Honest - Exodus 23:1-3

23:1-3 – the first 3 verses of chapter 23 are all judicial code about court proceedings. TB comments, “Generally speaking these verses are referring to judicial integrity; that is, they are about the proper behavior for witnesses, judges, and the litigating parties… Many of the rules we have encountered so far have been very bound up in ancient Hebrew culture but these laws are plain, contemporary, and timeless.” He then goes on a tangent decrying “political correctness” and “secular humanism” that I disagree with, so take that with a grain of salt if you look up the lecture.

I think that perhaps TB might be a bit more “Old Testament” than I am, and I would be interested to know what he thinks the ideal societal set up would be. These lectures are from 2016 I think but it looks like TB still uploads some lectures so he seems to be alive a kicking. Some of the stuff he says, I have to ask myself who he votes for in this upcoming election, just an interesting thought that I have. I love hearing about his knowledge about ancient culture and language and scripture, but a lot of his social commentary, I don’t care for.

Anyway, these first 3 verses deal with honesty and integrity within the judicial system. The laws are “thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.” Don’t actively falsify any information and don’t give credibility to those who do. I think that a lot of these laws are interesting because they talk about, you yourself don’t do the wrong thing AND don’t go along with it if someone else does either. The IM notes that most people think of the law of Moses as the epitome of “an eye for an eye” with it’s brutality, but “in Exodus 23:1-8 is an excellent example of the inaccuracy of that conception. Here are laws requiring a high degree of morality, justice, and righteousness, and requirements to do good to one’s neighbor. In an age where wickedness abounds, where gossip and slander and commonplace (see v.1)… the world would do well to turn to such laws and follow them.”

Verse 2 says, “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after man to wrest judgment.” There is a footnote that translates this verse to say, “thou shalt not follow the crowd to do evil, neither speak up in a lawsuit, being influenced by the majority, to subvert justice.” This isn’t a JST or anything, I think it’s just a way to look at this verse with different wording. The IM notes that this verse is about “men follow the fads and fashions of evil and greedy men.” I think that this verse is a commentary on critical thinking and deciding what is right and wrong with the guidance of the Spirit instead of what everyone else is doing, and then standing up for that right, even when it is vehemently opposed by the rest of society.

Verse 3 has a JST that changes the verse to say “Neither shalt thou countenance a wicked man in his cause.” The IM commented that this means “evil men are often supported and even glorified.” This is true, many of the business leaders or any kind of “leader” really are sociopaths. It’s been studied and shown that the type of person who is naturally drawn to “leadership” are motivated to become leaders because of the power it gives them and not because of the good they can do in that position. I’ve told my kids before when they’ve struggled at work or with other people in “leadership” positions, a prerequisite for many managers is sociopathy, they are in that role because they like the power and seek it out. Obviously that’s not a hard and fast rule and doesn’t apply to everyone, but I’ve definitely seen a lot of people who get even a sniff of power in a position and they absolutely lose their minds with it. Like the former president of our HOA, like lady you are an unpaid volunteer or making sure the grass gets cut and she just went nuts with it and that’s when I was able to see, ok authority and position doesn’t have to be anything significant for corruption to happen. It seems to me that this verse is saying to be very careful of the causes that we support and those who champions them.

So much of these verses seem to be saying to stand up for what's right even if you are alone. We know that, but it's just interesting to have God iterate it here when ideally all those who were given these commandments would obey them, and therefore the majority rule would be honesty, integrity, and compassion. Not need to stand alone if everyone obeys these commandments.