Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

If you are ever called to witness in a criminal trial, the state courts will still have people swear in where you have to repeat this phrase on a holy book (usually the Bible),

“Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

(So help you God)”

To lie under oath is to commit perjury.

Perjury is one deliberately misleads or gives false information under oath.

It is a a serious offense and can result in one being sent to prison.

The U.S. courts take this seriously because they are concerned for justice and to uphold the truth in the court of law.

If that is true on an earthly level, how much more before the Supreme Judge of the Universe.

One of the rationales for the prohibition of false witness is that justice requires truth.

If justice is to be upheld in a court of law, all the relevant facts of the case must be made known, which requires witnesses to speak “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

Today, we look at the Ninth Commandment.

John Calvin believed that the eighth commandment ties ones hands so we don’t take someone’s property, the ninth ties his one tongue so we don’t take someone’s reputation.

He said,

Today, we look at the Ninth Commandment.

Calvin said,

Today, we look at the Ninth Commandment.

Calvin said,

The purpose of this commandment is: since God (who is truth) abhors a lie, we must practice truth without deceit toward one another.

To sum up, then: let us not malign anyone with slanders or false charges, nor harm his substance by falsehood, in short, injure him by unbridled evilspeaking and impudence.

QUESTION 112.

What is required in the ninth commandment?

That I bear false witness against no one; wrest no one’s words; be no backbiter, or slanderer; join in condemning no one unheard and rashly; but that I avoid, on pain of God’s heavy wrath, all lying and deceit, as being the proper works of the devil; in matters of judgment and justice and in all other affairs love, honestly speak and confess the truth; and, so far as I can, defend and promote my neighbor’s good name.

The purpose of this commandment is: since God (who is truth) abhors a lie, we must practice truth without deceit toward one another.

To sum up, then: let us not malign anyone with slanders or false charges, nor harm his substance by falsehood, in short, injure him by unbridled evilspeaking and impudence.

Recap

Recap

The first commandment deals with the worship of the true God.

The second commandment deals with worshipping the true God rightly.

The third commandment deals with reverencing the true God.

The fourth commandment deals with worshipping and reverencing the true God at the right time.

The fifth commandment deals with respect for human authority.

The sixth commandment deals with respect for the sanctity of human life.

The seventh commandment deals with respect for the sanctity of marriage.

The eight commandment deals with respect for human property.

The ninth commandment deals with respect for the truth and protection of other people’s reputation.

The commandments are a guide and rule of life for the Christian.

It provides a brief and helpful summary of God’s law for all of life.

And as Jesus has taught us in the Sermon on the Mount, the Law is to also be kept in the heart.

Although we cannot keep these laws perfectly, Jesus kept them on our behalf.

And through his death and resurrection, he rewrites the Law on our hearts by the Spirit of God.

And only by the Spirit of God are we able to walk in a way that pleases the Lord.

And the Lord reduced the Ten Commandments to Two Commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.

The foundation of these commandments is love.

Love to God and love to neighbor.

So just like last week, we will ask the same three questions:

1.

What does the commandment mean?

2. What does the commandment forbid?

3. What does the commandment require?

Scripture Reading:

This is the reading of God’s Holy, Inspired, and Inerrant Word.

I. What Does the Commandment Mean?

The immediate context of this command is within the covenant community of God in the court of law.

It is a legal context where God wants truth to be upheld in the courts.

A false witness who told lies in the legal context not only could damage someone’s reputation, but also endanger his life.

This was important in the ancient world because they did not have advanced forensic sciences we have today.

The witnesses were the evidence.

One of the rationales for the prohibition of false witness is that justice requires truth.

If justice is to be upheld in a court of law, all the relevant facts of the case must be made known, which requires witnesses to speak “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

This is why God require two or three witnesses for a charge to be established.

If the the witness was found out to be lying, the person could be put to death and charged the punishment that was originally meant for the accused.

Deut

Think about some OT examples....

A. Joseph

You remember the story of Joseph?

He was a righteous and blameless man.

He went to prison because he was accused of trying to assault Potiphar’s wife?

Genesis 39:11-

Joseph’s reputation was ruined.

His life was in danger.

And he was put into prison because of a false witness and false accusation.

B. Naboth

We looked at how Ahab and Jezebel stole an innocent man’s property.

How not only did they violate the eighth commandment, but they also violated the sixth and ninth commandment as well.

Naboth was robbed and murdered on behalf of false witnesses.

1 Kings 21:

OT

Joseph.

Jonathan.

What about Rahab?

Do you see how a false witness could not only put someone’s reputation in danger, but in some cases his own life?

To sum up, we see how a false witness can destroy someone’s reputation and character.

And to speak lies is contrary to what God speaks, and actually imitates the Devil who is the Father of lies.

Mark Rooker, an OT Scholar, says,

False testimony is tantamount to character assassination and so constitutes another form of killing.45

It steals a man’s reputation and then kills it in the public eye.

Rooker, Mark.

The Ten Commandments: Ethics for the Twenty-First Century (New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology) (Kindle Locations 3148-3150).

B&H Publishing Group.

Kindle Edition.

Words have the power to give life, but they also have the power to destroy life.

Christian—The immediate application is to tell the truth in the court of law.

But as we will see, it extends beyond the court.

We must be truthful witnesses.

We must never tell lies that would bring harm upon our neighbor.

Non-Christian—It is inconsistent to believe that truth is made, not discovered.

Because of postmodern philosophy, college students breath the postmodern air where an entire generation is raised to believe that no one can discover truth.

But it is inconsistent to believe in the statement “There is no absolute truth” because that is a truth in itself.

And you wouldn’t want a postmodern judge who believed truth was made up, not discovered because if that were the case, lives would be put in jeopardy.

A Christian believes in the value of truth and the protection of the truth because we believe in a God of truth.