The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 327

Vcrs. lG-21.-FaJ.se witne,ss. God's brand is here placed upon the crime of false witness. It was to be severely punished. Every one is interested in the suppression of such_ a crime-the parties whose interests are involved, society at large, the Church, the n~ag1s~mcy, God himself, of one of _who~e comruand_ments (the l!inth) it is ~he daring Y10lation. The rules here apply pnmanly to false witness given 111 courts of Justice but the principles involved may be extended to all forms of the sin. ' I. FALSE WITlIEss 1s IN Goo's SIGHT A GREAT EVIL. 1. It indicates great malevolence. 2. It is grievously unjust and injurious to the person wrongfully accusecl. 3. It ia certain to be taken up and industrious~y propa~atcd. A cal~mny is never wholly wiped ~mt. Th~re are always foun~ s_ome enl-speak~ng pers~ns d1spo~ed to believe and repeat 1t. It affixes a mark on the lllJured party which remams on lum through life. II. FALSE "ITITNESS ASSUMES MANY FORMS. It is not confined to law courts but perrndes prirnte life, and appears in the way in which partizans denl with pnblic' men and public erents. Persons of a malicious and envious disposition, o-iven to detraction can scarcely a,oid it-indeed, live in the element of it. Forms of this;ice: 1. Deliberat~ inrent.ion and circulation of falsehoods. 2. Innuendo, or sugge,stiofalsi. 3. Suppression of es~ential circu~~tances-suppressio veri. 4. '.fhe distortion or deceitful colouring of actual facts. A he 1s never so successful as when 1t can attach itself to a grain of truth- .. A lie that is all a lie may be met and fought with outright• But a lie that is part of a truth is a harder matter to fight.'; III. THE FALSE WITh'"ESS DORNE BY .ONE AGAINST ANOTHER WILL BE EXPOSED AT Goo'& JUDGMENT SEAT. The two parties-he who was accused of bearing false witness and he who alleged himself to be injured by it-were required to appear before the Lord, and to submit their cause to the priests and judges, who acted as his deputies (ver. 17). It was their part to make diligent inquisition, and, iC the crime was proved, to award punishment ("l'crs. 18, 19). The punishment was to be on the principle of the le::,; talionis (vers. 19-21). So, at Christ's judgment seat, the person who has long -lain under an undeserved stigma through the false witness of another may depend on being cleared from wrong, and the wrong-doer will be punished (Col. iii. 25). Meanwhile, it is the duty of erery one to see to the pi:nisbment of this crime, not only in cases of actual perjury, but in every form of it, and not only by legal penalties, but-which is the only means that can reach every case-by the emphatic reprobation of society, and, where that is possible, by Church censures.-J. 0. Vers. 1-13.-The cities ef refuge. The blood-feud, as we know, was carried out remorselessly among nomadic nations, the manslayer having to be slain, even though bis manslaying were purely accidental. In other words, there was no distinct.ion made between manslaughter and murder by the nomadic nations in the rude early ages. But, by the Lord creating :the cities of refuge, three on each side of the Jordan, k which the manslayer could repair, and where, if it was manslaughter only, he_ could remain without molestation till the death of the high priest, a distinction between these two crimes was carefully made. 1 The city of refuge was a divinely ordained place of peace for the person who had only slain hiJ; neighbour accidentally. In case of premeditated murder, the person was to be taken even from God's altar and executed. L THE CHILDRES OF !SRA.EL WERE HEREBY TAUGHT THAT ALL BINS ARE NOT EQCALLY HErsous IN Goo's SIGiJT. Morality must differentiate and distinguish, not treat sin in the lump. Morality is undermined where revenge treats manslaughter and murder alike. The Old Testament morality was thus a great advance on the morality of t1e time. JL THlB AllRA.NGEME.S:T ABOUT THE CITIES OF REFUGE SHOWED THAT THERE WAS A WAY OF PARDON PROVIDED FOR AT LEAST SOME SINNERS UNDER THE LAW, The Law is sometimes regarded as merciless rigour, whereas its sacrificial ceremonies and such an arrangement as this before us proclaimed pardon and escape for some sinners. A.n undertone of mercy was heard underneath the thunder of its wrath. N'ow, the way of pardon is instructive. It was to be prepared. Towards the cities of refuge the best roads of the country converged. Directions were given to keep them ' Cf. Mozley's 'Rulillg Ideas in Early Ages,' pp. 200-221. oll, lUX. 1-21.j TlIE BoOK OF' DEUTERO)TOMY. 325