Walking Justly

Walking Justly
Words of Faith 1-13-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Exodus 23
"Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness.
[2] "Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, [3] and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
[4] "If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. [5] If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it.
[6] "Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. [7] Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.
[8] "Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
[9] "Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.

The ninth commandment declares, "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16). This passage expands upon the ninth commandment to shape an impartial justice system. Here the Lord speaks to the people about their approach to justice as well as to those who judge civil and criminal disputes according to the law.
Of course, the Israelites were to bear a true witness in legal cases. But what would that look like? What were some of the particulars? Israelites were not to pervert justice by being influenced by the crowd or even by favoritism toward the poor. They were not to mistreat another person simply because they were in a legal conflict.
The phrases "enemy" and "someone who hates you" probably refer to a legal adversary in this context. An Israelite was to be kind even to the animals of someone with whom he had a legal disagreement. The judge was not to deny justice to the poor because of their social status.
God will hold accountable anyone related to a false charge resulting in the execution of an innocent person. Purchasing favoritism in court through a bribe was strictly forbidden by the Lord. Oppressing an alien had already been addressed, but the particular context is that of a court.
So how do we learn and live more closely with God from this passage? Not many of us are judges, but we may have an opportunity to serve on a jury or shape the system. All of these principles apply. In recent years, we have seen many high-profile cases in which public opinion or "the crowd" seemed to influence a verdict more than the evidence.
Interestingly, the Lord warns explicitly against "favoritism to the poor." We might expect a condemnation of bias toward the rich, as found in the book of James. Still, there is another perversion of the justice system. We sometimes see cases where "favoritism to the poor" has rendered unjust or exorbitant verdicts against corporations or individuals.
The Lord firmly commands that we have nothing to do with a false charge or putting an honest person to death. This critical issue in modern societies go back to Biblical times, the possible execution of innocent people. The problem is not whether capital punishment is permitted in a society, but whether it is being justly applied. In response to verse 7, we might conclude that every effort must be made to be sure that a capital case is thoroughly reviewed, and if there is any possible doubt, a sentence of life in prison would be more appropriate than an irreversible execution.
The Lord also spoke to the rights of aliens. Justice in the ancient world was often a matter of class, status, or citizenship. We are called to support efforts that defend the rights of aliens rather than oppress them. But what about in times of terror when we may feel very frightened by the possibility of attack? Actually, the Lord does not create a caveat or loophole for such a situation. "Do not oppress an alien; you know how it feels to be alien, because you were alien in Egypt."
But what about you and me today? We may feel pretty disconnected from the sort of concerns listed here. What do we do today? Perhaps the words of the prophet Micah are best for our day.
"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)

Father God, show me how to act justly. Teach me how to love mercy. Draw me close to You that I may walk humbly with You. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.