Once, a few days after my mother returned home from a successful operation, my father got a sympathy card offering condolences for her death from a Sri Lankan living abroad! The stories of her illness were exaggerated considerably as they went from person to person (my mother went on to live for about 20 years after that)!

It is difficult to retract a false story once we have shared it. Often, by the time we realise what we said was inaccurate, or that we should not have repeated it where or when we did, the story would have gone to many others. Worse, it may have ended up being embellished beyond recognition.

The ninth commandment indicates that perjury-lying under oath in a court of law-is extremely serious (Deuteronomy 5:20). Therefore, false witnesses will suffer the same punishment that was intended for their victims (19:16-19). As the courts are one of the state's key institutions to restrain evil and promote good (Romans 13:3-4), making a mockery of it can have irreparable consequences. When corruption enters the legal system, the nation is on a dangerous footing, along with the entire country's security and safety. This is why perjury is still considered a serious crime today.

While this commandment refers primarily to the law courts, its principle applies to other kinds of false witness, too. Israel was a theocracy and did not separate religion and state. Hence, all its legal procedures were also included in its law and were meant to instruct people on how to govern their personal lives in community with others. An Israelite who wanted to live rightly before God would thus have avoided making incorrect formal (or even informal) accusations about people. The damage a false testimony does to a person's reputation and credibility can be huge.

We, too, need to be very careful about accusing others of wrongdoing. As Christians, we know that grace is far more significant than sin. Yet, talking about the sins of others is often a favourite Christian pastime. If you speak evil of others, you can be sure of an attentive audience. And we all enjoy having people listen to us when we speak! If we find ourselves saying negative things we have heard about people, are we certain these things are true? And even if they are true, is it necessary to repeat them to others? Will they build ″others up according to their needs″ and ″benefit those who listen″ (Ephesians 4:29)? Most of the time, the answer will probably be ″no″.