Charitable Speech as a Way of Life

Lenten Devotional Series Day 31. Today’s meditation is on the Ninth Commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16.

The ten commandments are the basic ethical framework for God’s redeemed community. They provide foundational principles for community life, which are then further expanded in the rest of the Mosaic law and the Bible. God graciously gave them to us as a framework for doing life together, so that we might together flourish as a radiant city upon a hill, giving hope and clarity to the world around us. As we heed them, not only is there the promise of God’s present blessing on our community, but also the hope of God’s coming kingdom already glimpsed and tasted in our life together. As we enjoy God’s favor, we also proclaim good news about him!

Think about this for a moment. What a promise! What joy to see it fulfilled! What a privilege it is to be a community of people whom God has so favored as to give us this way of life together!

So what does the ninth commandment add to life within God’s redeemed community? On its face, it simply prohibits speaking falsely about one’s neighbor. On the basis of this verse as well as elsewhere in Exodus (23:1-2, 6-8), it’s safe to assume that the Lord is concerned about all speech, whether in legal settings or elsewhere. Don’t say things about others that aren’t (or might not be) true, either in court or outside of it. That’s pretty straightforward.

But there’s more here. As with each of the commandments, things forbidden imply things required… and the reverse is true as well. So let’s focus today on the positive duties the ninth commandment implies–the actions and attitudes expected of those who want to live faithfully in God’s community.

As Christians, we are called to speak the truth clearly and fully in all circumstances and encourage others to do the same. As those who bear the light of Christ, we are to resist false witnesses and disperse the darkness that they create. As fellow image-bearers of Almighty God, we are to defend the good name of our neighbor as well as ourselves. Perhaps most challenging of all: not only are we to speak truthfully about our neighbors, but we must speak and think charitably about them as well. Seventeenth-century English Christian leaders, gathered in the Westminster Assembly, put it this way: we are to cultivate “a charitable esteem of our neighbors; loving, desiring, and rejoicing in their good name; sorrowing for, and covering over their infirmities” as well as readily “receiving of a good report , and unwillingness to admit of an evil report concerning them.”

Thinking about the commandments as a blueprint for healthy community, this makes perfect sense. The smaller and more closely knit the community, the greater the potential for information to be shared and its impact to be felt. It can be a wonderful thing, as members of a community share about specific needs which are then met by others, prayers prayed and answered, and so on. But close communities can also be places where hurtful words and unfortunate events are quickly known by many people. Damaging information, whether true or not, can spread quickly and undermine the trust in the community. Thus, it’s not enough simply to speak truthfully. We must also speak–and think–charitably. That is to say, we must speak and think in a way that is dominated by love.

It is not enough to guard our tongues against misinformation. We must also guard our hearts against malicious intent. For, as Jesus so wisely put it, “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matt 12:34-39)

If within the church we cultivate such hearts and tongues together we will build an atmosphere in which each person’s strengths and gifts are celebrated, where their weaknesses are covered and where rumors die before they even begin to take root. It will be an atmosphere that breeds intimate friendships as trust and self-disclosure thrive. What a wonderful place to live!  What a gift we have in this commandment!

Today in prayer, begin with the Collect of the Day (below). Then ask the Lord to search you as you search yourself, asking:

• Have I spoken words that are true with an intent to wound someone or to compromise their reputation?
• Have I received information about someone else that is unfavorable and found some pleasure in receiving it?
• Have I been quick to assume unfavorable motives underlying the actions of another?

If so, ask the Lord to make you more aware of situations where you are tempted in these ways and ask for the grace of a transformed heart… one that delights in both truthful and charitable discussion about others. Pray for the transformation of your local church into a place where truth spoken in love brings present blessing, and also gives a glimpse of God’s coming kingdom. Then finish with the Lord’s Prayer.

Collect of the Day. Almighty God, we pray that although we deserve to be punished for our evil deeds, yet by the comfort of your heavenly grace we may mercifully be relieved, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.