The Ninth Commandment

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." Exodus 20:16

It occured to me that a fun little study to do with myself would be The 10 Commandments themselves. Our Exodus study for our small group ended with these laws, and we never really talked about them. And rather than go straight in order, I thought it would also be fun to just do one here and there- and the first one that spoke to me was the ninth one. "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." What is this saying to us? Is it simply saying that we shouldn't tell lies about our neighbors? And who are our neighbors?

Let's start with that. Our neighbors are pretty much everyone but ourselves. I shall not give false testimony about my actual next-door neighbor, and also some little old lady living in Latvia that I've never met. In this context, my neighbor is my fellow human being- if they walk on two legs and consider themselves a person, than I shall not speak poorly of them. Think about that.

When I look at this commandment, it means more to me than simply not telling untruths about a person, it also encompasses the struggles we all deal with from time to time about gossip. Gossip is usually something that we shouldn't be hearing, or we shouldn't be saying. Yet when we get gossipy, or share something about someone... lying is still almost always involved. Maybe we're lying to ourself- that it's okay to share this one story this one time. Or maybe we're lying to find out more information. "I just would like to know more details so I know how better to pray" is a good one I've heard from time to time. And maybe we're not lying entirely, we still intend to pray, but bending the truth a bit is just as untruthful as an outright lie.

I really and truly think that if God were to re-write the commandments today, the ninth one would read more like "you shall not give false testimony about your neighbor, nor shall you engage in gossip of any kind." Gossip serves no purpose. It is almost always hurtful in nature, and it's usually about a third party. Next time you find yourself about to share a story about a third person think about it. Would you say what you are about to say to the person it's about? Would you really tell that person that you think they are a terrible parent? Really? There is no quicker way to bring someone down than to have them hear that they are being talked about. I know, I've been there once or twice in my lifetime.

It's hurtful, plain and simple, and it really is something to think that gossip could be wrapped up in the package that we know as the ninth commandment. As I think about it, I do think that most Christians tend to keep the 10 Commandments. We don't run around murdering and stealing and committing adultery, so why do we gossip? Why do we share these stories that will only bring hurt in the long run. If we think of gossip in the same light as the rest of God's Commandments, maybe we'd do a better job at staying away from it.

"The tongue has the power of life and death," Proverbs 18:21

This is so true. One statement from you overheard by the wrong person could mean the difference between someone choosing a life with Christ, and a life without Christ. Would you like that on your hands? Many a person has left the church because of something someone said. I think it's time to stop that and start speaking kindly to each other. Speak positive words and uplifting words and do what you can to encourage someone. Until we start lifting each other up with our words, the church will always have struggles. And by the church, I don't mean my church where I attend worship, I mean The Church- all Christian people worldwide. We need to love each other as Christ loved us, and I know that He never, ever engaged in gossip.

I would like to remember this one. I pray that I am reminded of the ninth commandment any time a bit of gossip comes to my attention. And I pray that I still my tongue when tempted, and that I have the boldness to express my displeasure when other people try to share a bit of gossip.