.
PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY
Q81. Which is the ninth commandment? A81. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour (Ex. 20:16).
Q81. Which is the ninth commandment? A81. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour (Ex. 20:16).
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
If you’ve been tracking with the preaching here at Calvary over the last 9 months then you’ll remember the Book of James which deals with the sins of the tongue over and over again. One of the biggest problem in the church that James was writing to was the strife and slander of God’s own people against one another—which is sadly too often the case in our churches isn’t it? The commands of James are rooted in the moral law, in the Ninth Commandment, to not bear false witness—which, as Thomas Watson says:
Binds the tongue to its good behaviour. God hath set two fences to keep in the tongue,—the teeth and lips; and this commandment is a third fence set about it, that it should not break forth into evil
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
A worthless man plots evil,
and his speech is like a scorching fire.
Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Do you see the importance of what we say? Of our words? Of our tongue? This is why James says the the wise man is slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to anger.
Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
Proverbs reminds us that the less we speak the better we are—because once the lips open the power of life and death is unleashed, the power of blessing or cursing is unleashed, and unless we are self controlled and filled with the Spirit, we have just opened the floodgates of the evil one who loved to use our words to tear down his people, slander his people, tear down our neighbours, slander our neighbours, which in so doing slanders the name of our God in whom who are united and have our identity.
Thus as we unpack this commandment let us do so with great reverence to our infinite and glorious God with a desire to please Him in all things, for He is worthy of the obedience of our tongue, He is worthy of the love of our hearts.
Let’s look at what the Ninth Word requires of us, that we would be able to be hearers and doers of the Word, especially Prov. 15:1-2
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
Q82. What is required in the ninth commandment? A82. The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man (Zech. 8:16), and of our own neighbour’s good name (3 John 1:12), especially in witnessbearing (Pr. 14:5, 25).
Q82. What is required in the ninth commandment? A82. The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man (Zech. 8:16), and of our own neighbour’s good name (3 John 1:12), especially in witnessbearing (Pr. 14:5, 25).
Firstly, we are to promote the truth between man and man:
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;
Here we see that the people of God are called to be people who speak the truth to one another, who love the truth amongst one another, who desire the truth for one another, and who delight in the truth with one another. The Spirit adds that we are to render faithful judgments, discernments, and conclusions. The 9th Word requires that we be people of the truth, who do not degrade the truth in our community, and who make true decisions and judgements about one another, in love.
Where we fail to do this—darkness, evil, slander, misunderstanding, hurt feelings, and false accusations abound.
We are called to speak the truth to one another—and where do we find truth? What is our standard of truth? What is our source of truth? The Word of God: Thy Word is Truth, the sum of your Word is Truth, it is unfailing and everlasting—the living and abiding Word of God; so, if we are going to be people of the truth, we must be people of the Book—people who meditate on Scripture, delight in Scripture, and who live out Scripture together as God’s covenant community.
To be people of the truth is to obey all of the one another commands in the NT. Here are just a few of them, just sourcing from the smaller epistles:
(1) serve one another
(2) do not bite and devour one another
(3) do not provoke one another
(4) do not envy one another
(5) bear one another’s burdens
(6) bear with one another in love
(7) be kind to one another
(8) do not lie to one another
(9) admonish one another in all wisdom
(10) encourage one another
(11) build one another up
(12) do good to one another
(13) exhort one another
(14) stir up one another to love and good works
(15) do not speak evil against one another
(16) do not grumble against one another
(17) confess your sins to one another
(18) and be humble toward one another
That list could go on much longer, just from the NT. I think you get the point. To be people of the truth is to be people of the Book, and to be people of the Book is to be people of the Spirit of Truth, and to be people of the Spirit of Truth is to be followers of Jesus in love to one another. God help us to a church family that joyfully and vibrantly lives this out amongst one another.
Secondly, we are to promote our own neighbour’s good name:
Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.
Here we see the Beloved Apostle praising the fact that the church he was writing to were giving good testimony and praise to Demtrius who had been faithful in their midst.
