How important is truth? To fully appreciate the Ninth Commandment, with
its prohibition of lying, we must realize how important truth is to God.
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16).
What do the Scriptures tell us about God, His Word and truth? Notice what
several verses tell us: "Every word of God is pure . . ." (Proverbs 30:5). Daniel refers to God's Word as "the Scripture of Truth" (Daniel 10:21). Jesus Christ said of God the Father, "Your word is truth" (John 17:17).
The Bible throughout teaches that "God is not a man, that He should
lie" (Numbers 23:19). It explains that "the word of the Lord is
right, and all His work is done in truth" (Psalm 33:4) because He is
a "God of truth" (Deuteronomy 32:4). And "His truth endures
to all generations" (Psalm 100:5).
As the source of truth, God requires that His servants always speak truthfully.
Under God's inspiration, King David writes: "Lord, who may dwell in
your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has
no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbour no wrong and casts no slur
on his fellow-man . . . [and] who keeps his oath even when it hurts" (Psalm 15:1-3, NIV).
