The Christian Letter, Volume One: Chapter 52
“Do not give false testimony against your neighbour.” (Exodus 20:16).
Too often, we see this Commandment, and picture in our minds a courtroom setting. Too many times, we think our neighbours are the people one house down; however, through the parable of the good Samaritan, we know that all are our neighbours. False testimony is not just given in court, but it is gossip through actions and words that attempt to deceive the greater courts: that of our hearts, and that of His Kingdom.
False witness, by millions of Christians, concerning the Sabbath day, misleads millions of Jews. Most of the Jews I have met have not read the Gospels, and, thus, have only the Christian’s interpretations of them to go on. Through false testimony, many believe that the Messiah changed the Sabbath day; if this were the case, then according to the Scriptures, He could not be the Messiah. Many Christians, who claim to not give false testimony, are the reasons that many millions of people do not know Yahoshuah. Do not bear false witness of the Word! When we refuse to walk as He walks, we tell the world that He isn’t worth following.
… No greater false testimony could there ever be.
“And see, there was a man having a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, ‘Is it right to heal on the Sabbath?’—so as to accuse Him.” (Matthew 12:10). We see the Messiah was accused quite often for the true keeping of the true Sabbath. Let us also be accused, but not the accuser. “Blessed are you when they reproach and persecute you, and falsely say every wicked word against you, for My sake.” (Matthew 5:11).
If you honestly look at the Ten Commandments, you will see they are linked by cords of love. To murder is to steal. To forfeit Sabbath is to have idols in His face. To adulterate is to covet. To not honor our parents is to reject that He has brought us out of slavery. To give false testimony is to change His Name. However, to keep His time is to praise His Name. To have no idols before him, we honor our parents. To speak the truth is to tithe 100% with our tongue. Indeed, all of His Word is the Spirit of Love.
As murder applies to our self as well, so, too, does false testimony. A bragger thinks he is building a reputation by his boasting, but when his overstatements fail to materialize, his reputation is damaged. While he lies to gain the good opinion of others, in the end, their opinion of him is diminished. Soon, the boastful lies get bigger, and dig him deeper, into a freefall. It is a habit that must be broken like any other bad habit: desire, fervent prayer, and constant work through fasting more than just food, but sin as well. There is, however, a false testimony even more common than that. Many people today belittle themselves, when, contradictory though it may seem, we often boast when we aren’t that good, and belittle when we aren’t that bad.
“‘You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve,’ said Aslan, ‘And that is both honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content.’” – Clive Staples Lewis – The Chronicles of Narnia – Prince Caspian
“A trustworthy witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies.” (Proverbs 14:5). Children lie in an attempt to keep their parents from finding out a wrong they have done, by performing another wrong. They either will find the pit becoming deeper and deeper, or be lifted from it by their parent’s good graces. “But if you do not do so, then see, you shall sin against Yahoweh, and know: your sin is going to find you out.” (Numbers 32:23). Self-esteem is lowered by lying, and gained by telling the truth. The Truth may hurt a little, but it is like a suave, while the pain of lying is a knife cutting the innermost parts from the inside out. Satan, the father of lies, inspires lying, so his influence should not be held lightly. Nor should the influence of parents who love and fear Yahoweh enough to admonish their children in the joy of truth and the pitfall of lies His Wonderful Word warns us about.
While I have already written you concerning this, it bears repeating, and example. Many children are told by their parents to always tell the truth, and then, when they do, their parents beat them for it. “Mom. I’m sorry, I hid it from you, but it was me. I broke the lamp.” The mother then beats the son. “Dad. I’m sorry, but I was the one who ate the last piece.” Dad then beats the daughter. Did the children learn to tell the truth, or will Satan whisper, “If you had never told them, they would not have beaten you. Didn’t they tell you to always say the truth, and now they hit you for it? Didn’t your mother break a plate last year, and didn’t dad eat the whole loaf of bread last week? Mommy brushed it off, and Daddy laughed about it, yet you are beaten? What else do they tell you, only to trap you?”
If a child is repentant, and tells the truth, then Elohim is swift to forgive. Let us also be quick to forgive, least we give a false testimony to our children about the love of Elohim.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you tithe the mint and the anise and the cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah: the right-ruling and the compassion and the belief. These need to have been done, without neglecting the others.” (Matthew 23:23). Righteous judgment is a weightier matter; therefore, let us seek to understand it and walk in it. Righteous judgment does not come from false testimony or a raised hand. It comes from loving Truth obtained by diligent inquiry.
