"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour." (Exodus 20:16)
This is one of the Ten Commandments God gave through Moses. Yet it is probably one of the commandments we break the most. Every time we spread a rumour, pass on an assumption, exaggerate a story, or speak as though we know the truth when we don't, we bear false witness against our neighbour.
Yet if we are honest, we have all said something about another person that was not entirely true. The truth is, we have broken every commandment of God in one way or another.
When someone appears before a court, a witness has only two choices. He either tells the truth or he gives false testimony. There is no middle ground. His words may determine whether an innocent person walks free or whether he is wrongly punished. Many people have lost their freedom because someone chose to speak falsely about them.
Outside the courtroom, things are not very different.
Every day, we become witnesses with our words. We tell people what we think about someone. We repeat stories we have heard. We pass on information without knowing whether it is true. Sometimes we even add our own assumptions. We may not realize it, but our words can shape the way others see a person.
How many people are hated today, not because they are bad, but because someone spoke falsely about them? How many friendships have ended because of a rumour? How many opportunities have been lost because someone's name was quietly damaged behind their back? Many suffer, not because they deserve it, but because false testimony has followed them wherever they go.
And why do we do it? Sometimes it is jealousy. Sometimes prejudice. Sometimes anger. Sometimes we simply enjoy having something to say. Other times we judge a person before knowing the whole story. We assume. We conclude. Then we speak as though our assumptions were facts.
God is a God of truth. That is why this commandment is not just about lying in a courtroom. It is about the kind of people we become whenever we speak about our neighbour. Our words can protect a person's name, or they can slowly destroy it.
Before speaking about someone, perhaps we should first ask ourselves: Is this the truth, or is this only what I have chosen to believe?
May God search our hearts and purify us from every ill intention in our lives! May our words always reflect the truth, for they have the power to build a person up or tear them down.