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Exodus chapter 20. Exodus chapter 
20. I'll begin reading and then our 
focus is on the 9th commandment, verse 16, but I'll read beginning 
in verse 1. God spoke all these words saying, 
I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 
out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods 
before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, 
any likeness of anything that is in heaven above. or that is 
in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 
You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord 
your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon 
the children to the third and fourth generations of those who 
hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love 
me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of 
the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless 
who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day to keep 
it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the 
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you 
shall do no work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your 
male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor 
your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord 
made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, 
and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the 
Sabbath day and hallowed it. Honor your father and your mother, 
that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your 
God is giving you. You shall not murder, you shall not commit 
adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness 
against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's 
house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male 
servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor 
anything that is your neighbor's. Now all the people witnessed 
the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, 
and the mountain smoking. And when the people saw it, they 
trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, You 
speak with us, and we will hear. But let not God speak with us, 
lest we die. And Moses said to the people, 
do not fear, for God has come to test you, and that his fear 
may be before you, so that you may not sin. So the people stood 
afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God 
was." Amen. So the second table of the law 
is summarized in Leviticus 19.18. It says, you shall love your 
neighbor as yourself. And the commandments in the second 
table are given to protect life, the sixth commandment, marriage, 
the seventh commandment, and then property in the eighth commandment, 
whether it be from invasion or attack. Then the last two, nine 
and 10, move from action to word and thought. So the ninth regulates 
the words, and then the 10th regulates the thoughts. So the 
last two move from action to word and thought and forbid false 
witness and covetousness. Turretin says, as our neighbor 
ought not to be injured by deed, so neither should he be injured 
by word. And that's a very important concept 
that we ought to take seriously in scripture. So remember that 
prohibition is given We'll look at the prohibition of the command 
tonight, God willing the reason for the command, and then next 
time we'll look at the positive aspect of the command. But it's 
not just specifically perjury that is in view, though that 
is in view, but an interpretative method with reference to the 
commandments is to subsume all of like laws under that particular 
head. So it doesn't just forbid perjury, 
It forbids any misuse, any speech that is untoward, ungodly, or 
lying. So, in the first place, notice 
it does refer to perjury. You shall not bear false witness 
against your neighbor. That means the deliberate, willful 
giving of false, misleading, or incomplete testimony under 
oath. And a moment's reflection will 
see how serious this is. Because if you give false information 
in a trial, in a testimony under oath, then it's going to be negative 
for that person that you're engaged in lying about. Notice in Exodus 
chapter 23. Specifically at verse one, you 
shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the 
wicked to be an unrighteous witness. You shall not follow a crowd 
to do evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute, so as to turn aside 
after many to pervert justice. You shall not show partiality 
to a poor man in his dispute. So God is very concerned with 
speaking the truth in love. Again, generally, but in particularly 
in the courtroom. Notice in 23.6, you shall not 
pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. In the Proverbs, 
we see the similar prohibition against perjury. Proverbs chapter 
19. We go through our Bibles, we see again these are connected. There's an overarching theme 
that we are to speak the truth and love. But with reference 
to perjury, it is consistently condemned. Proverbs chapter 19, 
verse 5, a false witness will not go unpunished, and he who 
speaks lies will not escape. The same thing in verse 9. A 
false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies shall 
perish. And then over in chapter 25 of 
Proverbs, verse 18, same sort of a prohibition. A man who bears 
false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and 
a sharp arrow." So back to the commandment, when it prohibits 
us from engaging in false witness, it says, against your neighbor. 
And that, of course, begs the question, who is our neighbor? 
Well, Jesus teaches in Luke 10 who the neighbor is. It's somebody 
that you are obliged to aid, another image bearer that is 
suffering. One man says, this is the first 
commandment to employ the word neighbor in its general juridical 
sense of anyone else you happen to come into contact with. Doesn't 
mean simply the person that lives next door to you that shares 
the duplex with you. You can go ahead and perjure 
anybody else, but you can't perjure that person who's in close proximity 
to you. No, it's a general juridical 
sense of anyone else you happen to come into contact with, rather 
than the more narrow sense of someone living near you. In laws 
and formal rules, neighbor has nothing to do with proximity 
or familiarity. Your neighbor connotes any other 
human being you may have dealings with, actually or potentially. So we need to understand the 
breadth of the commandment. It's not just to the next door 
neighbor. It's not just to your friend 
that lives across the street. There is a prohibition that you 
shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Now, probably 
one of the most detailed explanations of the command is found in Deuteronomy 
19. Deuteronomy 19, you can turn 
there. You'll see that this is the law concerning witnesses, 
and the use of the language in verse 15 indicates that it's 
not just capital offenses in view. If you look back in chapter 
17 in Deuteronomy, specifically at verses 6 and 7, you'll see 
the necessity of two or three witnesses for a capital case. So in 17.6, whoever is deserving 
of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three 
witnesses. He shall not be put to death on the testimony of 
one witness. The hands of the witnesses shall 
be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the 
hands of all the people. So you shall put away the evil 
from among you. Now, when we go over to Deuteronomy 
chapter 19, verses 15 to 21, again, laws concerning witnesses. And it shows us that this same 
principle is necessary in other judicial matters. You need witnesses. You need a plurality of witnesses 
in order to bring prosecution. So notice the establishment of 
the rule in verse 15. One witness shall not rise against 
a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits. By 
the mouth of two or three witnesses, the matter shall be established." 
