December 10, 2023

Passage Read: Exodus 23-26
Meditation Verses: 23:2-3

Thought

This is incredibly relevant for today! The Lord commands against following a mob or testifying in a dispute in such a way as to support the mob rather than to support justice. Tied to that is the command not to be partial to a poor man in his dispute. God's people are not to assume the innocence of a poor man just because he is poor. He may have done evil, which has led to a curse on him and God's opposition. He may in fact need a sound rebuke to repent of his evil ways! The mob is quite often wrong in their protestations, because they don't bother to gather facts, but react emotionally to rumors and just want an excuse to vent all kinds of pent up frustrations, and they give cover to the wicked who just want to destroy.

Application

God did not support mob violence in any way or for any cause. And it is interesting that this command is tied to the poor man's case. How often do mobs form to protest the "unfair" treatment of a poor man? How often in history? God wants justice done to all men and every man; a poor man is not always unfairly oppressed and a rich man is not always an unjust oppressor! What is true is that anyone who doesn't get their facts straight first, and who riots in ignorance, is an unjust oppressor. God is opposed to mobs and He's opposed to assuming the innocence of the poor man. God wants true justice for all men, punishment of the correct man, and so too should I.