The Eighth Commandment

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. (Exodus 20:16, King James Version)

I’ve been using the old King James Version for this series of blog posts, because I think many of us learned the Ten Commandments using thou and thy. But sometimes I think this commandment falls through the cracks because we aren’t quite sure about how “bear false witness” applies to us.

Here are a few other translations:

Never lie when you testify about your neighbor. The Names of God Bible

Do not accuse anyone falsely. Good News Translation

You must not tell lies about other people. Easy-to-Read Version

The original interpretation of this commandment makes it look like we only have to worry about what we say about our neighbor in a court of law. But elsewhere in the Bible, God makes it pretty clear that we need to watch our words no matter where we are.  

So you must stop telling lies. You must always speak the truth to each other, because we all belong to each other in the same body. (Ephesians 4:25, Easy-to-Read Version)

But what if the story we want to share about our neighbor isn’t a lie, but a truth? Does that make it all right to tell others?

A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence. (Proverbs 11:13, New Living Translation)

Of all the commandments, I think this is one which we break the most. We spread lies and juicy little facts – which is what gossiping is – about other people all the time. We hear something about a co-worker and can’t wait to share it. We see something that no one wanted us to see, but we don’t keep it to ourselves, we tell everybody.  

And why shouldn’t we do this anyway? Oh, boy. Read or listen to any news cast and you’ll see this commandment broken. Scroll through posts on Facebook or other social media, and you’ll read gossip all over the place.

Much of what we hear or read today is put out there on purpose to hurt other people. Why do you want to be a part of that? Especially in these times, when there is so much hatred flowing around us, shouldn’t we stop whatever madness we can? Whether you are a believer in Jesus Christ or not, shouldn’t you build others up instead of breaking them down?

What are you going to do this week to keep from breaking this commandment? Not only keep from gossiping or telling lies, but speak well of others whenever you get a chance.  

So encourage each other and help each other grow stronger in faith, just as you are already doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11, Easy-to-Read Version)