Again, the section is broader than capital crimes. The language 
of iniquity and sin demonstrates that a general legal principle 
is in view, and that's a general legal principle that carries 
on throughout the rest of scriptures. You see it in Proverbs, but as 
well you see it in Matthew chapter 18. Remember, if your brother 
sins against you, go to him. If he hears you, you've won your 
brother. If he doesn't hear you, then take two or three witnesses. 
Now, they're not necessarily witnesses who witnessed the offense, 
because if they witnessed the offense, they would have brought 
this to bear upon the individual as well. They are witnessing 
the process to make sure that it's being conducted in a manner 
that's consistent with the written word of God. So if your brother 
doesn't hear you, take two or three witnesses. If he doesn't 
hear them, tell it to the church. If he doesn't hear the church, 
then treat him as a heathen and a tax collector. The principle 
also arises in 1 Timothy chapter 5. Do not receive an accusation 
against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. 
It is showing that there cannot be just a personal beef that 
causes you to charge an elder with sin. There has to, again, 
be witnesses. Whether they witness the actual 
infraction or they're witnessing the process, which is more likely, 
but that it's conducted or done in a manner that is consistent 
with Holy Scripture. So back to 19. So you've got 
the rule established in verse 15, and then you've got the problem 
or the violation in verse 16. Notice, if a false witness rises 
against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing. So it's a 
law or a statute concerning or governing witnesses with reference 
to judicial process. And if in the course of this 
process there is a false witness, now how would we know the false 
witness? Well, the guy who's the defendant 
would say he is lying. That is false. That is not true 
what he is saying. Remember, there would be cross-examination. There would be the opportunity 
for the innocent party or the defendant, rather, to be able 
to defend himself. And so he's able to say, hey, 
this guy's lying. Notice what the procedure then 
involves. Verse 17, then both men in the 
controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests 
and the judges who serve in those days. If you look back at chapter 
17, this is a higher court. If you look specifically at chapter 
17, verses 8 to 13, This would be a higher court. 
Wouldn't be your basic garden variety sort of a court. It would 
be a higher court and they would hear these particular cases and 
that's what this particular law deals with. So both men appear 
at this central tribunal or higher court and now they present their 
testimony. Now it's not just a matter of 
the crime that the defendant is defending himself about, but 
now there's this false witness element, and that needs to get 
dealt with, and that needs to be investigated. Now notice the 
determination, verse 18. And the judges shall make careful 
inquiry. And indeed, if the witness is 
a false witness who has testified falsely against his brother, 
So the high court functions in such a way as they're able to 
discern that this is, in fact, a false witness, that this man 
has perjured himself, that this man is trying to malign the defendant 
with false testimony so that the defendant gets punished by 
the court. Now, notice the principle in 
verse 19 in terms of the punishment involved for the perjurer. Verse 
19 says, then you shall do to him, this is the false witness, 
as he thought to have done to his brother. So you shall put 
away the evil from among you. You have to see how marvelous 
this particular piece of legislation is. If implemented consistently, 
it would really put down the tendency to engage in perjury. It would really discourage persons 
in litigation to lie about another individual. Because if they are 
found to be lying, then whatever that other individual would have 
been punished for, if he was guilty of that crime, is now 
inflicted upon the perjurer. One commentator, Christopher 
Wright, He says, it therefore established a remarkable retributive 
law on perjury. Anyone discovered to have given 
false testimony was to be punished with the same punishment that 
the victim, excuse me, of his accusations would have received 
if the verdict had gone against him. One wonders what a salutary 
effect such a law might have in the modern world, which is 
plagued with miscarriages of justice notoriously caused by 
false testimony and conspiracy. It's true. When we lose confidence 
in the justice system, which many of us are, then society 
starts to decay and break down. This is not a good thing. when 
due process is compromised, when laws concerning evidence is compromised, 
when cross-examination is compromised, when there is no charging persons 
for crimes and putting them in prison for any way, these things 
ought to concern the church today. Calvin makes this observation 
on verse 19. He says, whence it appears that 
false witnesses and murderers stand in the same light before 
God. This is the case. If the man 
had been defendant in a murder trial, and execution would have 
been what he had gotten, then the man who lies about him, who 
perjures himself, is going to be executed. And that's underscored 
in the rest of the passage. Notice in verse 20. With reference 
to verse 20, all of Israel shall hear and understand that you 
don't do this. And those who remain shall hear 
and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil 
among you." Now brethren, there's a great deterrent effect when 
the law is executed properly, when it's executed consistently, 
when it's executed, I see you smiling there, no pun intended, 
when it's executed in a manner that is consistent with that 
law. And then the lex talionis is 
the undergirding support. Your eye shall not pity, life 
shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, 
foot for foot. So that's the governing principle. 
