King Street Community Church
Broken Tablets Part 9: Becoming our True Self
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King Street Community Church
611 King St W, Oshawa, ON L1J 2L1, Canada
Sunday 10:30 AM
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https://mykscc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/23/responses/newCommandment #9:
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16)
1. Neighbour love is an imperative in both Testaments.
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16)
1. Neighbour love is an imperative in both Testaments.
Social justice and righteousness are important ideas that are interconnected in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Advocacy for your neighbour, not slander, gossip or damaging words (even if they be true) against your neighbour is a First Testament teaching.
Advocacy for your neighbour, not slander, gossip or damaging words (even if they be true) against your neighbour is a First Testament teaching.
2. God loves truth.
He is the truth.
He is the truth.
- He can’t stand lying.
He promotes the value of truth telling in his people.
He uses truth to liberate us.
3. The Reasons we Lie OR Distort the Truth
Spiritual Reasons …
We learned it from the father of lies.
Spiritual Reasons …
We learned it from the father of lies.
Taking responsibility takes courage.
Interpersonal Reasons …
Sometimes we lie to impress others (exaggeration).
Sometimes we lie to retaliate out of hurt (retribution).
“In the United States, we understand that slander is immoral, because it is false. In Hebrew, slander is called motzi shem ra, “drawing out a bad reputation,” and the Rabbis delight in thinking that it is no accident that it sounds like metzora, “leprosy,” because the real defect is in those who say it and spread it.” (Rabbi Laura Geller)
Sometimes we lie for convenience.
Sometimes we lie because we’re afraid.
Whenever we lie, it’s ALWAYS because our hearts are bent away from the good path.
Sometimes we lie to impress others (exaggeration).
Sometimes we lie to retaliate out of hurt (retribution).
“In the United States, we understand that slander is immoral, because it is false. In Hebrew, slander is called motzi shem ra, “drawing out a bad reputation,” and the Rabbis delight in thinking that it is no accident that it sounds like metzora, “leprosy,” because the real defect is in those who say it and spread it.” (Rabbi Laura Geller)
Sometimes we lie for convenience.
Sometimes we lie because we’re afraid.
Whenever we lie, it’s ALWAYS because our hearts are bent away from the good path.
“According to the Talmud, the first question that we will be asked in the World to Come is “Were you honest in your world?” The question challenges us on many different levels. Were you honest with your dealings with other people, in your public life, in your private life, with your family, with your friends? And it also pushes us to ask an even harder question: Were you honest with yourself?” (Rabbi Laura Geller)
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. Trust has been a covert theme over the last 3 commandments: (1) You shall not steal (2) You shall not commit adultery (3) You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour. Why is trust such a core value in a highly functional society?
2. Would you consider exaggeration a form of lying? Explain.
3. Why is slander so painful? Have you ever been on the receiving end of slander or gossip? How did this impact you?
4. Reflect on the quote below and consider what malady might be at play in the one doing the slandering:
“In the United States, we understand that slander is immoral, because it is false. In Hebrew, slander is called motzi shem ra, “drawing out a bad reputation,” and the Rabbis delight in thinking that it is no accident that it sounds like metzora, “leprosy,” because the real defect is in those who say it and spread it.”
(Rabbi Laura Geller)
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. Trust has been a covert theme over the last 3 commandments: (1) You shall not steal (2) You shall not commit adultery (3) You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour. Why is trust such a core value in a highly functional society?
2. Would you consider exaggeration a form of lying? Explain.
3. Why is slander so painful? Have you ever been on the receiving end of slander or gossip? How did this impact you?
4. Reflect on the quote below and consider what malady might be at play in the one doing the slandering:
“In the United States, we understand that slander is immoral, because it is false. In Hebrew, slander is called motzi shem ra, “drawing out a bad reputation,” and the Rabbis delight in thinking that it is no accident that it sounds like metzora, “leprosy,” because the real defect is in those who say it and spread it.”
(Rabbi Laura Geller)