Daily Bible Nugget #454, Exodus 23:2

The Nugget:

Exo 23:2  Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: 

My Comment:

By a strict interpretation, this passage has primary reference to how God wants those who are His to stand up strictly for truth in court, and in the words of the Common English Version, “even if everyone else is dishonest and stands in the way of justice.”

But as a practical matter, I see additional meaningful applications of this commandment.

God does not want us joining with a crowd of others with the intent to do what is clearly evil. I think that for the most part, student protests that disrupt the educational process in school or college, or that interfere with the free speech rights of others that wish to express a contrary opinion, violate this commandment and are not pleasing to God.

I thought about this verse when, earlier this month, it was announced in the news and on the Internet that there were to be protests in 142 cities across the United States from July 2 through July 4, protests which potentially would erupt in violence against persons and the destruction of property. Thankfully, as far as I know, those protests were peaceful and not violent.

Fifty years ago today I was driving home to Detroit from the Maranatha Bible Conference grounds near Muskegon, Michigan, where I had spent a week with members of my high school Sunday school class. We had all stayed at Mrs. Boyd’s cottage there and had wonderful times of Bible study and instruction with her, and good messages and music in conjunction with the services held at the conference itself.

As we drove home Sunday afternoon, the teenagers wanted me to change the station I was listening to so they could hear the kind of music they liked. I declined to follow their request, and left the classical music station on.

But that means none of us had so much as an inkling of what was going on in the current news.

I passed several large convoys of military vehicles on the freeway, but thought nothing of it since there is a large Michigan National Guard base, camp Grayling, somewhere in the vicinity of where we were.

I was planning to treat my riders to a hamburger or whatever they wished to get before we got all the way home. But when we got to the border of Detroit, the freeway was eerily empty. My students said that maybe we should just go straight home. As we continued on the freeway, we saw many fires on both sides of the freeway in the neighborhoods near Wayne State University.

When we reached the first student’s home, her parents asked how did we ever manage to enter Detroit? They said all the freeways were supposed to be closed to traffic and they had been wondering how we were going to get back home safely.

Then we found out that the 1967 riots in Detroit had started earlier that day and were continuing even then. The military forces had taken over Clark Park near where we lived, just two blocks north of my apartment, with tanks, tents, and all. I think none of us will ever forget that ride home in the late afternoon of July 23, 1967.

Watching the goings-on and the antics of the rioters and their destructive actions, I saw a good many whites engaged in looting, not just black people.

Unfortunately, needful resources for many communities were completely destroyed by fire, grocery stores in particular. I really do not think those neighborhoods have fully recovered yet from the destruction done by the rioters then.

I personally do not believe that such violence and destruction is ever warranted. It is surely condemned by the Word of God, especially Exodus 23:2.

There are better solutions at hand, foremost of which is for the churches and the Bible believing Christians to get the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ out to the young people, and everyone, in those neighborhoods. Genuine Christians never behave in this fashion. But well-taught Christians do know the teaching of the Bible well enough to share the truth, and bring about genuine justice as more people come to true faith in Christ.

 

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