The punishment must fit the crime. If this man lies about somebody 
in a capital case, and it turns out that he is found out to be 
lying in a capital case, then that liar is going to be executed 
because of that perjury. So God does not take this lightly. 
So when we read, you shall not bear false witness against your 
neighbor, we really ought to take that to heart if we're ever 
called upon to give testimony, if we're ever called upon to 
swear an oath that what we say is true, the whole truth, and 
nothing but the truth, so help me God. Because if we are liars, 
God most high, the courts today will never ever find us out probably, 
because that's all that happens there, but God most high will 
hold us responsible. So the act of perjury is obviously 
condemned in the ninth commandment. But then the act of lying, lying 
in general. Kaiser says that this command 
speaks to the sanctity of truth in all areas of life. You can 
turn to Leviticus 19. Leviticus 19, how the people 
of God are supposed to relate to one another. Leviticus 19 
verse 11, you shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to 
one another. Proverbs chapter 6. Proverbs 
chapter 6. Where do you think Solomon got 
all of his proverbs? He got them from the law of God. 
He rehearses in many different ways the same law that we are 
considering in Exodus chapter 20. Proverbs chapter 6, notice 
verse 16, these six things the Lord hates, yea, seven are an 
abomination to him. Notice in verse 17, a proud look, 
a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that 
devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, 
a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among 
brethren. Notice twice it's a condemnation 
of liars. Certainly, we despise abortionists. That is the hands that shed innocent 
blood among others as well. Anybody who willy-nilly murders 
another human being, God abominates that. God abominates the proud 
look. He abominates the heart that devises wicked plans and 
the feet that are swift and running to evil. He abominates one who 
sows discord among brethren. But out of this particular brief 
list, twice we see a condemnation of lying. Notice in chapter 12, 
verses 17 to 19. Proverbs chapter 12, verses 17 
to 19. He who speaks truth declares 
righteousness, but a false witness deceit. There is one who speaks 
like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes 
health. The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a 
lying tongue is but for a moment. And then Proverbs 12, notice 
in verse, let's see, 22. Lying lips are an abomination 
to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are his delight." 
Now, it's something I did, you know, many, many years ago because 
I thought the Proverbs are very helpful, right? There's 31 chapters. You can read a chapter of Proverbs. So today you would have read, 
what is it, the 26th or 27th? I can't see the old watch anymore, 
27th. You'd read Proverbs 27, just 
kind of a good sort of practice, right? Well, it occurred to me 
early on that a lot of them were repetitious, and there's probably 
a reason for repetition, because Solomon, passing on instruction 
to his sons that would be kings, that would govern persons, he 
probably was repetitious so that these lessons would get drilled 
into their heads. So early on I took a pencil and 
I would write next to the particular one. So one that dealt with lying 
lips or lying or tongue or whatever I just put out. So when I'm running 
through Proverbs I can just see all these L's and how many times 
God is opposed to lies. It is not something that God 
takes lightly. He condemns it over and over 
and over again. Matthew chapter 5, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. He is not suggesting that we 
can never swear an oath. That's not the point. Some have 
taken this passage in Matthew 5 and turned it on its head. They've done the same with the 
next section in verses 38 to 42. But in chapter 5, verse 33, 
he is discouraging using oaths for everyday sort of stuff. It 
had become sort of a practice in that time. You've probably 
heard it today. What are you going to have for 
dinner? Well, we're going to have roast beef, I swear on a 
stack of Bibles. that we're gonna have roast. 