Lying is so pervasive that few men seek to avoid it. Men must value the truth, and, through fearful reverence and unbound love of Yahoweh, learn not to lie. Since we are only as good as the word that comes from our heart, this ninth Commandment was given to protect our worth. It grants freedom from the fear of being found a liar, which is the biggest fear of any liar; it insures justice in the courts, checks against slander, is a benefit and blessing for all.
Sadly, many ministries are based on false accusations of other ministries. These hater ministries bash well-known preachers or politicians to gain a larger audience, as well as the money they bring with them. Yet, how many have ever sat down with the person they attack, and diligently judge justly. Let us turn in repentance upon our knees in prayer, rather than atop a pulpit in pride. “And seek the peace of the city where I have exiled you, and pray to Yahoweh for it, for in its peace you have peace.”(Jeremiah 29:7). “First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all men, for sovereigns and all those who are in authority, in order that we lead a calm and peaceable life in all reverence and seriousness.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
“When a malicious witness rises up against any man to accuse him of turning aside, then both men who have the dispute shall stand before Yahoweh, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. And the judges shall diligently search and see if the witness is a false witness, who has falsely accused his brother, then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from your midst. And let the rest hear and fear, and never again do this evil matter in your midst. And let your eye not pardon, life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” (Deuteronomy 19:16-21).
What a wonderfully righteous Law; what a joyful Teaching. Torah requires judges to make diligent investigation before making a judgment. We too, when judging another, must be very careful—so careful that it would appear we are not judging at all. For if someone wished to harm by lies, then the harm they wished would be theirs instead. Today, though, liars often get away with it, and it is an inspiration for others to do evil.
Yet, some might ask, “Isn’t this horrible law done away with?” “You heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ but I say to you, do not resist the wicked. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. And he who wishes to sue you and take away your inner garment, let him have your outer garment as well. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and from him who wishes to borrow from you, do not turn away.” (Matthew 5:38-42). There is no mention of a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, or a foot for a foot. Perhaps this isn’t doing away with Torah.
If a victim gives mercy, it does not contradict the Torah. Yahoweh Himself gave mercy many times. Consider David. He should have been put to death for his murder of UriYah, and adultery with Bathsheba, but Yahoweh spared his life. David himself spared Saul twice despite that Saul was seeking to murder him without a cause. David’s actions compelled Saul to repentance both times. Yahoshuah, telling us to love even our enemies, shows to me a picture of Torah, not a change from Torah.
Yet, if you turn your cheek simply because you are supposed to, and have not the heart of a saint, then you are nothing more than a coward. This slap the Messiah speaks of is similar to taking out your eye if it causes you to sin. You still have the other eye. What He means is that we must cut the greed out of our habits. A slap can be literal, but I feel this is in reference to someone calling you a bad name … there is no logical need to return the favour … most of the time. If you allow yourself to be slapped, though, and you harbor hatred because of it, then you lack the proper heart. It is better to slap him back, and be wrong in doing so, then to turn the cheek simply because you are a coward, and be wrong to do so. There is no commandment that can be kept, no Biblical precept done right, if it is done without heart. One ought turn the cheek only when one ought turn the cheek, and must do it with heart, or it cannot be done. Simple, but true.
If someone rapes, kills, or does similar things, then they need to be made an example out of in court. To let the evil person get away with assaulting people is contributing to evil, rather than goodness. If they slap you (mock you), want your coat, or want you to carry something for them, then leave it out of the courts. Turning your cheek may very well be enough to stop them, or it may be a wakeup call that they are lacking the gift of love you have. Giving them your garment may keep them alive this winter, and may very well make them stop and speak with you, thus allowing them to hear the Good News, much like walking that extra mile with someone. However, if they are beating you, or another, an example can be made. Defend yourself, and then take it to a court. If they are taking everything, then take them to court. Yahoshuah didn’t mean that if someone wants to murder your son, hand him also your daughter. If they are trying to kidnap you, then knock them down and run, forget that extra mile, and take them to court. If someone slaps you, then offer the other cheek. It may very well save their soul, or yours. Courts needn’t be bothered by it, nor should you take this Law into your own hands, for if you do, you are the transgressor. By Torah we are not to take these matters into our own hands save or rare occasions, but are instead to present them to civil judges, if by our doing so it would be a benefit to the person and to the land.
