False words

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

FALSE WORDS

Prov 25:18

18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor.

NIV

Here we go again with the gossip thing. It must be a big deal for God to hammer it home over and over again. This false or lying tongue about someone else simply has to be very nasty, in fact it is handled in the ninth commandment,

Ex 20:16

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

NIV

It is repeated by Jesus in his conversation with the young rich man about following all the commandments then go sell everything and follow him and of course he could not do that because his heart was where his treasure was and it was his wealth. Nevertheless the point is that we have to understand we cannot spread any kind of rumors or hearsay about someone we do not know is the absolute truth about them and even then we should not be talking about someone else’s problem or wrong doing. But the strongest command is about spreading false rumors. Sometimes this is even hidden under the pretense of a prayer request. It is still either gossip or a false testimony. For the most part we do not see or are involved in someone’s situation to know all the facts and reasons for either their actions, behaviors or attitudes. What is the purpose of talking about other people in the first place? Why does our conversations involve the lives of others? Cannot we talk about things that are germane to the people we are with? It always seem odd that our mother would always talk about our sister when with us and talk about us when with our sister. Never was that a conversation about us when with us. It seems this is typical of many conversations, even among believers. Anything we have to say about someone else to someone other than that person has some effect on their reputation. Is essence it is but a false testimony and it stabs someone or clubs them regarding their character. So let us see if we can contain ourselves to speak only about matters that are relevant to the person we are with, leaving all others out of our conversation. This also could bear some truth about how we explain the scriptures. If we misinterpret the intent of the scripture in order to force some particular behavior in people, it could be seen as bearing false witness. This has been done in the past and even today by those we would consider false prophets or false teachers, spreading a perverted form of the truth for their own personal gain. We might even be able to be guilty of that in some small way by trying to guide a bible study down the wrong path so to look like we are far more spiritual or knowledgeable than we are. If that is the case, it is still a false witness. So let us remember to always be aware of our conversations and keep them centered on who we are with and the truth.