You don't need to swear, okay? You let your yes be yes and your 
no be no in your normal, ordinary life. That's what Jesus is speaking 
to. He's not suggesting that if you're called as an eyewitness 
in a murder case, that you don't swear an oath to tell the truth, 
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The Bible does 
not condemn oaths. We see God Himself swear by Himself 
according to Hebrews chapter 6. When Christ is put under oath 
by the high priest, Jesus responds. He doesn't say, well, I can't 
enter into that because there's no more oath-taking. There are 
those who suggest that oath-taking based on Matthew 5 is not to 
be done. But again, he's not dealing with 
things out of the ordinary. He's not dealing with things 
that are of weight and matter and substance. He's not dealing 
with the courtroom. He's dealing with your day-in, 
day-out ethics. So he says, again, you have heard 
that it was said to those of old, you shall not swear falsely, 
but shall perform your oaths to the Lord. But I say to you, 
do not swear at all, neither by heaven, for it is God's throne, 
nor by the earth, for it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem, 
for it is the city of the great king. Nor shall you swear by 
your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 
But let your yes be yes and your no, no. For whatever is more 
than these is from the evil one." Again, he's not discouraging 
oaths in their proper places. But in terms of our day in, day 
out conduct, let your yes be yes and your no be no. There's 
no reason to shave off the truth. Tear off the rough edges. We 
can speak the truth in love. That's the mandate. That's the 
command. Notice in 15, chapter 15, verse 
19, with Jesus and Matthew's gospel still. When they come 
to Him and they're upset that His disciples washed, or ate 
rather, with unwashed hands, and He's speaking to them and 
setting them straight. Verse 16, are you still without 
understanding? Do you not yet understand that 
whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the 
heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceeding 
will thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, 
blasphemies. These are the things which defile 
a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." 
And then, of course, in Romans chapter 1, in a vice list that 
is given to show the depravity of the Gentiles, guess what comes 
under condemnation? 129. being filled with all unrighteousness, 
sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, 
full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness. They 
are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God. This idea of whisperers 
and backbiters fall under the condemnation of you shall not 
bear false witness. And then in Ephesians chapter 
4, conduct fitting a new man. Verse 25, Therefore, putting 
away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, 
for we are members of one another. So, lying is condemned by God 
vis-a-vis the ninth commandment. Now, thirdly, backbiting and 
slander. backbiting and slander is condemned. That is false and malicious statements 
made about another. We saw that in Romans chapter 
1. You can turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 6. 1 Corinthians chapter 
6, a passage that I think is It's very familiar to all of 
us. 1 Corinthians 6, verse 9. Do you not know that the unrighteous 
will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither 
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, 
nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor 
revilers, nor extortioners will enter the kingdom of God. This 
idea, or inherit the kingdom of God, this idea of reviling, 
backbiting, This slander, the sort of thing that tears people 
down. Proverbs chapter 10, again Solomon concerned with his sons 
and their conduct that does extend to the words that they speak. 
Proverbs chapter 10 verse 18, whoever hides hatred has lying 
lips and whoever spreads slander is a fool. Now, brethren, this 
is probably more where we're at, this idea of backbiting and 
slander, and we could add to this gossip and tailbearing. Gossip and tailbearing. Rumor 
or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature. This is most 
likely where we're at in the context of the local church. 
Most of us aren't giving eyewitness testimony in federal court over 
an embezzlement case. Most of us are not eyewitnesses 
of murders that happened during robberies and we're called to 
testify in a courtroom. But we are called to conduct 
ourselves with kindness and love and charity toward one another. 
And backbiting and gossip and slander is only designed to tear 
down the people of God and to destroy the church of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Turn to Leviticus chapter 19. 
Leviticus chapter 19. So this idea, false and malicious 
statements made about another, or rumor or talk of a personal, 
sensational, or intimate nature. Leviticus 19.16, you shall not 
go about as a tail bearer among your people. nor shall you take 
a stand against the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord." Kind 
of an interesting combination of themes there in verse 16. You shall not go about as a tailbearer 
among your people, nor shall you take a stand against the 
life of your neighbor. A combination that suggests some 
sort of intimacy in terms of the concept. This idea of tail 
bearing puts you against your neighbor. Solomon speaks to this 
as well. Again, in Proverbs, you can turn 
to Proverbs chapter 11. Proverbs chapter 11 at verse 
13, a tail bearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit 
conceals a matter. Brethren, if somebody asks you 
to keep a secret, keep the secret. If somebody says, can I discuss 
this with you and it won't go any further, don't let it go 
any further. I'm sure, and I don't need to 
ask everybody to raise their hands who's ever had this happen 
to them, but you've had it happen to you. It is a betrayal of trust 
and it is wrong. And when these kinds of things 
flourish in a church context, there is going to be mayhem and 
there's going to be destruction. If something is not your business, 
don't make it your business. Notice in Proverbs chapter 18. 
