Standing Against the Crowd

Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit. (Ex 23:2-3)

The Bible is full of exhortations for the rich and the powerful not to take advantage of the poor and the powerless (v6). And well it should be because throughout the ages the wealthy have often oppressed the poor. I think this verse might be unique, however, in seeming to stick up for the rights of the rich man. Marxism contains the idea of forcible redistribution of wealth, but this verse clearly speaks against that. The power of the mob does not convey the right to steal. Justice is justice, and should be impartial.

The larger issue here, as well, is that it is easy to get caught up in whatever everyone around you is doing, but we must resist that. We are always personally accountable to God for our actions, regardless of what “they” are doing. We teach our teenagers about peer pressure, but the temptation to go along with the crowd does not end when you become an adult. Lord, help me to be true to you and your Word, no matter what everyone around me is doing.

Two Sides to Every Story

The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him. (Pr 18:17)

Every month this verse catches my eye. It is such a practical bit of wisdom. Lord, help me to be fair in all my judgments. Remind me to seek out both sides of any dispute and withhold judgment until I have heard them. Give me the wisdom to see through deception and distortion, and the grace to give each person the benefit of the doubt.