7/4/2008 8:34 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Miscellaneous laws (Part III, Justice)
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Exodus 23:1-8
Message of the verses: 1 ¶
"Do not pass along false reports. Do not cooperate with evil people
by telling lies on the witness stand.
2 "Do not join a crowd that
intends to do evil. When you are on the witness stand, do not be swayed in your
testimony by the opinion of the majority.
3 And do not slant your testimony
in favor of a person just because that person is poor. 4
"If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away,
take it back to its owner. 5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates
you struggling beneath a heavy load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and offer to
help. 6
"Do not twist justice against people simply because they are
poor. 7
"Keep far away from falsely charging anyone with evil. Never put an
innocent or honest person to death. I will not allow anyone guilty of this to
go free. 8 "Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore
something that you clearly see. A bribe always hurts the cause of the person
who is in the right.”
I
have used the NLT in today’s SD because it was easier for me to understand what
these verses were all about. These
verses speak of justice, not perverting the truth due to lies, or bribes, or
whether or not a person is rich or poor, or whether or not the crowd is saying
one thing and someone really knows that is not true, so they must speak out and
tell the truth.
Verses
four and five deal with how a person should act when enemies are involved. If a person has an enemy and their donkey has
run away that should not prevent one to bring back their donkey. If a person is walking down the road and sees
their enemies’ donkey struggling with a load they should help that person
unload their donkey. This passage
reminds me of a passage in Romans that Paul quotes from the OT book of Proverbs
chapter twenty-five and verses twenty-one and twenty-two of how a person shall
treat his enemy. Those verses are very
difficult to understand, but the point of them is that one should actually do
well to their enemy as seen in today’s verses.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I can’t help but think of how hard it is to
not go along with the crown, especially if it is a crowd or your peers in a
work situation and what they are doing is wrong, but it is against a person
whom you do not like too well. These
verses show me that it is hard to stand up for what is right when doing what is
wrong is easier for you or more profitable for you. At times like these I must completely trust
the Lord and do the right thing.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
- Do the right thing by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Give myself to the Lord for service and worship today.
- Trust the Lord to guide my paths.
- Seek grace from the Lord and words from the Lord as I try and get a call into Kelly and talk to him about the Lord.
- Trust the Lord to make a way of escape when test and temptations get to hard for me.
- Trust the Lord to teach me contentment as I go through trials, tests, and temptations.
Memory verses for the week: Colossians 4:12-13
12.
Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave
of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring for you in his
prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
13.
For I testify for him that he has a deep concern
for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis
7/4/2008 9:32 AM
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