Proverbs chapter 18, specifically at verse 8. Proverbs 18.8, the 
words of a tail bearer are like tasty trifles and they go down 
into the inmost body. There's something delicious about 
it. We want to hear it, don't we? Just go ahead, tell me a 
bit more. No, resist that, restrain yourself, 
and don't listen to it. By the way, before we leave Proverbs 
18, let's not forget two passages that need to be understood. Verse 
13, he who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and 
shame to him. How many times have we been guilty 
of that? He who answers a matter before 
he hears it, it is folly and shame to him. You get half a 
story, and you're ready to condemn somebody. You get half a story, 
and you're ready to make sure that that person, about who the 
half a story is about, gets their comeuppance. And then you hear 
the other side of it, and you say, oh, wait a minute, maybe 
I shouldn't have been so hasty. Well, verse 17 deals with that 
particularly. The first one to plead his cause 
seems right until his neighbor comes and examines him. Again, 
brethren, I don't need to ask for any group participation. 
Probably we've all fallen prey to this at one time or another. 
Oh yeah, that's terrible. I can't believe that. And then 
you hear the other side and you go, oh, that was terrible. I 
can't believe that. We're a fickle people. We don't 
have all the information. We are not infallible. When it 
comes to matters of reputation, the world may tell us one thing, 
but the scripture says that a man's reputation is most valuable, 
and it is most prize worthy. And if we are not careful, and 
we are gossipy, and we are slanderers, and we are back biters, or whispers, 
or tail bearers, We can destroy people with the tongue. We're 
not to fall prey to that kind of conduct that is so commonplace 
in the world today. Proverbs chapter 20, notice in 
verse 19. He who goes about as a tail-bearer 
reveals secrets. Therefore, do not associate with 
one who flatters with his lips. Notice in chapter 26. Chapter 
26, verse 20. Where there is no wood, the fire 
goes out, and where there is no tail-bearer, strife ceases. And then notice in 26 at 22. The words of a tail-bearer are 
like tasty trifles, and they go down into the inmost body. So when it comes to these various 
sins, we've got perjury, we've got lying, we've got backbiting, 
slander, and then gossip and tailbearing. There are two ways 
that we can be guilty of this sin. The first is by opening 
our big fat mouths and saying things that we're not supposed 
to. We can be the active participant in perjury, we can be the active 
participant in lying, and in backbiting, and in slander, and 
in gossip and tail bearing. We with our big mouths can engage 
in that particular activity. But we can be passive participants 
when we receive what the tail bearer has to say. Brethren, 
as the scripture says, where there is no wood, the fire goes 
out. Where there is no tailbearer, strife ceases. So that one speaks 
specifically to getting rid of the tailbearer. But the fire 
could go out if we're not interested. If we say, you know what? That's 
not my business. That's not for me. And I fear 
at times that the tastiness of the morsel brings us to that 
place where we're listening to things that we have no business 
hearing. I've gotten it as a pastor on 
several occasions where persons have come to me, and I'm not 
going to dime anybody out, and they say, well, so-and-so did 
this. Well, have you talked to so-and-so? Well, no. But that's 
what you're supposed to do. I'm really not supposed to know 
about so-and-so's sin unless the net is having to be increased 
and you're roping in people now to function along the capacity 
of witnesses. But I have no business in knowing 
somebody's sin against you. You have the business of going 
to them and calling them out for it. Ratting them out to the 
pastor is not Matthew 18. If your brother sins against 
you, go fink on him to the pastor. And let the pastor and the elders 
go club the guy and tell him that he better get his act together. 
That's not Matthew 18, brethren. There is a degree of personal 
responsibility in the church that the church is very happy 
to abdicate. Very happy to give up, very happy 
to farm out to other people. Well, you can't do that. Matthew 
18 is very clear. So the two-fold manner of committing 
these sins. The active participant has the 
lying tongue and the big mouth. The passive participant has the 
one with the listening ears. If somebody is gossiping or they 
cross a line, it would be not untoward for you to say, you 
know what? That's not really my business. I don't really have 
a need to hear that. I'm already struggling with a 
whole host of things anyway. I certainly don't need my brother's 
sins, too, that don't affect me or that aren't part of my 
life, right? I don't think that's ungodly 
behavior. Westminster Larger Catechism says in terms of the 
sins condemned, or the duties required, discouraging tail-bearers, 
flatterers, and slanderers. Discouraging tail-bearers, flatterers, 
and slanderers. What happens when we don't discourage 
tail-bearers, flatterers, and slanderers? They get worse. They don't just go fizzle out. 
