Decalogue, part 9 (Deuteronomy 24:8-16)

Scripture: Deuteronomy 24:8-16 (especially verses 10-13)

We are moving through Moses' delivery of the Law to Israel just before they finally enter the promised land. Each section generally corresponds to one of the Ten Commandments, in order, and today we've come to the section related to #9:

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.


I don't know if you've done this, but in the past I've subconsciously truncated this commandment to just "don't lie." But I'm noticing now, and this is quite obvious: that's not what this law is saying. It commands an Israelite not to say something false against another person. This command is touching more on the areas of slander and perjury than it is generic deceit. 

And even though we touched on this theme in the post about stealing, I think it bears repeating: what's at stake in a case of slander or defamation is a person's dignity. And while our passage today doesn't mention false witness (I'm starting to lose faith in the organizational structure we've adopted), it certainly deals with maintaining a person's dignity.

In verses 10-13, instructions are given regarding the right way to collect collateral for a loan. Here are two aspects of the process and what they reveal:

• Accept the collateral outside, not inside the borrower's home. This adds accountability to the process and prevents you from taking advantage of the person by demanding more than is fair. It also ultimately leaves it up to the borrower to determine what can be spared.
• Do not keep the collateral overnight if it is needed to keep the borrower warm. If a blanket or coat is all the person can give you to secure the loan, then you continue to give it back to him each night. Just because a person owes you money, it doesn't mean he has to shiver all night while trying to fall asleep.

I hope you see the pattern in the Ninth Commandment and these verses in Deuteronomy: God has given each person dignity (they bear His image), and He wants that dignity to be maintained. So it's not okay to make false accusations against a person. It's not okay to extort his precious resources. It's not okay to make him sleep in the cold.

Maybe you need to think of the way you speak of other people, either to their faces or behind their backs. Are you respecting and upholding their precious dignity, as ones made in God's image?

Or maybe the message you need to hear is one of your own value. God loves you so much that He doesn't want you to be bullied, stolen from, or stuck without a blanket. He loves you so much that He sent His only Son to die for you.

That is the ultimate declaration of your dignity.