February 8th, 2012
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Be Just and Merciful

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Opening Prayer

Dear Father, You inhabit all times and places. I want to be Your faithful child today in this time and at this place.

Read Exodus 23:1-19

[1] “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. [10] “For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, [11] but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove. [12] “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed. [13] “Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips. [14] “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. [15] “Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. “No one is to appear before me empty-handed. [16] “Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. “Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field. [17] “Three times a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD. [18] “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast. “The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning. [19] “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. “Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you…” (Amos 5:14).

Think Further

God is a God of justice in whose presence truth matters. Why do people bend the truth to pervert justice, as seen in some law courts and the broader society? This passage offers some reasons. First, greed and corruption, such as when a witness or judge closes an eye to the truth after having received a bribe (8). Second, hatred. The example given—when you see a fallen donkey belonging to a man who hates you, you must help him (5)—can be extended to matters of justice. It is possible that people can bend the truth to treat unjustly those they hate, perhaps by giving false testimony, or judging them too harshly. Third, indifference—we can deny justice to the poor because they are voiceless and we don’t care (6). The phrase “your poor people” suggests that the poor are our responsibility; we can’t be indifferent about them or treat them as less than human. They, too, have a right to justice (Prov. 22:22). But that does not mean we can twist the truth in their favor, which would result in injustice (3). God expects impartial justice that honors truth and fairness (Prov. 17:15; 8:5).

The fourth reason is herd instinct. Just because everyone allows or does it, does not mean it is right. We are warned: “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong” (2). To be just, one may have to go against the grain and take the road less traveled. How often do we see migrant workers or minority groups treated unfairly and are tempted to say or do nothing? We are expected to care about God’s justice, which must not be confused with clinical legalism; at its heart it honors truth and incorporates compassion. The alien must be treated well (9), the poor must be left some food from the harvest (11), and servants must be given days to rest, just like the rest of us (12).

Apply

Are you guilty of any greed (8), corruption (7), indifference (5), or failure of nerve (2)? If so, seek forgiveness and renew Your devotion to the Lord (19).

Closing prayer

Lord, forgive me that often I go along with the crowd to get along with the crowd. I pray for inner fortitude to stand firm for You.

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