Thought from today’s Bible reading from Exodus 22-24.
“You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute” (Exodus 23:1-3).
In giving the Law to the Israelites, God emphasized the importance of justice being carried out properly among the people. This passage teaches us a few things about justice that would be good for us to remember today:
- Justice must be based upon truth. A “false report” will never bring about a just result. We must be truthful regardless of the consequences.
- Justice is not determined by the majority. Though our society places a great deal of emphasis on democracy, this system does not work when the majority desires evil. True justice is determined by what is right, not what is popular.
- Justice is not to be based upon emotional sympathies. Some tend to show partiality to the poor in an effort to be “fair.” This is not fair, nor is it just. Again, justice is to be based upon truth, not the circumstances of the parties involved.
Tomorrow’s reading: Exodus 25-27
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.
