God has given humanity ten social anchors for sustaining prosperous and free societies. We call these the Ten Commandments. As anchors they are more than just enforceable laws for society, they are principles of existence tethered to laws for society, which should shape our every interaction. In Exodus 20:16, we find the ninth. It says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
Now, on the surface, the word “witness” seems to concern court situations. “Witness” seems to carry the weight of texts like Deuteronomy 19:15, “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.” So, the ninth commandment at its most basic, speaks to the necessity for a trustworthy legal system in which testimony in any case can rightly be used to establish justice, acquitting the innocent and punishing the guilty.
In its larger context, however, it preaches honesty to the covenant heart of the worshipper.
A “hermeneutic” is the rules and attitudes used to interpret anything as you engage it. In terms of shared values, we may speak of a “hermeneutic of love” vs. a “hermeneutic of violence” forming the foundation of a culture.
A “hermeneutic of love” is built on a fundamental engagement of others through trust until given a reason not to trust. We engage others to understand them, to learn from them, to connect with them, to find mutual benefit in each other. People are regarded as essentially truthful and well-meaning unless proving otherwise. Believe it or not, this describes most of Western Civilization, built as it is on a biblical worldview, where honesty is a core value. Individuals may defy this, but the whole of society has tended toward it. We are shocked and disgusted by encounters with the disingenuous.
In a hermeneutic of violence, others, particularly strangers, are approached with skepticism first and must give clear reason to be trusted. People are assumed to be plotting and dishonest, seeking an advantage and saying whatever they need to say to get the upper hand. They engage others not to understand or connect or learn, and definitely not to find mutual benefit, but, rather, seek in every encounter to out argue or outmaneuver them, to best them, to gain at their loss. This describes most of the world outside of Western Civilization built as it is on ages old paganism of one form or another. It is also the future of our nation, if we allow our Judeo-Christian roots to continue to erode before the hermeneutic of violence employed by social Marxism… i.e. Critical theory.
In a society characterized by honesty in its dealings, a hermeneutic of love is a great advantage, speeding up processes, and allowing a free flow of cooperation in achieving mutually beneficial ends. Yes, criminals will find many easy marks in such a place,[1] so, even there, the wise remember, “In God we trust, all others we verify.”
In a society characterized by dishonesty, a hermeneutic of love faces many challenges. The best we can do is to be wholly honest ourselves and ever wary of the fact that others are not. When enough people embrace the joys of honesty, however, cultures and the masses in them begin to change.
Scripture, anchored in commands like, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” strives to create societies in which we love our neighbors like ourselves, seek mutual benefit or even favor the benefit of the other in charity, speak truth to them and about them, hoping for harmony in community and honesty in all our dealings.
Is there, however, such a thing as being TOO honest? Yes… and No.
My wife, Melodie, spent her 16th summer in Haiti digging rubble to supply stones for a new church edifice there. One of the members of her team went around all summer telling each person the most ruthless and unkind “truths” that he could come up with about them, whether it was how unflattering an outfit looked, how fat or skinny he thought you were, or even how dumb or ugly or boring they struck him. In each instance of wounded pride, hurt feelings, or raging disgust, he would put his palms in the air like an innocent and declare, “I’m just being honest. God wants us to be honest.”
In 2002, a visitor to my church walked up to me while I was chatting with some of the elders and deacons and handed me a note. He asked me to hand it to one of the men standing beside me, but not to read it. He stood waiting. To his annoyance, I opened it without passing it on and read, “You are a fat slob and an embarrassment to the name of Christ.” I turned to him angrily and said, “What is wrong with you?” He said, “As believers we must speak truth.”
Hmmmm… is gossip and the delivery of unsought malicious opinion truth telling??? I think not.
What are we to do if “Neo-Nazi’s” come to our door and demand to know where we are hiding the people they want to murder? Should we spill the beans and pride ourselves in our honesty?
What are we to do when our wives ask us if that dress makes them look fat… and it does?
These, and many things like them, are matters to work out through a wrestling match between our conflicting social goals, consciences, and Scripture, but it is Gods design in commands like, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” to build an honest society where truth reigns lovingly to establish and maintain sincere bonds of community.
Let us pray, “Lord, teach me to live honestly in all my dealings, and give me the wisdom to do so in a way that both pleases you, and builds up a community of neighborly love.”
[1] Isaiah 26:10 says, “If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the LORD.”