They just, you know, ooze their garbage on anybody that will 
listen to that. That's not behavior that is appropriate 
in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. I've often thought that 
it's not going to be, you know, a pastor preaching that Jesus 
is a creature. that's going to shipwreck most 
evangelical churches or reformed churches. It's going to be people 
in the church that have big mouths, or pastors in the church that 
have big mouths, or pastors' wives that have big mouths, or 
people that have big mouths that don't deal with things properly. 
Those things are far more likely to destroy a church than a pastor 
becoming a Sassanian overnight and saying, OK, brethren, everything 
we've seen in John up to this point, forget it. Jesus really 
is a creature. I mean, it could happen, I guess. 
The history of heresy tells us that bizarre things have happened. 
But most likely, churches are affected because people do not 
live according to Bridges' rule. We ought to think twice before 
we speak once. If the church could learn that 
lesson, we'd be a whole lot better off. We ought to think twice 
before we speak once. And James speaks to this as well. And James talks about the tongue 
and the unruly nature of the tongue. He says that people can 
tame beasts. I mean, you've seen it. Those 
fools that open either crocodiles or alligators, I'm not sure which 
one is disposed to do this, but they open up the head, or the 
jaw, and they put their head in there. And they do that for 
fun. I don't know. I've seen bears 
being taught to dance and lions doing things. So James acknowledges 
that, but he says, no one can tame the tongue. He's not saying 
that to discourage us from the pursuit. I think he's underscoring 
the difficulty of the pursuit and calling us to be dependent 
upon God in the pursuit of taming our tongue. But as well, he tells 
us to be slow to speak and quick to hear. Why do you think He 
does that? Because when we're quick to speak 
and slow to hear, we do all the sins that the Bible tells us 
not to do. And by design, God in His infinite 
wisdom made our heads in such a way that we have two receptacles 
to receive and one to give. There's a ratio involved. Think, or rather hear, twice 
as much as you speak. I think a good general rule for 
the believer is that the more I talk, the more opportunity 
I open up to sin. That's usually been my experience. That's why preaching is such 
an interesting thing. People come up and say, you said, 
oh yeah, there's all kinds of weird things that happen when 
you get that mouth rolling. So there is the active participant, 
and then there is the passive participant. Calvin said, we 
must also close our ears against false and evil speaking. We must 
close our ears. Now, whether you do that physically 
and say, Bob, I don't know about that. Better probably to say, 
you know what, brother, sister, that's not my business. I'd rather 
not talk about it. Now, if somebody ever says that 
to you, it may be a bit awkward or maybe a bit uncomfortable. 
But praise God for uncomfortable and awkward versus sinning against 
somebody in a way that you shouldn't. So those are, again, a sample 
of the sins condemned by the Ninth Commandment. Now in terms 
of the reason for the command, why is it? Well the nature of 
God. God is the Lord God of truth. 
That's what David says in Psalm 32 verse 5. Titus in verse 2 
of chapter 1 tells us that God cannot lie. God is the Lord God 
of truth who cannot lie, so therefore he calls his creatures to live 
in a manner that's consistent with that. Jesus' self-identity 
in John 14, what does he say? I am the way, the truth, and 
the life. So he underscores or highlights 
just how important truth is. And then turn to John 8. Not 
only do we have Jesus' positive identification of himself in 
John 14 as truth, but we see Jesus' condemnation of lying. We see his condemnation of speaking 
evil. And we see his connection of 
that particular sin to the devil. So notice in John 8 at verse 
42. If God were your father, you 
would love me, for I proceeded forth and came from God, nor 
have I come of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand 
my speech? Because you are not able to listen 
to my word. You are of your father the devil, 
and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer 
from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there 
is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks 
from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 
I mean, that's as powerful a condemnation as the devil that we have in 
the Bible. He was a murderer from the beginning 
and does not stand in the truth. And then it says there is no 
truth in him. How do you think he accomplishes 
the malice that he engages in? It's through deception. How do 
you think horrible people in the world today advance their 
wretched causes? It's not because they're telling 
the truth. It's not because they're open 
and honest and candid. It's because they're lying, deceiving, 
wretches. This is contrary to the very 
nature and being of God Most High. So the nature of God argues 
for this commandment, as well the nature of man. We are the 
image of God, Genesis chapter 1. As the image of God, we're 
supposed to image God. And when it comes to imaging 
God, that's supposed to extend not just to our actions, but 
also our words, the ninth commandment, and our thoughts, the tenth commandment. So it's not just the external. 