By turning the cheek, we turn a slap into a testimony; by giving to those who take, we turn a thief into a recipient; by walking with those who are demanding, we allow their heart to be thankful instead; when giving into a violent man, we teach whole nations that children and women are nothing more than easy targets. Alas, sometimes the extreme evil cannot be contained for courts to decide, and one must, as Solomon warned, kill. Not an easy thing, and one I wish needn’t be said … but it must. There is a time, and then there is another.
“A true witness saves lives, but he who breathes out lies is a betrayer.” (Proverbs 14:25). Over the centuries, countless deaths have resulted from falsehoods told in and out of courts. The fate of those who bear false witness will be the same as those who murder and practice magic arts; a fiery lake of burning sulfur, the second death as spoken of in Revelation 21:8 and Revelation 22:15. We must always speak the truth, and flee from the father of lies, lest we become his children by disobeying Yahoweh. “A false witness does not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies perishes.” (Proverbs 19:9).
Every idle word we have spoken will be accounted for: “The good man brings forth what is good from the good treasures of his heart, and the wicked man brings forth what is wicked from the wicked treasure. And I say to you that for every idle word men speak, they shall give an account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be declared righteous, and by your words you shall be declared unrighteous.” (Matthew 12:35-37).
“Brothers, do not speak against one another. He that speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against Torah and judges Torah. And if you judge Torah, you are not a doer of Torah but a judge. There is one Lawgiver and Judge, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” (James 4:11-12). Judge His Torah? Judge Yahoweh? … No thank you! This is one very important Commandment! Let us cease from snap judgments based on false pretenses, phony spiritual discernments, mere suspicions, bratty attitudes, spiritual pride, traditional abuse, and false witnesses.
Giving false report is the act of lying through habitual mundane banter (gossip), and is done without thought, as it is indeed without thought. Strive to remove the false testimonies from your life, no matter how small, by replacing them with good testimony. Let our yes be yes, and our no be no. Let our words be true as oaths.
I am not certain about tabloid gossip or government rumors, and jabbering on about them will not help the matter. Be it a movie star or your cousin, do not settle for the devil’s snare of gossip; rather, put aside all gossip and slander so much so it is forgotten by you. Be at peace in prayer.
“He has declared to you, O man, what is good. And what does Yahoweh require of you but to do right, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your Elohim?” (Micah 6:8). Alas, many do not care what Yahoweh requires of them—they think grace has been done away with, and call it the, “Burden of returning love.” Reciprocation is a requirement of any relationship! Let us never forget that.
I once preached a sermon on gossiping, as I had seen in the previous weeks that, while they adhered little to the Bible, gossip was their number one sin. Perhaps if they stopped gossiping they might even speak the Word enough to see they were not following the Messiah. I gave a message on the dangers of gossiping, and felt the Scriptures I spoke were powerful and life changing. After the message, there was a small potluck dinner, and I could not believe my ears. They gossiped about people who gossip too much. I am not giving names, and there is no way you could know what church it was, but let it be known I almost wept for them, and I did pray. I hope you will, too.
Many Christians attempt to mask their sin of gossiping by requesting prayer for someone. When others gossip, politely say, “I am not sure if those reports are true, so I do not want to gossip about it. Even if they are true, we need to help, not hinder.” rather than, “Oh, yeah, I heard about that ticket he got. The little speed devil.”
Often we accept the false testimony of stereotypes, from nationality to academics. Or we accept gossip as gospel, and the rumors pile up, but when it’s your turn to take a hard brunt, you will see why Yahoweh gave this blessing for those who love Him. Rather than responding with a false accusation of our own, we should simply live our lives so that our conduct reproves those who accuse us, and causes the lies about us to fall to the ground like melting snow. However, in order for this to happen, we must fall to the ground first, in prayer.
Many people enjoy gossiping about movie stars and musicians so much that famous people can no longer even go on a walk without media making all sorts of accusations. I mean, let’s face it, there are few people who gossip (read: give false testimony) about these celebrities, and actually know them personally. We are to offer healing, not condemnation to the world.
A man is only as good as his word. Thankfully, Yahoweh’s Word is good! While Titus 1:2 says Yahoweh cannot lie, His entire Word confirms this. With Yahoweh, if He says you are His child, then you are, and if He says you should speak of the Light to a little girl, then now, right now, is the perfect time to do so.
“These six matters Yahoweh hates, and seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands shedding innocent blood, a heart devising wicked schemes, feet quick to run to evil, a false witness breathing out lies, and one who causes strife among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:16-19).