Thus we see here that to be people of the truth is also to be people who promote eachother’s character and reputation. We are to speak highly of eachother. We are to delight in the work of grace in eachothers hearts. We are to praise God that He is growing our fellow church members. We are to praise God that He is stretching us, refining us, encouraging us, growing us, and strengthening us. We should not look down upon the work of the Spirit in our brothers or sisters—rather, we should give all the glory to God for how He is moving in hearts and lives, and we should be able to give good testimony to that work before one another, before the world, behind closed doors, and in all our conversations. To live as God’s children of truth means that we give good testimony of God’s work of truth in our lives and hearts by his Word and Spirit.
Thirdly, we are to promote our own neighbour’s good name in witness bearing:
A faithful witness does not lie,
but a false witness breathes out lies.
A truthful witness saves lives,
but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.
To be a faithful witness, or as the command says negatively, to not bear false witness, is really a legal-court-room-procedure at it’s core. To bear witness is to speak the truth on oath in legal procedure. One scholar says:
16 The ninth commandment calls for sanctity of truth in all areas of life, even though the vocabulary primarily reflects the legal process in Israel (ʿeḏ šāqer here or ʿeḏ šāwʾ in Deut 5:18, and ʿānāh, “to answer” or “give” in response to legal questions posed at a trial). To despise the truth was to despise God whose very being and character are truth. Certainly the reference to “lying” (kaḥēš) in Hosea 4:2 demonstrates that this commandment had a broad application.
Thus, though this command is specifically about bearing true witness in trial and court settings—by principle it extends to being people of the truth in all of life. Thus, to not bear false witness also requires us to not lie and speak falsehood. To not bend the truth. But we will get to that in a minute. For now we are looking at how we are called to bear true witness to our neighbours good name.
If we are ever called upon in court to speak to truth about someone’s character, and they have good character, then we are obligated to speak of their good character (even if we don’t necessarily like them, even if they are our enemies: to love our enemies means to speak the truth about their good character despite the temptation to slander and devour them).
We are called to, in the sight of the living God, who is all present in all of life, we are called to speak the truth in love—and giving the glory to God for the blessings of God’s common grace even in unbelievers, and the blessings of God’s saving grace in believers.
The reality is that a false word that bring false condemnation, false accusations, false allegations, false reputation, and false character before family, friends, church, and the world. One single false witness can desroy someone’s life for the rest of their days. The power of blessing or curse really does lie in our tongues—and the speech of our tongues arises from our hearts. Thus we must listen to this proverb and obey it diligently: Prov. 4:23
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
To be people with truthful tongues means that we will be people with sanctified hearts—for from our heart flow the springs of life, and as Jesus taught, from our heart comes all forth of wickedness and deceit.
To be people of truth also means that we will stand up for the truth and faithful witness even when no one else is. Truth is truth even when everyone believes falsehood. Our duty as God’s creatures and new-creatures in Christ is to be bold enough to stand for the Word of God and the reputation of people made in his image, even when all else are cowards and fail to have the fear of God in the hearts. Thomas Watson says:
II. The mandatory part of this commandment implied: that is, “that we stand up for others and vindicate them, when they are injured by lying lips.” This is the sense of the commandment, not only that we should not slander or falsely accuse others, but that we should witness for them, and stand up in their defence, when we know them to be traduced. A man may wrong another as well by silence as by slander when he knows him to be wrongfully accused, yet doth not speak in his behalf. If others cast false aspersions on any, we should wipe them off. The apostles (who were filled with the wine of the Spirit) being charged with drunkenness, Peter was their compurgator, and openly cleared their innocency, Acts 2:15., “These are not drunken, as ye suppose.” Jonathan knowing David to be a worthy man, and all those things Saul said of him to be sianders, vindicated David, 1 Sam. 19:4, 5., David hath not sinned against thee, but his works to thee-ward have been very good: “Wherefore then wilt thou sin against in nocent blood, and slay David without a cause?” When the primitive Christians were falsely accused for incest, and killing their children, Tertullian made a famous apology in their vindication. This is to act the part both of a friend and of a Christian, to be an advocate for another, when he is wronged in his good name.
When someone falsely slanders your neighbour—you rebuke them and stand for his true character.
