22 March 2023
Do not give false testimony.
1 Peter 2:13-25
The 8th Commandment
When Henry and Lydia were in the lower grades here at Wyneken;
I believe Hank was in fourth grade and Lydia was in second grade. 0ne of the most
popular Christmas items at the time was the Talk boyTM and the Talk girlTM hand-held
electronic voice recorder. It was a really cool toy!
It was a simple device, consisting of a simple speaker and
two buttons. One button was marked “Say.” And the other, “Play.”
By holding down the “say” button a person could record up to
sixty seconds of sound during which a light would shine to indicate it was
recording. Afterwards, the “play” button would enable the person to hear what
was just recoded.
With the push of a button, you could alter the recording to
speed up or slow down the sound. You could make the voice sound higher or lower
or deeper.
This toy was featured in the movie "Home Alone 2 - lost in New York."
The really cool part was - you could play it back and forth
endlessly. Just to annoy your parents!
How would you feel? If we could recall. And repeat. Every word – which you have spoken. Today.
Yesterday. This week. This month. This year.
Every. Single. Word.
Words. Are powerful. They can build up. They can heal. They can
tear down. They can kill.
The 8th Commandment
teaches “You shall not give false testimony.”
The LORD expects us to defend our neighbor. To shield him
against false accusation. To speak well of him by truthfully praising his good
qualities. And explain in his favor whatever can be explained.
You might say that you’ve never taken a life. True.
But you can kill and destroy your neighbor’s good name and damage
his reputation by using false facts or by twisting truth.
Stolen property may be returned. But a good name may not
always be given back. The most untamable thing in the world has its den just
back of the teeth.
There are sins of commission and sins of omission.
Sins of commission are sins we commit.
Sins of omission are sins we are guilty - because we failed
to act.
Sins of commission is the gossip we tell.
Sins of omission is the gossip we gladly hear.
Sins of commission are the words we speak.
Sins of omission are the words we don’t.
Sticks and stones are hard on bones.
Aimed with angry art.
Words can sting like anything.
But silence breaks the heart.
-Phyllis McGinley
When we fail to defend our neighbor. When we trash his
reputation. We define him and his standing in this world.
Dr. King had a dream. When his children would be defined by
the content of their character. Your words. Do they help? Or do they hurt your
neighbor’s character in the court of public opinion?
We must confess and plead guilty before God of all sins. That
we have lived as if God did not matter and as if I mattered most…that there are
those whom we have hurt, and those whom we have failed to help. That our very
thoughts and desires have been soiled with sin.
And as we come in repentance and faith, we look to Jesus who
suffered all.
Peter teaches in our reading for today, Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps: He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth. When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate.
When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he
suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who
judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might
die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. Vv. 21-24
By his wounds you have been healed. Of your thoughts. Your
deeds. And even your words
Speak. But speak wisely. Build up. Do not tear down. Speak
truthfully and honestly. Use only good words. Bad words - hurt God’s ears.
As Peter will later remind us, “And
above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers and
multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8
Words- 720
Passive Sentences –11%
Readability – 85%
Reading Level – 3.3
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