Many today say we don’t need these Ten Words, and so do away with the Torah of honoring parents, and thus they and their followers become disobedient to parents. They are slanderous in their false testimony of His Word. Oh, they have a “form of reverence” for the Word, but they deny the Power.
“But know this, that in the last days hard times shall come. For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, thankless, wrongdoers, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, haters of good, betrayers, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of Elohim, having a form of reverence but denying its power. And turn away from these! For among them are those who creep into households and captivate silly women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:1-7).
Dear women, if you follow men who come to you via books, radio, television, or the front door, who speak against walking as the Messiah walked, as a Torah obedient Jew, then you will always be learning … but you will never come to the knowledge of Truth. You will only come to the understanding of false testimony. Yet, what is this “Power?” The Power of the Word is this: If His Word is acknowledged by you, then you are on par with demons. They know His Word is real. If you walk in the Word because you love Yahoshuah, then you will walk with the Torah Obedient Jew Who is in your heart. You will go where His Footsteps lead: to Sermons on the Mount, to whores, to Passover, to the bedside of the sick, to the cross, and beyond the grave.
“Therefore I have loved Your commands more than gold, even fine gold!” (Psalms 119:127).
Turn away from kind looking shepherds with blood on their white aprons. Turn away from partial truths, and follow the Good Shepherd! The Torah of Elohim (His desire) has been given to those who yearn to flee from the torah of Satan (sin). Yahoweh can turn your old bones into a new wine skin—and that, dear brothers and sweet sisters, is no false testimony!
There is an old tale told, and re-told, about a man who said so many
Once, there was a scribe who was well loved by the people of the quaint village in which he lived. He was a polite man, the kind who has a long gray beard, dresses in black, and smells like books. However, no one is always loved, and one day a local man told malicious untruths about the local scribe, yet, as so often is the way, later on he regretted what he had said. Being overcome by remorse, he begged the scribe to forgive him:
“Sir, tell me how I can make amends.”
The scribe sighed as he sat upon a high stool with quill in hand, “Take two pillows, and go to the public square. Once there, cut the pillows open, wave them in the air, and then come back.”
The rumormonger quickly went home, got two pillows and a knife, hastened to the square, cut the pillows open, waved them in the air, looking quite the fool for doing so, and hastened back to the scribe’s chamber. “I did just what you said, sir!”
“Good.” the scribe replied. “Now, to realize how much harm is done by gossip, go back to the square.”
“And do what?”
“And collect all your feathers.”
“And if your brother sins against you, go and reprove him, between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be established. And if he refuses to hear them, say it to the assembly. And if he refuses even to hear the assembly, let him be to you like a gentile and a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15-17). By doing this, there is no false testimony spread. One should not condemn someone in front of others, but give a kind request in private. However, one of the most important things often missed in this teaching is this: They are to be like unto you a gentile and a tax collector. Let us not forget … the Messiah ate with them, and loved them. Let us not give a false testimony of Him.
Imagine if everyone were delivered a list of the ten worst things he or she had ever done. Everyone would destroy that list as fast as possible, even if it meant eating that list! Not even the purest of souls would long for others to see it. How do we judge others, and how shall we be judged? Is the sin of gossip … a good idea?
Let us not murder our testimony by stealing it from another through the adultery of lies based in the coveting of what is not of Yahoweh. All that is needed for darkness to be defeated is for Light to give your soul sight. Do good so much that you haven’t the time to do evil. This—this—is a treasure I pray you never forget.
There is one thing, though, that many people do not know about this Commandment: That it is every bit as Jewish as keeping Sabbath. Some people look at Sabbath, and say, “Oh, that’s just for Jews.” but then say this Commandment is for Christians. There is no dividing line, here, or anywhere, that indicates one Word is more or less important, or Jewish, than another. It is time to get past the adolescence of picking and choosing what part of Him we will accept, and the only way to achieve this is by becoming lovingly obedient. It is time to see that this is every bit as Jewish as any other Commandment, or, for that matter, grace.
Be Blessed and be a Blessing
Shalom
-Valentine Thalken Billingsley
If this blessed you, please share it.
Additional Scripture References:
Leviticus 5:1, Proverbs 11:13, 20:19, Ephesians 4:24-25, 31, Exodus 23:1, Zechariah 8:16-17, Malachi 3:5, Ephesians 2:1-5, James 3:5-6, Laminations 3:30, Daniel 6:3-4, Romans 8:18, Judges 5:3, Matthew 5:38, Psalms 51:6, 101:5
