The Ten Commandments: Eight

Martin Luther recommended daily meditation on the Ten Commandments, using each Command to Instruct, to provide inspiration for Thanksgiving, to reflect upon in Repentance, and to conclude with Praise to God.

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Eighth Commandment

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.  What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.  ~ Exodus 20: 16

Do not spread false reports.  Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness. ~ Exodus 23:1

He who winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin. The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.  Hatred stirs up dissention, but love covers over all wrongs.  Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.  Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin….He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.  When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.  The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.  The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.  ~ Proverbs 10: 10 – 14, 18 – 21

With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous escape.  ~ Proverbs 11: 9

A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue.  A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.  For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisors make victory sure.  ~ Proverbs 11: 9 – 14

A fool’s mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to the soul. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts. ~ Proverbs 18: 6 – 8

A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.  ~ Proverbs 19: 5

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand.  What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’”  ~ Matthew 15: 10, 11

Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going in to him.  Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.’”  After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable.  “Are you so dull?”  he asked.  “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’?  For it does not go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.”  (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.”)  He went on:  “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’  For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.”  ~ Mark 7: 14 - 23

Therefore each of you must put of falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.  “In your anger do not sin”:  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold….  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every kind of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  ~ Ephesians 4: 25 – 27, 29 - 32

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.  Or takes ships as an example.  Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.  Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.  Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.  All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers, this should not be.  Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?  My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?  Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.  ~ James 3: 3 – 12

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.  ~ 1 Peter 2: 1 - 3

If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.  However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. ~ 1 Peter 4: 15

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It is tempting to minimize words and instead focus on actions, as if they are separate and distinct.  We fail to connect the evil in our hearts with the evil words we speak.  We speak casually, without realizing the impact of our words; and we speak hurtfully, wounding others with what we say.  But as God’s word has power, so also—to a lesser and certainly fallen degree—do our words have power.  When we speak, to an extent, we bring that which is spoken into existence.  God’s word has power to create and to bring about good.  As fallen creatures, our words have power to damage, corrupt and destroy, but also to comfort and bring joy and healing.  A physical possession which is broken or stolen may be replaced; a wounded body may be healed; but a reputation which is damaged by carelessly hurtful words may never be fully restored.  Even as we seek our neighbors’ good, to never physically harm, we should always seek our neighbors’ good in what we say.  As we are continually mindful regarding the corruption of our hearts, and we filter our desires or measure our considered actions against God’s holiness and the needs of our neighbor, so we also should weigh our words carefully.

 

Lord God, we thank You for the creative power of Your words.  By Your word, You created the universe; by Your word and through the atoning sacrifice of Christ, You declare us righteous.  Your words make reality, and we are thankful for the goodness that You bring about for our sake.  Thank You also for the power of our own words:  the power to comfort and counsel; the power to bring joy and laughter; the power to guide, rebuke and bring wisdom; the power to uplift and edify; the power to bless and intercede; the power to explain, to discuss and to share insight.  Thank you that we are not mute in our shared life on earth, that you give us voices to engage with others and to give you glory. 

Heavenly Father, in our broken state we do not always use our voices to Your glory nor in the service of our neighbor.  We use our mouths to sin.  We gossip and slander, we defame and discredit, we bear false witness and we lie to gain advantage for ourselves or to hurt those whom we despise.  We fail to put the kindest and most compassionate light onto situations; we assume the worst, and we give voice to our assumptions.  We curse where we should bless; we ridicule when we should explain; we gossip and defame when we should protect and speak compassionately; we cut down our neighbor when we should be building up, encouraging and guiding.  We fail to pray, to praise and to give You thanksgiving and instead we curse You and speak ill of those around us.  We fail to be silent.  We speak without thinking, we speak coarsely and hurtfully, without tact or kindness.  We claim to speak the truth but we fail to do so in love.  We do not censor the evil of our hearts, but instead spill out anger, rage, bitterness, grudges and discontent.  We assume the worst and we say the worst.  We do not muzzle our mouths, but let them bite and devour those around us out of anger and selfishness. We claim to love You, but we hurt those around us with our words.  We repent of the evil of our hearts and the evil of our words.  Forgive us for Jesus’ sake.  With the power of Your word, declare us righteous for His sake; create in us new and clean hearts.  Repair relationships which we have broken with our words, and bless our hearts to bring forth only words which bless and uplift others.  As vines which abide in You, let us produce only the good fruits of repentance and love for the neighbor, and let our mouths produce only sweet water and not salt. 

Lord God, we praise You for Your might and Your power, for Your love and Your compassion.  We praise You, because You make each day new.  By Your immeasurable power, repair what has been broken by gossip and unkindness.  We praise You for the forgiveness we have in Christ; let us live lives forever grateful, in love toward neighbor that is lived out in both kind words and good deeds.  Let our mouths be full of joyful praise to You so that there is no room on our tongue’s to hurt our neighbor with our words.  In Jesus’ holy Name we pray, AMEN.