A False Witness

“These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him…a false witness that speaketh lies.” (Proverbs 6:16, 18b)
The ninth commandment is: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16) “Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.” (Exodus 23:1) “A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.” (Proverbs 25:18) “A false witness shall perish.” (Proverbs 21:28) God makes His opinion of false witnesses and the consequence of their actions very clear in scripture. One of the most well-known examples of false witness is the story of King Ahab and Jezebel found in I Kings 21&22 and II Kings 9&10. Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard abutting the palace. The vineyard was so beautiful that King Ahab simply had to have it. The King approached Naboth with a reasonable offer, but Naboth refused it because the vineyard was an inheritance from his father. King Ahab, who was not used to hearing the word no from anyone, sulked around the palace until Jezebel finally inquired about the source of his gloom. When she found that Naboth had refused a request from the King, she became indignant. She secured two “witnesses” to falsely accuse Naboth of blaspheming God and the King. Once these false accusations were made, Naboth was taken out of the city and stoned to death. As a result of their greed and false testimony against an innocent man, King Ahab and Jezebel both died violent deaths. The severe repercussions of false witness reveal how much God detests those that speak lies. How many times have we been a false witness? I’ve never intentionally lied about someone you may say. Repeating rumors and gossiping in the guise of spirituality are just as bad. Men of God, may we be always found speaking the truth. God is not fond of false witnesses.