Your Daily Slice

TEVET 29

False Witness

 

 

“You do not bear false witness against your neighbour.”  (Ex 20:16)

 

Noah Webster defines ‘witness’ as “a person who knows or sees a thing; one {who is} personally present; to see or know by personal presence”^[1] (emphasis and insert mine).  Therefore, a ‘false’ witness is basically one who says that they ‘saw’ (or heard), this or that, when they never did.

 

Elohim brought this truth home to my husband and I many years ago.  We had company one afternoon, a husband and wife of whom we are very fond.  Both had been grievously wounded in a church situation, were still healing from all the backlash, and had not progressed past discussing it.  The wife made the comment: “I know they are talking trash about me”.

 

I was uncomfortable and unsettled concerning this conversation.  When I had the opportunity to talk it over with my Abba Father, He showed me where my friend was giving ‘false witness’, regardless of who did wrong in the original situation.  My friend had not been “personally present” to hear what these other people had been saying about her, if they had even been speaking about her at all! 

 

Brothers and sisters, we must be careful at what we come into agreement with.  If we are not “personally present” to hear or witness what is said or done, we should never bear witness to it.  As in the case of my friends, you could be damaging the reputation of innocent, righteous people who have done nothing wrong. 

 

 

“These six matters יהוה hates, And seven are an abomination to Him:  A proud look, A lying tongue, And hands shedding innocent blood, A heart devising wicked schemes, Feet quick to run to evil,  A FALSE WITNESS BREATHING OUT LIES, And one who causes strife among brothers.” (Pro 6:16-19 ISR, emphasis mine)

 

“A trustworthy witness does not lie, But a false witness breathes out lies.”  (Pro 14:5)

 

“Let no corrupt word come out of your mouth, but only such as is good for the use of building up, so as to impart what is pleasant to the hearers.”  (Eph 4:29-30)

 

 

This day, my Father, I choose, and make the decision that I will not come into agreement, nor give my testimony, to any situation or circumstance, unless I was “personally present” and I know the facts to be true.  Help me, my Master, to stop and pay attention to the words that I speak, that I might not give false witness against anyone.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always pleasing to You, Abba.  In the Name above every name I pray, Yeshua of Nazareth, our Messiah King.

 

©2020

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[1]American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828