What does the Bible say about a false witness?

We are told in Proverbs 14:5, “A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies”. To witness truly means to rightly represent what is true. This our Lord Jesus Christ did though it cost Him His life. Others followed in their measure, and the Greek word for witness (μαρτυς) passed into English as martyr. Indeed the same word is translated witness in Revelation 1:5, and martyr in 2:13, just as it is said today, So-and-so is a martyr for the truth.

The ninth commandment reads, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (v.20). To bear false witness is cruel and gross evil, but this commandment was coldly disregarded by too many Israelites. Jezebel deliberately bribed wicked men to falsely accuse Naboth to have him put to death (1 Kings 21:8-13). Even the chief priests of Israel sought false witnesses to testify against the Lord Jesus, the Son of God (Mk.14:55-59). How refreshing is the contrast in what people said of John the Baptist, "All things that John spoke about the Man (the Lord Jesus) were true (Jn.10:41). Thus, in the New Testament we are not told, "Thou shalt not," but rather, "Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor" (Eph.4:25).

"A faithful witness does not lie" (v. 5). Because courts of law have problems with witnesses lying, they require every witness to swear to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Yet in spite of this, many witnesses will so swear, then testify falsely. How refreshing it is therefore, to recognize and listen to a true witness. In fact, the Pharisees, at the time of the trial of the Lord Jesus, actually sought for false witnesses who would lie in order to satisfy their determination to condemn the Lord (Matt. 26:59).

(2) False witness. — This form of sin is named by Matthew only, and while it is at all times prevalent among all men, it is specially characteristic of the Jews as a nation. A man or a nation may become false as to witness (1) for God, or (2) in the mutual responsibilities among men. Thus (1) Israel was as a nation selected to become the depositary of the truth of Jehovah's Godhead and of Jehovah's law, and to testify to these great truths among other nations who were idolaters. "Ye are my witnesses, says the LORD, that I am God" (Isa. 43:10, 12; Isa. 44:8). In this trust however, they notoriously proved themselves false witnesses, for they openly worshipped idols in imitation of neighbouring nations, and dishonoured the law. In the points of Israel's failure as a witness for the truth, because of their evil heart of unbelief, their Messiah was perfect throughout; and when the righteous government of an evil world is to be undertaken, He is introduced for the purpose, and one of His titles which express His competency is that of the Faithful and True Witness (Rev. 1:5; Rev. 3:14).

Untrue testimony by one man against another (2) is also pernicious. The law of Sinai expressly forbade the Israelite to bear false witness against his neighbour (Ex. 20:16), and it was written that a false witness should not go unpunished (Prov. 19:5, 9), but should perish (Prov. 21:28). He was a menace to the nation, and is figuratively described as "a maul and a sword and a sharp arrow" (Prov. 25:18), for lying testimony bore down its victim by sheer force, and cut asunder the very vitals, and wounded even from afar.

Moreover, as a nation, Israel was specially guilty of false witness against the Messiah. This sin was foreshadowed by the Spirit of Christ in the prophets: "False witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty" "they laid to my charge things that I knew not" (Ps. 27:12; Ps. 35:11). And so it came about when in the fulness of time the Anointed One presented Himself to the chosen people, not the rabble, but the religious chiefs of the Jews sought to find false witness against Jesus to put Him to death, themselves breaking in this respect the law they were set to administer (Ex. 23:1); as we read, "Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus that they might put him to death: and they found it not, though many false witnesses came. But afterwards came two and said, This man said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days" (Matt. 26:59-61; Mark 14:56).

On this false evidence, the Lord was condemned to death by the Sanhedrin. Taken next to Pilate, the chief priests themselves bore equally lying witness against Jesus before the Roman governor in order to secure His crucifixion (Luke 23:2). This sin against judicial equity lies even now upon the nation, and upon them will yet come the just retribution of God. Under the law it was enacted that if a man "be a false witness and has testified falsely against his brother, then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to do unto his brother" (Deut. 19:15-19). And if false witness against a man's neighbour was regarded with such gravity, of how much greater guilt was it to deny the Holy and the Just One? As Jesus was betrayed into the hands of the Gentiles, so Israel is trodden down of the nations until their times be fulfilled.

But false witness against a neighbour is quite another thing, and extremely heinous. He that bears it is here said to be mischievous in ever so many different ways — a maul to crush, a sword to pierce when the object is at hand, and an arrow to wound at a distance.

Thus verse 18 proceeds to consider the positive harm one may cause by lending his lips to falsehood, the utter antithesis of the pure ministy of the truth of God. "A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow." The commonness of such evil does not lessen its seriousness. But how dreadfully serious among saints of God who have sought to act upon the recovered truths of the unity of the body of Christ and of Himself as the One Center of gathering! How extremely careful ought we to be that we both care for the real unity of the Spirit of God, and that we know facts thoroughly before speaking, and especially if anyone is to be put in a bad light through our words. If guilty of false witness, one is "a maul" - crushing; "a sword" - cutting; and "a sharp arrow" - piercing. Let us consider how dreadfully in such a case the neighbor is wronged.

"A false witness who speaks lies" can only expect God's hatred (v. 19). It is not that God singles out the individual to hate him, but since God absolutely hates falsehood, then one who chooses falsehood is placing himself on the side of falsehood, thereby coming under the same dreadful hatred.

Those who hear and say much have to lay to heart the next solemn warning: "a false witness shall not be held innocent, and one uttering lies shall (not merely be punished, but) perish." It is most hateful to God and most injurious to man. No one can say where the evil may spread, or how it may end here, but we do know how the Lord judges it forever.

How seriously should a false witness consider the truth of verse 28: "A false witness shall perish." He should know perfectly well that he deserves this. Yet one who accepts the false witness as though it were true "will speak endlessly," that is, he will not cease to argue the case with others. In such a case, he is just as guilty as the false witness.

False witness is a heinous sin in Jehovah's eyes, who pledges Himself that it shall not go without punishment, and that the untruthful man shall not escape. A Jew was no doubt more guilty than a heathen if he thus boldly ignored Him who hears every word; and much more inexcusable is the Christian, now that Christ has come, the true and faithful Witness. Israel was called to be the arena of Jehovah's government; but it utterly failed through their forgetting the ground of promise to faith, and resting all on their own obedience of the law. No sinful man, nor indeed any, can stand on such a tenure. For as many as are of law-works are under curse, as it had been so strikingly anticipated in Deuteronomy 27 where the Spirit records the curses on Ebal, and does not notice the blessings on Gerizim, though no doubt proclamation was made historically on the latter as much as on the former. But all men who take this ground of their obedience reap not blessing, but curse. Blessing for a sinful man can come only by faith. And we find men after the law even more heedless of truth than they were before the law, yea, even saints. But in Christianity we have not only the truth, but truthfulness consequently, as never before.