Exodus 20:16 (Honesty)

In this the penultimate week in our series on the Ten Commandments, I'll look at our relationship with those around us; Our neighbours.

But who exactly is our neighbour? Is it Jean from next door and Merv from down the street? How big is a neighbourhood and who is in it?

Take a look at the video to get a small glimpse of the people in your neighbourhood.





Exodus 20:16
 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbour.

Put simply, tell the truth. Seems easy enough when it's on the page, but how does real life stack up?

I think the easiest way to look at this is to start by looking at why we might have a false testimony against our neighbour. This is not an exhaustive list, just the things I could come up with at short notice.

Revenge: We feel slighted in some way and have taken it upon ourselves to exact retribution. Should we? Have a look at Romans 12:19.

Spite: They have it better than us and we want to bring them down a peg or two. Again I'll let the Bible speak to this one. Ephesians 4:31.

Fear: We've done something wrong and don't want to get in trouble for it. This is such an easy one to fall into because we, as humans, dislike being caught and don't like having to face up to the consequences of our choices.

Like I said, just a quick list.

In a way, bearing false witness is akin to stealing from the person you witness against. In some cases it'll be their pride, or integrity, or even their friendship. But it can have much more dire consequences including their freedom and even their lives.

For me, I see a need to make sure that I think through my actions before I get into a situation where I would need to lie. And if I do, I'll need to face up to the consequences at the time.

Next week I'll take a look at the last commandment and how it ties into this week.

Till then, God bless.