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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: FALSE (04/15/21)
The Consequences of a False Tongue

God is not a God of falsehood. Our God is true and honest in his dealings with mankind. He expects us to be true and honest in our dealings with him and other people. In courts of law, people are expected to be honest when they appear before a judge or governing body. People swear before God and put their hands on the bible to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Bearing false witness is the ninth commandment out of the Ten Commandments that the Lord gave unto Moses to speak unto the people of Israel. Thou salt not bear false witness against thou neighbor (Exodus 20:16). God commands us not to bear false witness or lie against other people. Our neighbor can be anyone in the world; not just the people who live next door. It can be anyone in and outside of the body of Christ. There are some instances in the bible that deal with the issue of bearing false witness. Bearing false witness against thy neighbor could lead to negative consequences.

A familiar story in the bible that deals with bearing false witness can be found in I Kings Chapter three verses 16-28. During King Solomon’s rule, as King over Israel, two women who were harlots came before him to settle a dispute. And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. And this woman’s child died in the night because she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I arose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. And the other woman lied and bore false witness before the Judge, King Solomon. King Solomon was the wisest King that ever lived in Israel. He had been given by God the knowledge to settle even the most terrible disputes among God’s people.

And the other woman said, Nay; but the living it is my son, and the dead thy son. No, but the dead is thy son, and living is my son. Thus they spake before the King. And the King said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the King. And the King spoke to divide the child into two, to give half to the one and half to the other. And the woman who was the mother of the living child spoke up, and forbade the King; not to divide the child but to give the other woman the living child. But the other woman said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. The woman who was lying and bearing false witness against the real mother of the child wanted to slay or kill the child. Her falsehoods could have produced negative consequences for the living child; if the King had not been wise and believed her. But the King was wiser than the lying woman. Then the King answered and said, give the living child to the woman who wanted to preserve his life and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the judgment which the King judged; and they feared the King; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment (I Kings 3:16-28).

Another situation in the bible, where bearing false witness produced negative and good consequences, was the trial of Jesus Christ (Matthew 26: 57-75). When they led Jesus away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes, and the elders, were assembled, many bore false witness on Jesus (Matthew 26: 57). Now the chief priests, and the elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus to put him to death (Matthew 26: 59). If it had not been for the false witnesses accusing Jesus he might not have been crucified and we would not have the gift of eternal life.
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This article has been read 217 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Sue Botte 
04/23/21
There are good examples of falseness in the Bible and how to deal with it. Thank you. Keep writing.
Bea Edwards 
04/23/21
You gave 2 excellent Biblical examples in your Challenge article.

However your voice was inserted in the narrative making it difficult, without knowledge of the passage, to determine where scripture was quoted and your voice was inserted as the narrator.

Might I suggest "quotations" or separating the verses from your commentary?

Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
04/27/21
You point out some excellent examples that make this on topic. It's hard to tell if you're paraphrasing or using direct quotes (which should be in quotation marks). Don't be afraid to take a Bible story and build upon it, turning it into biblical fiction. You'd want to clarify in an author's note that it is a fictional story based on a specific Bible passage. This is a great way to pull readers in, make them curious, and read Bible verses for themselves. Using body language, dialog, and thoughts can really make a story pop for the reader. Also note that Bible starts with a capital B because it is a name of a book. You could tighten some of your writing up too. Check it out for repetition and combine sentences or thoughts together. For example the first part could be edited like this:
Our God expects mankind to be true and honest, not only with him, but with everyone. During court, judges expect witnesses to tell the truth, going as far as asking them to place their hands on the Bible and before God to promise to tell the truth, nothing but the truth.
Just in that short example, without changing the meaning, I was able to lower the word count by approximately 25 words. By tightening your writing, you leave yourself more words to expand on the Bible story. You have some great messages here. I can feel your passion and have no doubt God has special plans for your writing. Good job.
Ruthie Alekseeva
04/27/21
Well written and you maintained my interest to the end. I couldn't see anything that could improve what you have written.