Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The ninth of the Ten Commandments is this: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16).
Although this does in fact outlaw all lying, slander, gossip, and similar things, it has special reference to the justice system, in which witnesses are relied upon to provide truthful testimony.
The 16th Century reformer, John Calvin, saw this as a vital component to a civilized society. Everything is thrown into chaos when we try to investigate and punish crimes, but the witnesses are lying. One false witness in the wrong place can turn justice into a pipe dream.
A biblical example in which false witnesses worked great evil was in the case of Naboth (1 Kings 21) who lost his life, though innocent. The sham trials of Jesus were also plagued with false witnesses, as in Mark 15:55-59.
Apparently, false witnesses are a hot topic on social media. It is instructive to look at the Bible’s teaching in this regard. How should a just society deal with witnesses who are willing to perjure themselves? This is one instance in which the even-handedness of the law of God is obvious, and beautiful in its simplicity.
Here is the statute dealing with false witnesses. It is in Deuteronomy 19:16-20:
“If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you.”
This means that the man convicted of bearing false witness, after a careful investigation, was to be punished with the punishment that he hoped his testimony would inflict on the one he accused. So, if I testify that I saw you rob a liquor store with a gun, then when it becomes clear that I lied about it, I get punished with the same punishment as one convicted of armed robbery. Or if a woman falsely accuses a man of rape under oath, and her lie is discovered, the penalty he would’ve paid falls on her.
Conversely, in our own society, we halfway expect witnesses to be lying, and rarely prosecute them for it. How can there be justice in this situation?
The solution is that Christians need to become more vocal in demanding laws that are based on actual righteousness, and not simply what can make it through Congress. Christian preachers and teachers, especially, must be experts in biblical law and properly educate their congregations. This is no pie-in-the-sky daydream. This is what God prophesied through Moses in Deuteronomy 4:5-8.
There, the promise is made that the nations will recognize the wisdom of God in the law of Israel, and begin to conform their own law codes to its principles.
It is also what Jesus meant when he called his followers to teach the nations everything he had commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).
Gordan Runyan is the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Tucumcari. Contact him at: