Exodus 20:16 Edify Others With Truth
The ninth commandment if more then just telling a lie and for many years that is what i thought i meant. The commandment says to not bear false witness against your neighbor, it is a sin about lying, but it’s telling the followers of the Lord, do not tell a lie about someone else. The Lord wants His children to love each other and to give a true report about another person. If you read my devotionals you know how to break the word of God down. The term false witness is in scripture 21 times, the word slander is 27 times, and lie is 217 times, none of these sins the Lord really like. The word of God gives a list of six things He hates, a lying tongue was one, and a person who gives false witness and that causes strife are sinful actions God hates.
Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, 19 A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.
If a lying tongue and bearing witness are two different sins, what is it the Lord as His telling His people to not do. The answer is within passage of Proverbs 6:19, do not cause strife among brothers, which is the definition of slander.
If you really wanted to see how much damage slander can do, look at the historical story of the Salem Witch trial between February 1692 and May 1693. At these trials two hundred people were accused, thirty found guilty, nineteen executed being hanged, one was pressed to death and the rest died while locked up. The horrible thing about these events is that this community of people call themselves Christians. Most people labeled themselves as Puritan Christian, saying they were pure to the word of God. But they listen to false statements of young girls, one of which was named Ann Putnam who later in life, felt extremely guilty of the slander she did, the following quote are her words of guilt she felt.
Dear Beloved, if we truly call ourselves sons and daughters of the Lord, we should use our mouths or tongues to tell lies about another. As matter facts, if we have anything bad to say about another, maybe we should lift them up in prayer, and tell the person we love them and maybe by showing the love of Christ, then maybe they will become the person God wants them to be. I know I will start doing my part. God bless you all, the Lord loves you and so do I. Samuel H.