“A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.” Proverbs 19:5
We all know that it is wrong to lie. We teach our children from the time they can talk to tell the truth. White lies, fibs, etc. we remind them they are still lies.
And yet, as an adult, I’m finding more and more, people are willing to “stretch the truth” or tell a lie in various ways without even thinking.
One such way would be to bear false witness. This can also be a legal matter in a court of law. It essentially means to lie about someone via slander or wrong testimony.
The Bible shows us examples of great men of God who suffered greatly from people lying about them. One that comes to mind is David. In Psalm 41, David is lamenting the fact that Athithophel betrayed him. Athithophel was his trusted advisor and confidant. Someone whom David thought was telling him the truth and could be trusted. “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” (Psalm 41:9)
What should our response be when a person is slanderous and bears false witness against us?
I think the Psalms say it best. So as we read this beautiful Psalm, we need to remember that lies against us never accomplish anything for the person bearing false witness except to make them unhappy. For us, we can go to God, look in our hearts, check our spirit and then walk forward knowing, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
Psalms 1
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
