For a full description of the (Y4) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Ex. 23
“You shall not bear a false report” and “Keep far from a false charge”. These two similar statements both tell us not to pervert justice. Punishing an innocent man and letting a guilty man off the hook both qualify. These seem reasonable, and like easy enough commands to comply with. However, the text notes several situations that muddy these seemingly clear waters. These situations are as follows:
- Getting caught up in the crowd. “You shall not follow the masses in doing evil” (Ex. 23:2a). Mob mentality is a real thing, and the path of least resistance is always to go with the flow. Even a group of two or three can impact your actions. We need to keep our guard up and remember that it isn’t what the masses think that matters. We need to do what is right before God.
- Opinions and feelings toward the other party. These create biases in us, and biases pervert justice. We are naturally more inclined to disfavor those we don’t like or don’t know, while giving undue favor to friends or those who strike compassion in us. Both are perversions of justice.
- Bribes. These are simply purchased biases. And like any bias, “a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.” (Ex. 23:8b).
Right. So justice comes a lot harder to humans than we care to admit. That seems to me to be an important thing to know about ourselves.
John 2
The last couple of verses in this passage generate some head scratching on my part. However, an interesting thought popped into my head with the last verse this morning. John wrote of Jesus, “He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.” (Jn. 2:25). My thought was the antithesis of this statement. Jesus knows man, but man does not know Jesus. Thus, man needs someone to testify to him about Jesus, which is exactly what John did when he wrote this gospel and his letters.
Job 41
God said to Job, “Who has given to Me that I should repay him?” (Job 41:11a). God doesn’t owe us anything. Nor is He beholden to our expectations. If He doesn’t do what seems right in our eyes, He has done no wrong. That all seems harsh, but if you look at it from the proper perspective, it makes God’s grace and mercy toward us all that more amazing. Though He didn’t owe us anything, He gave us so much more than we can even fully comprehend. What more should we want or need from Him?