The 9th Commandment: Deuteronomy 5:20 - “Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
The fundamental American right of ‘Innocent until proven guilty’ is originally God’s idea. When you’ve been falsely accused (as Jesus was) of doing something wrong, it was surely an awful feeling to be the accused, and shameful for the accuser.
In the world of social-media, a mere allegation is usually enough to destroy a person’s image, life and career. Too often people are convinced an accused is guilty before a witness takes the stand and facts are presented. We need facts as jurisprudence. America is founded upon ‘innocent until proven guilty’, not ‘innocent until alleged’.
An allegation of wrongdoing is (should) never allowed to be enough to fairly convict. Factual evidence is needed from more than one source. Until the evidence is presented, and the judge and jury are satisfied, the accused is presumed innocent.
Deuteronomy 19:15, 18 – “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. 18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;”
In divine wisdom, God determined the need for two witnesses rather than one to aid the discovery of truth. The extra witness helps align truth and hinders one party from lying. However, two false witnesses can conspire to lie and erase justice. The chances of getting a fair trial are increased with multiple eyewitness accounts. It is a safeguard to help arrive at the truth.
Deuteronomy instructs us on jurisprudence. Deuteronomy 19 covers the conflicts of anger, assault, and disputes over property lines. God proves ‘evidence’ is the means for determining who is right or wrong.
In the Bible, Job’s friends figured he had upset God and was being divinely punished as false allegations were made against Job's character. The Book of Job ends with God chastising Job’s friends for their unfair rush to judgment.
When Israel was a new nation, Moses instructed them as described in the Book of Deuteronomy, a.k.a. God’s guidance on how to have a free society. The book discusses how God taught the Hebrews how to treat one another, how to buy, sell, and trade, how to own property and respect the property of others, and more.
Traditionally, Americans want truth and expect to be treated fairly in any formal or informal hearing, a truly God-given right that seems to slip past too many.
Don’t forget to weigh facts and apply your natural sensibilities when you hear a juicy nugget in the news about someone. Don’t let the mere mention of a whisper in your ear cause you to stumble and violate the Ninth Commandment. One is innocent until being found guilty!
Thank God for the United States of America and its undeniable Biblical foundation!
Today’s song is 'Rescue'. If you’re falsely accused of doing anything and are grieving, being pulled down, the first person you turn to should be our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! He was falsely accused … but whatever our troubles … we aren’t literally hanging from a Cross!
