The Righteous Few
Exodus 23:2-3: "You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit."
As we read through chapters 22 and 23 in Exodus, there are many miscellaneous laws that can be jolting to our modern ears: premarital sex, intercourse with animals, idolatry, and sorcery. The laws then go to treatment of the widows, the poor, and the sojourners. There is teaching on offerings, helping others, justice, not spreading rumors, and not taking bribes. To a certain extent, these teachings better pertain to our world today than those found in chapter 21, and they remind us of fundamental Christian teachings that we may like to put aside in order to do life our own way and not God's way.
Anyone who has raised children has heard the phrase: "But everyone else is doing it." If you have not yet hit the teenage years, be ready! The Lord has heard these same words throughout Israel's history. The problem is that the Lord did not call Israel to be like everyone else; they are called to be distinct and set apart from everyone else in order to reflect God's glory to the world. As verse 2 states, it is far too easy to follow along with what others are doing, especially when those others are in the majority. Here, the Lord calls his people to see beyond what the majority, the masses, or the mob are doing. God's holy people are set apart to look for what is good, what is true, and what is just - even if what is right is unpopular.
The God of the Hebrews has clearly defeated all these gods, and he has demonstrated his rule and authority over heaven and earth. As we read earlier in the book, there was no god like him! So, we wonder why it was even tempting for the Israelites to take part in the pagan practices of the day. What was enticing about that evil and immoral world? In asking that, we must also ask what is so enticing to us in today's evil and immoral world? God has made it abundantly clear in how we are to live as his people. We, too, are called to be set apart and to live holy lives that reflect God's glory in this dark world. We, too, are called to live differently from the people around us.
The crowd beckoned to the Israelites and often enticed God's holy people to compromise themselves to look like the nations around them. The world beckons us today and entices us to compromise God's standards so that we can look like the people around us. In Matthew 7, Jesus teaches that this is the wide gate, the wide way that leads to destruction, and "those who enter by it are many" (Matt. 7:13b). Jesus calls us to enter through the narrow gate and to walk along the narrow path which leads to life. God spoke to his people through Moses to guide the Israelites on that narrow path; God speaks to us today through his Son and through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide us on that narrow path.
Reflection:
What path are you walking today? Are you walking on the wide path? It is easy and popular, but it leads to destruction. Or are you walking on the narrow path? The way is hard, and it can feel lonely and solitary, but it leads to life.
As we read through chapters 22 and 23 in Exodus, there are many miscellaneous laws that can be jolting to our modern ears: premarital sex, intercourse with animals, idolatry, and sorcery. The laws then go to treatment of the widows, the poor, and the sojourners. There is teaching on offerings, helping others, justice, not spreading rumors, and not taking bribes. To a certain extent, these teachings better pertain to our world today than those found in chapter 21, and they remind us of fundamental Christian teachings that we may like to put aside in order to do life our own way and not God's way.
Anyone who has raised children has heard the phrase: "But everyone else is doing it." If you have not yet hit the teenage years, be ready! The Lord has heard these same words throughout Israel's history. The problem is that the Lord did not call Israel to be like everyone else; they are called to be distinct and set apart from everyone else in order to reflect God's glory to the world. As verse 2 states, it is far too easy to follow along with what others are doing, especially when those others are in the majority. Here, the Lord calls his people to see beyond what the majority, the masses, or the mob are doing. God's holy people are set apart to look for what is good, what is true, and what is just - even if what is right is unpopular.
The God of the Hebrews has clearly defeated all these gods, and he has demonstrated his rule and authority over heaven and earth. As we read earlier in the book, there was no god like him! So, we wonder why it was even tempting for the Israelites to take part in the pagan practices of the day. What was enticing about that evil and immoral world? In asking that, we must also ask what is so enticing to us in today's evil and immoral world? God has made it abundantly clear in how we are to live as his people. We, too, are called to be set apart and to live holy lives that reflect God's glory in this dark world. We, too, are called to live differently from the people around us.
The crowd beckoned to the Israelites and often enticed God's holy people to compromise themselves to look like the nations around them. The world beckons us today and entices us to compromise God's standards so that we can look like the people around us. In Matthew 7, Jesus teaches that this is the wide gate, the wide way that leads to destruction, and "those who enter by it are many" (Matt. 7:13b). Jesus calls us to enter through the narrow gate and to walk along the narrow path which leads to life. God spoke to his people through Moses to guide the Israelites on that narrow path; God speaks to us today through his Son and through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide us on that narrow path.
Reflection:
What path are you walking today? Are you walking on the wide path? It is easy and popular, but it leads to destruction. Or are you walking on the narrow path? The way is hard, and it can feel lonely and solitary, but it leads to life.
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