This applies to the unborn, the born, and the soon to be dead. From conception to natural death we stand for the truth and character and dignity of God’s creatures.
When someone falsely slanders your church member—you rebuke them and stand for his true character.
This applies to the young and the old alike: from littles ones in Christ to those with grey hair in Christ—all of God’s people deserve true testimony and report.
When someone falsely slanders your leaders—you rebuke them and stand for his true character.
This applies to our younger leaders as well as our older leaders—and I think you can tell which one of our Elders is the youngest—respect and love and true testimony is due to your leaders.
Yet—one the flip side—when someone has sinned, abused authority, lived in wickedness and rebellion—then this command also requires that we lovingly reprove, rebuke, and exhort. We need to stand for true character—and we need to lovingly rebuke evil character. However, especially with the case of leaders, the Scripture is clear the there must be the testimony of two or three witnesses—we must not be quick to rebuke without satisfactory evidence, prayer, and consolation with the Word of God. After such things if the rebuke is needed and necessary and the procedures are holy and righteous—then it is our obligation to bring a hard word to our brothers and sisters in Christ, and to fail to do so is to fail to love them and to fail to call them back to the path of life.
A scoffer does not like to be reproved;
he will not go to the wise.
The ear that listens to life-giving reproof
will dwell among the wise.
Whoever ignores instruction despises himself,
but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.
God help us to be people of truth, true witness, and true testimony as we walk together in fellowship and in the light of God’s Word and Spirit, for the glory of Christ Jesus our Lord: who is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6).
This leads us to the second part of the catechism, what is forbidden in the 9th Word:
Q83. What is forbidden in the ninth commandment? A83. The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to the truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbour’s good name (1 Sam. 17:28; Lev. 19:16; Ps. 15:2, 3).
Q83. What is forbidden in the ninth commandment? A83. The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to the truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbour’s good name (1 Sam. 17:28; Lev. 19:16; Ps. 15:2, 3).
Firstly, the 9th Word forbids what is prejudical to the truth.
Now, before going any further, we must define prejudicial. The catechism says that the 9th Word forbids whatsoever is prejudicial to the truth. What is something that is prejudicial to the truth? Just simply something that is harmful and detrimental or against and in opposition to the truth. Thus, the 9th Word forbids anything that is harmful to the truth. With this in mind, let’s continue to look at some passages together:
In first Samuel 17 we have the account of David and Goliath. And as David came to the battle against the Philistines his eldest brother Eliab assumed evil intent in David’s heart—which was breaking the 9th Word by not promoting the truth and by assuming evil without proper grounds—it was harmful to the truth which was proven the case when David slew Goliath and brought victory to Israel. Here is what the text reads:
Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.
How often is it that we, like Eliab, act or think like we know the depth of someone’s heart and that they must have presumed and planned evil. Without any just cause, we prejudge, we have prejudice toward someone—which is harmful to the truth, and is without proper discernment or evidence.
Why are our hearts so prone to such wicked judgment without righteous grounds? Why is it that we are so quick to assume the worst and speak ill of someone or something? This is sinful, this is a breach of the 9th Commandment, this is transgression of the law of God. As we fail to be people of the truth by thinking or acting in ways that are harmful to the truth, we are guilty of breaking God’s law.
Secondly, the 9th Word forbids being prejudicial to ours, or ou neighbours good name:
Another passage we can look at is in Lev. 19 which picks up this moral principle and applies it with further length:
You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
To be people of slander is to be people of falsehood; and to be people of falsehood is to fail to be people of the truth—exactly what the 9th Commandment Requires of us. We break this commandment by slandering someone’s name or reputation.
What is slander? Slander is to make a false accusation which hurts someone’s reputation. To slander is to speak ill of somewhen when it is undeserved. It is in this very context that the famous summary of the 2nd Table of the Law is given. 2 verses later in Leviticus it says that you shall love your neighbour as yourself (a good reminder that the ethic of Jesus wasn’t new—the law of Christ isn’t new morality; it’s clarified morality founded upon the moral law of the OT). And it is in this context of loving one’s neighbour that we are told not to slander. To slander someone is the exact opposite of love. Thomas Watson says:
This is a sin against the ninth commandment. The scorpion carries his poison in his tail; the slanderer carries his poison in his tongue. Slandering is to report things of others unjustly. Eminency is commonly blasted by slander. Holiness itself is no shield from slander.