As long as I don't go out and do this, then everything is okay. No, there's a certain sense where 
what we do internally reflects our approach to these sorts of 
things. And so in order to image God, we need to make sure that 
truth is a premium in our lives. And then I would urge finally, 
we'll close here, the stability of the social order. What happens 
when we live in a world filled with lies? Nobody trusts anybody. I don't mean to be too crass. I realize two year pandemic. 
I'm not the most trusting character at this point of our health authorities. Not going to lie to you. No pun 
intended. constant jeopardizing what they've 
said over and over again. What happens to the social order 
when you have built that social order on a house of cards? And when one of those cards gets 
pulled away, the whole thing starts to collapse. The stability 
of the social order depends on people speaking the truth. A 
man that I can't even name anymore because he's been canceled, I'll 
just read something he says in his systematic theology. He says, 
in short, if confidence is destroyed, then all the bands which unite 
man with his fellows are loosed. Each man must struggle on, unaided 
by his fellows, as though he were the sole forlorn remnant 
of a perishing race. That sounds pretty epic and pretty 
grim, but I see where he's going with that. When you have a society 
that does not prize and value truth and justice and the things 
that the Bible sets forth as commonplace among body politics, 
it's going to have an effect upon people. A modern commentator 
says the court system of a nation depends on the honesty of its 
people. When you see a court system that's 
corrupt, what must you conclude? We've got some dishonesty problems 
somewhere. And what's worse is that we really 
don't seem to care about this that much anymore. You know, 
I've kind of made that observation as we've worked through these 
commandments, specifically with reference to politics. We have 
no one that I know of that's gonna take a public stand for 
the Sixth Commandment. They're not gonna say, maybe 
they'll say, well, I don't personally favor abortion, but I don't think 
it's something we should legislate. Well, Sixth Commandment's out. 
Seventh Commandment, I mean, we've seen within the last couple 
of months, the signing of Bill C-4. Yeah, you can't ever speak 
ill about these sorts of acts of perversion. So not really 
any concern for the Seventh Commandment. I would just point you to your 
paycheck and your tax system to show you there's not a lot 
of concern for the Eighth Commandment. But we also don't see any regard 
for the Ninth Commandment. We just accepted today that our 
politicians lie. Brethren, that's an unacceptable 
position. They're not supposed to lie. 
They're not supposed to go up and just blow smoke. They're 
supposed to actually be held accountable for the things that 
they say, and they are supposed to deal in a manner that's consistent 
with the revealed will of God. Again, we're not talking about 
enforcing the Sabbath commandment. I mean, that seems to be a pipe 
dream that's so far removed, we can't even contemplate it. 
But to have a man stand up and not lie to us, or constantly lie, and we're 
just accepting with that? It is a tragedy what we are witnessing 
today in the body politic, What we see in the church in terms 
of gossip and slander and, you know, prayer meetings are notorious 
for this. Well, can we pray for brother 
so-and-so who's got this particular issue? Well, maybe brother so-and-so 
didn't want the whole church to know he's got this particular 
issue. I have a specific purpose. If people don't ask me to send 
out a prayer request, I don't. Not everybody wants their prayer 
requests sent out on the internet. That's not because they're evil, 
it's not because they're bad, it's because for whatever reason 
they don't want their prayer requests sent out on the internet. 
So I typically will ask people, do you want me to send something 
out? That's not me being rude, it's trying to respect person's 
right to privacy. But with reference to church 
life, we need to speak the truth in love. If something's not our 
business, we need to make sure that we don't make it our business. 
