June 3,2012
Lesson Scripture:
Exodus 23:1-9
Lesson Focus:
Practice God's
Justice and Mercy
INTRODUCTION.God requires justice and compassion.When we interact with others we are to be honest, avoid showing favoritism, and we are to treat our enemies fairly.By living this way, we will stand out in society. Imagine our society without any rules.Yes, we have failed to enforce many of our existing laws, but a system of law and justice is vital if we are to have order in the world. In this week’s lesson we are given a few simple principles of just living, along with powerful motives that encourage the fulfillment of these principles in our lives.At Mount Sinai God gave Israel a set of laws and regulations they were to live by once they entered the Promised Land. These laws concerning testimonies and speech reveal the need for honesty and compassion. Even though Christians are not under the law God gave to Israel (see Romans 6:14), God still intends that we uphold the principles on which those laws were based because they reflect His own nature.
(vs. 1).Our text begins with the command“Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.”The words“raise a false report”refer to receiving a false report or a lie and spreading it further.The phrase “put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness”means that we are not to join others in spreading false reports.Making up,or spreading false reports was strictly forbidden by God.This commandment referred primarily to lawsuits.Being an “unrighteous witness” actually involves lying in court against one’s neighbor. One of the worst examples of such injustice was when the Bible tells of two worthless men who lied against Naboth so that Ahab could take his vineyard (see I Kings 21:1-15). This also led to Naboth’s death.
(vs2) The next command was “ Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment.” This command forbids following a crowd to do wrong. The word “decline” here means to “lean toward,” thus the phrase “neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment” means that we are not to pervert justice by taking sides with the crowd or the majority. In other words, don’t give in to peer pressure. People of any age can be tempted to give in to peer pressure. It becomes easy to justify our wrong decisions by accepting what everybody else is saying or doing. Only those who have the inner fortitude and have mastered the divine standards to do what’s right can resist the pressure to go along with the crowd to do unjust things (see Proverbs 1:10-19; Romans 12:1-2).
(vs.3).“Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.” The word “countenance” here means “approval” or “support.” Therefore we are commanded not to support or show favoritism to a poor man in a lawsuit just because he is poor. In legal matters the social class of the people involved should not have any bearing on the verdict. More often than not it is tempting to favor the rich in court cases since they have the power to harm those who oppose them (see James 2:1-9). However, out of compassion, it is also possible to show favoritism to the poor in a court case even if they are wrong. God’s law is clear: justice must be blind to every social class whether rich or poor (see Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 1:17).
(vs4).Compassion plays a part in justice also.tThis verse says “If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.” The word “enemy” speaks of a broken relationship that may have been caused by any number of things. Regardless of what caused the people to be at odds, God said that if we come across our enemy’s ox or donkey straying away, out of compassion we should catch the animal and return him to his owner. It would be very tempting for a person not to return his enemy’s animal thinking that he deserved to lose his animal because of his mean behavior towards that person. But this is not God’s way of dealing with enemies. Believers are commanded to love our enemies, to live peaceably with them, and even provide for their daily needs (see Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:17-21)
(vs:5).Still dealing with one’s enemies, God says “If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.” The Israelites were also commanded not only to return lost property to an enemy, but they were to help him free his donkey from a large burden that caused the animal to collapse under the weight. Again, there may be a strong temptation not to help and to turn away from the problem. This is the meaning of the phrase “and wouldest forbear to help him.” One might reason that it was the owner’s fault due to mistreating the animal by putting too heavy a load on it. But the law didn’t support this attitude because the last part of this verse says “thou shalt surely help with him.” This means that the person who sees his enemy struggling to get his donkey up should assist in helping to release the animal from his burden. This would demonstrate compassion for both the animal and its owner. It would also help erase any bad feelings the other man has toward the one who helped. Kindness and compassion have a way of removing anger and enmity.
(vs.6).The command in this verse is “Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.” The word “wrest” means to “pervert.” This verse commands that in hearing a dispute involving a poor person, the judge or magistrate must not be bias against his cause. In verse 3, the warning was against supporting a poor man in a legal case just because he is poor resulting in the poor man being treated too leniently. But here, the opposite is commanded. The judge is not to rule against the poor man because he is poor.
(vs7).God also commanded His people to“Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.”The words “false matter”refers to a false charge against an innocent person that could lead to an unjust execution.Officials are ordered to keep themselves away from such accusations.In fact, they shouldn’t even think about such false charges.The phrase “and the innocent and righteous slay thou not” is a reference to condemning someone to death through an unjust sentence.Capital punishment has its place (see Genesis 9:5-6), but those who have the power to exercise it must be very careful to inflict it justly and fairly.Otherwise, the innocent perish while the guilty go free.We can be assured that the guilty will not go unpunished for God says in the last part of this verse,“for I will not justify the wicked.”God judges perfectly and He won’t allow the wicked to escape justice no matter what man’s decision may be.The crooked politician often ignores this fact. Some have deceived their constituents and preserved their reputations and have forgotten their guilt before God.He will surely repay(see Romans12:19).
(vs8). In this verse God says “And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.”This is a command not to take bribes,the corrupt practice of receiving gifts for favors rendered.This command is directed particularly to government officials who are in a position to give in to this powerful temptation.Bribery is one of the most common forms of political corruption (see Numbers 22:7, 16-17; I Samuel 8:1-3; Amos 5:12).The Scriptures repeatedly condemns bribery because it makes a mockery of justice (see Deuteronomy 16:19; I Samuel 12:3; Proverbs 17:23).This is because as God says “for the gift (or bribe) blindeth the wise.”Taking a bribe blinds even wise leaders.The judge who normally judges fairly and wisely can be dazzled by money dangled before him and can no longer see the issues fairly.God said that bribes “perverteth the words of the righteous.”In other words, bribes can affect the verdicts of normally righteous judges that result in decisions denying justice due to those who are in the right.God is a righteous judge and is absolutely just and fair (see Genesis 18:25; II Timothy 4:8).No wonder taking “gifts” or bribes is an abomination to Him.
(vs9). “Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.”In Jesus’day the Jews practiced prejudice and discrimination against Gentiles, but God had commanded in the law that Jews “shalt not oppress a stranger.”The Gentiles, or strangers in Canaan had no inherited rights but they were to be treated with hospitality and fairness (see Exodus 22:21).Strangers in Israel were to be treated fairly in court (see Deuteronomy 1:16; 24:17) and cared for in their poverty (see Leviticus 25:35). They were to have access to the cities of refuge (see Numbers 35:10-15) and were to be included in the celebration of festivals (see Deuteronomy 16:11, 14).In addition, at harvest time, grain was to be left for strangers in the corners of the fields (see Leviticus 19:10; 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19).Strangers were also to be loved (see Deuteronomy 10:18-19). The reason that Israel was to treat strangers kindly was because God said “for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Of all people, Israel should have understood what it meant to be a stranger because they had been strangers and slaves in Egypt for over 400 years. It was not a pleasant experience for Israel in Egypt since they were sorely mistreated by the Egyptians. From that experience the Jews should’ve learned to treat the stranger as they would’ve wanted to be treated.
Conclusion. God’s instructions are clear: His people are to practice truth, justice and mercy. In order to practice justice, a person must not only avoid wrong actions but also show compassion upon those who genuinely need it. This lesson, taken from Israel’s law, teaches us some wonderful principles for just living: impartiality in court proceedings, compassion in our daily conduct, and integrity in all human relationships. Since these principles are embedded in the very nature of God, they are repeated for us in the New Testament. If we want to please God, we must practice these principles.
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