Who was most slandered above all else? The Lord Jesus Christ who was the Righteous One, God in the flesh, who knew no sin. Slander is sinful judgment and accusation when someone is righteous and innocent—it is purposed toward defaming them and ruining their reputation among men. Just becuase we are walking in the light doesn’t mean we won’t be slandered—it probably means we will be slandered even more because the light of holiness frustrates the darkness of sinful hearts.
We must not slander—we must not make false accusations. If we are ever to make an accusation it must be sure and prayer-filled, counsel-directed, and Scripture-saturated. False accusation is the delight of the evil one—may we be a people who tread very carefully on these holy grounds.
Let’s look at one more passage to see what the 9th Word forbids:
He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
You all know Psalm 15! it’s that beautiful Psalm about who shall dwell on God’s holy hill. Who can come into his presence with joy and thanksgiving? The man who is walking in holiness and righteousness (who is ultimately Jesus Christ, and we come into God’s presence by the mercy of Jesus, but also as we imitate the life of Jesus in the Spirit of Holiness)—who may come into the presence of God?
He who speaks truth in his heart, he who does not slander with his tongue, who does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend. Who does God welcome into his holy presence to worship Him? Those who are following Him in holiness and love because they’ve been washed in the blood of the Lamb.
The reality is that ultimately none of us meet this standard of holy perfection—none of us are blameless in entirety, none of us perfectly do what is right and speak the truth without error; none of us are good, none of us are proper, none of us are holy, just, and good. We need a Saviour. But the good news is that Jesus Christ was blameless, he always did what was right, he always spoke the truth in his heart, who never slandered with his tongue, he never did evil to his neighbour, he never sinfully reproached his friend—Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, perfectly fulfilled the law in his person, in our place, and for our salvation. He obeyed the jot and title of the law from beginning to end, he was born under the law to fulfill all righteousness so that those who trust in Him could be given the status as being a perfectly righteous person. Those who trust in Jesus are clothed in his garments of obedience—in the court room of God we are declared righteous in Jesus the righteous one! But not only does Jesus live for us in our place, He also died for us in our place that our sins might be washed away, that all of our iniquities would be forgiven, that the wrath of God would be satisfied, that we would be reconciled to God, that we would be redeemed from the curse, that we would be freed from death and the power of the devil. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve slandered someone, or how many times you’ve failed to tell the truth, walk in the truth, and live the truth—if you come to Jesus Christ you will be forgiven and cleansed, adopted into the family of God, made right with God, given the Holy Spirit to walk in goodness and truth, and a love for Jesus with an everlasting hope of everlasting life with Him when he returns.
Repent of your sins (change your mind and agree with God that you are a sinner and need a Saviour and need to live righteously), trust in Jesus (believe in Him, rest in Him, cast your only hope in HIm alone for salvation by his life, death, and resurrection)—and then live as children of the truth, in the power of the Spirit of truth, as we live for the glory of our God who is Truth: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Come to the God who is Light, who sent Jesus the Light of the World, and the Spirit of Light—come to Him and bring him your stain sinned garments of darkness—repent, confess your sin, trust in Him, and you will be forgiven this day, cleansed to walk in holiness—and the best of all: we get to fellowship with the living God, we get to walk with the Father in his love and power, with the Son in his grace and truth, and with the Spirit in his holiness and comfort. Come to Jesus, and find eternal life—and now beloved, as God’s children: let’s walk in grace and truth, in light and love, for the glory of our great God and Savoiur, and let’s live for His Kingdom in this present evil age.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Beloved, let us run in the way of his commandments, with the delight of our hearts, not living in lies—but living in the truth of God’s Word. Amen.
Conclusion + Big Idea
Conclusion + Big Idea
Read the Q+A’s Again:
Amen, let’s pray.
