FALSE TESTIMONY GIVEN TO SWAY A JURY
Last month, the Indiana Court of Appeals reexamined the case of a man sentenced to 55 years in prison for the murder of an elderly woman in 2002. Andrew Royer was convicted of the murder due largely to testimony that was coerced, falsified, and later disproved, and now the court is deciding whether or not to “vacate” the previous conviction. The detective in the case was removed from other cases for making misleading statements to attorneys. It was also revealed that the key witness was paid for her testimony and threatened with having her children taken from her if she didn’t comply. Falsehoods were presented to the legal authority in order to bring about someone’s desired outcome.
TRUE TESTIMONY GIVEN TO JUDGE A KING
When King Ahab wanted to find out if an attack against the Arameans at Ramoth-Gilead would succeed, he sent for the prophet Micaiah. All of Ahab’s other advisors were telling him that God would surely give him the victory, and even Micaiah said the same. But Micaiah did so, he explained, because God had ordained that Ahab must die in the battle. He essentially said, “Sure, go ahead, my king. It is God’s will for you to fight them. Not for you to win, however.” Truth was spoken to the king in order to bring about God’s desired outcome.
Questions
- When has false testimony been used against you or someone you know?
- Why is it sometimes hard to speak truth to those in power?
- If we feel we must speak truth to someone in authority, how can we be sure we’re delivering God’s will and not just speaking from our own mind or preferences?
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