Witness, Thou Shalt Not...

Witness, Thou Shalt Not...


by Heather Collver


What do you think of when you hear the word testimony? Do you cringe? Do you get excited? What about witness? I am going to attempt to define this word in the many ways it is used and help us to apply the truth to our lives this week. Are you with me? Are you excited to learn something new and apply it to your life?


Witness- a person who gives testimony; testimony given for or against someone, often in a law-court setting, where there is considerable concern for the truth of the testimony.


The Word clearly states:

Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.


Have you ever made someone else look better or worse by your "witness"? Today's definition states that a law-court setting has considerable concern for the truth of a testimony. Where are other areas that it is important that there be truth in a testimony or statement about someone else?


Deuteronomy 17:6 Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.


Two or three people can decide the fate of some one's life? I remember a time in High School when two friends came up against me. Surely I wasn't deserving of death, but their false witness was enough to kill my reputation for a short time. It was my witness, my character, that proved them wrong. Is our court system similar these days.

Proverbs 25:18 A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.

Back-stabbing is a good term for this. Something that brings one to feel as though they have experienced the pain of death. False witness can bring death to those who are still living, it can destroy their lives.

Dear Lord, I pray today that we would see where we fit into this devotional. Are we Christians who understand the pain and destruction in words, gossip, false witness? Help us Lord to ask ourselves these tough questions. Who have we destroyed with our words? Have we been destroyed by others' words? I ask for your wisdom in these questions, Lord. Help us to make right any wrongs no matter how hard it is. I ask that you will comfort those of us who are still wounded by what other's have said. Help us with integrity today.

Please pray for those who are awaiting trial today. Pray that God will reveal the truth in all situations, that he prepare the testimony of the witnesses so that the guilty will be known and the innocent be set free.