Do Not Give False Testimony Against Your Neighbor

In 1535, the man who cut Martin Luther’s hair told the reformer of his struggles with prayer. Luther, ever the shepherd, wrote a little booklet to help him and others called A Simple Way to Pray. Near the end, Luther recommends that believers pray through the Ten Commandments as a means to warm one’s heart to God and he gives the following specific instructions:

“I divide each commandment into four parts, thereby fashioning a garland of four strands. That is, I think of each commandment as, first, instruction, which is really what it is intended to be, and consider what the Lord God demands of me so earnestly. Second, I turn it into a thanksgiving; third, a confession; and fourth, a prayer.”

With Dr. Luther’s prescription in mind, let us use his helpful exercise for the examination of the ninth commandment, “Do not give false testimony against your neighbor” (Ex 20:16), not only to understand it better, but also to warm our hearts to God. For “the precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad” (Ps 19:8). Keep reading