So we've got body politic, we've got church, and then it all is 
foundational upon the individual. We all have to restrain our own 
lips. We all have to hold our own tongue. We need to listen 
to Solomon and this other very fine point of wisdom. Even a 
fool is counted wise when he shuts his mouth. I mean, this 
guy could be the biggest dolt in the room. He could be thinking 
about a monkey banging a cymbal. But because he doesn't open his 
mouth, he could look like the smartest man in that particular 
room. Solomon is right on. The guy 
could be adult. He could have the IQ of this 
cup. Well, the cup does more. He could 
be that stupid. But if he just shuts his mouth, 
he will appear to be wise. You know what's the best way 
for you to evidence that you're not wise? Is just open it up. let her rip, let her fly, and 
everybody around you will know." That guy should have kept his 
mouth shut. So we need to listen to Solomon, we need to restrain 
the tongue, and we need to understand that God speaks to this all over 
the place. All over. Genesis to Revelation. One thing that I think everybody 
will ultimately conclude, whether you get the eternal relations 
of origin, Father unbegotten, Son begotten, Spirit proceeds 
from the Father and the Son, What you will get is that God 
is pro-truth, and he is not for lies, perjury, and the sorts 
of things that often go on in churches today under the guise 
of concern for brethren. Well, those brethren better let 
you tell everybody else about their needs before you go out 
and do it. Well, let's close in a word of prayer. Our Father, 
we know that your word does regulate the external conduct, it regulates 
the internal heart and the disposition, as well we see that our words 
matter. And Jesus says that we will render an account for even 
the idle words that we have spoken in this life. God, this is a 
serious matter. I pray that you'd help each of 
us to internalize this, help us to reflect upon these texts, 
help us to guard our own minds and our own hearts and our own 
tongues when it comes. to these particular issues. And we pray this through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, any questions or 
comments? As I said, we'll deal with the 
positive aspect in two weeks. There's not going to be Bible 
study next Wednesday night, my beloved. An appointment in the 
city on Wednesday would be too much to get there and back. So 
we're going to hang out in the city I think after that. So not 
next Wednesday. You'll get an announcement, probably 
an email, so no one will forget. But two weeks. But any comments on any of that? Like the ceremonial law? Standing before the judge, the 
two. The Sanhedrin would have probably functioned as the higher 
court in that instance. I would imagine this. I don't 
know. I would think probably synagogues and elders in the 
city would have functioned as probably close to that model 
as they have. Here in Militicus, it said if two people had a dispute, 
they went to the high priest. And I'm assuming that he had 
the wine. signal saying, you know, this 
guy's a liar and that guy's the truth. Yeah, yeah, they have 
the Urim and the Thummim, which was a means by which God would 
indicate things. Yeah, so I would think at the 
time of Jesus, they were probably trying to stick as close to that 
model as they could have. Being subject to Rome, though, 
they had some challenges. Probably at the local level, 
synagogues or whatnot. But if there was a particular 
notorious crime, I would guess it would have gone to the Sanhedrin. 
And the high priest functioned as the head of the Sanhedrin. 
So you had 71 total. the High Priest, and then 70, 
it was Sadducee at the time of the Lord Jesus, and at the time 
of the Apostle Paul as well. And there was some, you know, 
internal disputes among the Pharisees and the Sadducees. But yeah, 
that's a good question. Acts 4, Peter. Peter addresses 
them. Well, it says that they come 
with the rulers, the elders, the scribes, and Annas, the high 
priest. And then Peter addresses them 
as rulers of the people and elders of Israel. Right. That sort of 
grouping of them. That's right, yeah. Yes. I guess 
I was going to say, Back in, was it 
one or two, when Cory Ten Boom was trying to hide the Jews, 
and they came looking for people in the home, and they had to 
say basically, no, they're not here. Where did that fall into? What's that? Whether that falls into 
lying or not. Yeah. It's like the radar. Yeah, 
yeah. Well, I would say that in a time 
of war, camouflage, that's deception. Personally, I have no problem 
lying about Jews in my basement. Some pastors would have a problem. I think it goes both ways. Some 
people think that Rahab was in error and that she shouldn't 
have done that. Again, I do not think that she was in error. 
I don't think she should be condemned. The Bible doesn't condemn her. 
And yeah, good men differ on that. So process that as you 
may. I would suggest that wartime 
ethics, there's obvious subterfuge, camouflage, deception that you 
have to use in order to win your enemy. The nature of war is victory. and protection of life. And in 
the instance of lying to the SS about the presence of Jews 
in your house, the protection of life in that instance is, 
I think, the overarching concern. As well, you look at Old Testament 
narratives, such as Gideon dealing with the Mennonites, and all 
kinds of separate confusion, deception, which misled In each scripture, it tells us 
that God will confuse the enemies. So I think that's why normally 
in discussion times, there's this whole discussion of the 
word deception, crime, and lying. What I'll just quickly add is, 
the concern I would have in this area is, as a man in this feminist 
nightmare, I'm very concerned about the belief of all victims. 
I'm very concerned that women lie and that, for a guy like 
me, very innocent situation away from being absolutely crucified 
for life. And that this is what things 
have come to. That there are innocent men walking 
around with false accusations of the most serious type over 
their heads. So I hope and pray that in the 
church this doesn't happen. But to your point, you're talking 
about implications The problem with truth-telling 
out there is that people's lives are ruined over lies.