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Once, in Spanish Class...
I have no problem with being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
My family has attended church since I was born.
We would invite the neighbor kids to join VBS or other events.
When my faith became my own in High School, I would even invite my friends to youth group, lead studies, and chat about Jesus.
What I did have a problem with was my teachers knowing I was a disciple of Jesus and using that information for their advantage.
For example, I was in Spanish class my sophomore or junior year when my teacher Senor Gamache needed to run to the office briefly.
He instructed the class “Run through your vowels and warm up drills.
When I return we’ll continue on.”
Now, when you leave a group of students alone in a class that none of them care very much about, then the likelihood of them doing what was asked has dropped significantly.
I would say there is probably a zero percent chance of it actually being done.
And you know what else will happen when the teacher returns?
They will ask, “did you do what I asked you to do?” and all the students will nod in agreement saying, “Yes, Senor Gamache.”
But Senor Gamache knew something about me - he knew what I believed and how I committed my way to Jesus.
So, he turns his attention to me and asked, “Julio (my Spanish name), did the class do what I asked them to do?”
[Image]
He turned to this face [image of HS Chase] — and used my faith to make me an enemy in a world that I had already thought wanted to harm me!
So, I sheepishly looked up at him, slouched in my desk, and said, “No, Senor Gamache, we did not do the exercises.”
It is pretty clear that I was not popular to begin with — this event definitely did not help.
I couldn’t help it though!
Do not lie had been ingrained in me from childhood!
For those of you raising young kids, or those who had young children, you know full well when you train them not to lie then any lie that someone shares becomes a big deal.
I think Gary and Killian got into something recently while at the office.
Killian lied and Gary was set off. “Killian lied!”
Lying is a big deal.
It hurts people.
It breeds distrust, selfishness, and hate.
So, if you haven’t guessed yet.
The ninth commandment deals with lying, but lets read and discover what God’s word says and how we can apply it to our lives as we are spiritually formed by the Holy Spirit of God.
We’ll be reading from Exodus 20:16.
Again, that is Exodus 20:16.
Look at that.
It is more than four words.
However, God continues with the trend of “You shall nots” with this next commandment and it is related to our neighbor.
This is the first time in the entire Decalogue that “neighbor” has appeared.
And uniquely enough, we’ll see it appear next week as we close out our series on the 10 commandments.
When ancient Israel is hearing God proclaim this word their minds would’ve begun to think in a judicial sense.
False testimony includes refusing to divulge pertinent information at a trial.
A decent society requires a reliable court system and court processes.
Being an honest witness — providing true testimony is essential for the integrity of the legal process in ancient Israel.
There was no DNA evidence.
No forensics.
No lab work.
And since in a simple desert society, nearly all crimes were capital charges and successful “false witness” would be equivalent to murder.
As a safeguard, the witness must also be the executioner.
Consider Deuteronomy 17:7
Additionally, God had provided provision for punishing those who frustrated or defeated justice by refusing to come forward to give needed testimony.
This commandment provided an obvious and no doubt needed protection of the legal process as the crucial point where the evidence of wrongdoing within the covenant community was given.
But since this commandment is focused in a judicial sense, we need to proceed to understand who the Israelites neighbor was.
Was it a person in a different nation?
Was it the person next door?
In ancient near eastern contexts, neighbor has nothing to do with proximity or familiarity.
So, ya’ll sitting in the back rows (ya’ll are taken aback because you sit there to not be noticed) who never mingle with my neighbors in the front do not get a pass — they are still your neighbor.
The same in ancient Israel.
It didn’t matter if you had no dealings with that tribe or family; your neighbor connotes any other human being you may have dealings with, actually or potentially.
Great.
We now know that in judicial cases that giving a false testimony was a really bad thing.
The person giving testimony has the power to give life or death to the person on trial.
Does this judicial law about lying imply that dishonestly in general is also destructive to the community?
The answer begins Y and ends in -es.
Yes it does!
Receiving this word from their God — the God who heard their cries, who gave them rest, who redeemed them from exploitation, misery, and slavery — we’d imagine they follow through with their words found in Exodus 19:8
But we’ve seen eight weeks of examples on how they continued to struggle, fail, and waver.
From worshiping idols, being workaholics, giving into a distorted sexuality, exploiting their family, neighbor, or the alien.
And it happens with this commandment — a commandment carries with it the weight of life or death.
A commandment that instructs us to honor and uphold the scales of justice.
This is a commandment all of us are for, to some degree — a fair day in court.
Truth.
Honesty.
However, Israel forgot the necessity of justice and integrity in the legal process.
Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Kings 21 and we will read this historical story together.
We have a King that wants a vineyard, but one man won’t sell it because it has been in the family forever.
This is perfectly fine.
The king is sad, like any one would be, when he gets shot down.
It is what happens next that turns this event into a matter of life and death.
They conspire to get this vineyard at all costs.
Jezebel paid with it through bribes to those in extreme poverty to lie about Naboath.
Jezebel paid for the field with the life of a man who was innocent.
If you were to keep reading, you will see King Ahab and Jezebel face the judgement of God.
Their false testimony, exploitation, evil, destruction, and disorder they brought upon their neighbor and nation is a matter of life and death.
You too, have the power of life or death in your testimony and witness.
The book of James reminds us that
This is a struggle for us.
Out of the mouth the heart speaks.
We have the power of life or death by our words.
Manipulating an argument between your spouse: “I DID NOT SAY IT LIKE THAT!”
Stolen valor comes to mind — Look at this photo
This guy is definitely bearing false witness.
And friends, we all do it to some extent.
We bend the truth.
We hold back key words or phrases.
We lie.
And our lies can be destructive to our communities, our families, and our friendships.
Lies tear marriages apart.
Dishonesty put wedges between a parent and their child.
Corruption destroys communities.
But if you have Jesus, you have a better way — a way of life and a way to give life by your testimony.
Your words.
Your life.
Jesus tells the crowds in John 5 these words
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