“You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice.” (Exodus 23:2, NLT)
I chose the New Living Translation of Exodus 23:2 to begin today’s meditation. It’s a little more of a modern translation. The original languages agree with the meaning of this version, though they use somewhat different and more archaic words to explain the original Hebrew. Needless to say, this verse from the Old Testament makes crystal clear that being faithful to God requires you to be just and righteous. “You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong” (Exodus 23:2a). Peer pressure often results in people going with the flow, following the fads, believing the hype, being sucked in by propaganda. This scripture ends with the warning; “when you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice.” (Exodus 23:b).
From social media to advertising to political action groups and mainstream media, the world is constantly trying to manipulate your opinion. They don’t want you disagreeing with their ideals and biases. They want you to fall in line and do their bidding. As a Christian, you are called to stand with God, even if it means going against the crowd. Your faithfulness to God should be more important than “fitting in” with others or following in lockstep the wishes of those in power. Few people can handle the pressures that come with standing up for what you believe. They are quick to cave when worldly pressures mount. They will abandon their values when pressed to do so.
In the book, 6,000 Plus Illustrations for Communicating Biblical Truths, the authors included a modern reading of the age old Red Riding Hood story. However, it comes with a few twists based on modern sensibilities and pitfalls…..
“Once upon a time, in a faraway country, there lived a little girl called Red Riding Hood. One day her mother asked her to take a basket of fruit to her grandmother, who had been ill and lived alone in a cottage in the forest.
It happened that a wolf was lurking in the bushes and overheard the conversation. He decided to take a short-cut to the grandmother’s house and get the goodies for himself. The wolf killed the grandmother, then dressed in her nightgown and jumped into bed to await the little girl.
When she arrived, he made several nasty suggestions and then tried to grab her. But by this time, the child was very frightened and ran screaming from the cottage.
A woodcutter, working nearby, heard her cries and rushed to the rescue. He killed the wolf with his ax, thereby saving Red Riding Hood’s life. All the townspeople hurried to the scene and proclaimed the woodcutter a hero.
But at the inquest, several facts emerged:
• The wolf had never been advised of his rights.
• The woodcutter had made no warning swings before striking the fatal blow.
• The Civil Liberties Union stressed the point that, although the act of eating Grandma may have been in bad taste, the wolf was only “doing his thing” and thus didn’t deserve the death penalty.
• The SDS contended that the killing of the grandmother should be considered self-defense since she was over 30 and, therefore, couldn’t be taken seriously because the wolf was trying to make love, not war.
On the basis of these considerations, it was decided there was no valid basis for charges against the wolf. Moreover, the woodcutter was indicted for unaggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Several nights later, the woodcutter’s cottage was burned to the ground.
One year from the date of “The Incident at Grandma’s,” her cottage was made a shrine for the wolf who had bled and died there. All the village officials spoke at the dedication, but it was Red Riding Hood who gave the most touching tribute.
She said that, while she had been selfishly grateful for the woodcutter’s intervention, she realized in retrospect that he had over-reacted. As she knelt and placed a wreath in honor of the brave wolf, there wasn’t a dry eye in the whole forest.” (In the section on “Evil”).
Modern social activism, political activism, and religious worldliness have twisted what is right and wrong. These people have turned upside down what was once considered basic social norms that were more aligned with fundamental biblical beliefs. Several hundred years ago, marriage was seen as a social good. Now, more marriages end up in divorce than succeed, with marriage being deemed in the public sphere as “a sexist institution”. For centuries, homosexuality and bisexuality were seen as social and biblical sins. Today, they are seen as simply alternate choices for sexuality. Twenty years ago, people could define what a man and woman are, especially by DNA markers. Today, you aren’t allowed by many liberal groups to define a man or woman because it is seen as insensitive. I even see a dangerous trend in the modern world with the sexualizing of children. Transsexuals want to normalize their views by reading to children in libraries and marching in parades. All this is to change public views about their beliefs and practices, watering down any notion of right and wrong. If you stand up against the powerful voices and big money of these groups and organizations and people, you will be drowned out and vilified and social media will do everything to castigate you.
Still, today’s scripture is a reminder that you must answer to God, not to peer pressure. Your future in heaven or hell is determined by the choices you make right now. Will you cave to public pressures? Will you be manipulated by social media? Will propaganda from political parties and extremist groups twist your ideas of right and wrong? God’s word for today is clear. You “MUST not follow the crowd” (Exodus 23:2a). Did you notice that word MUST? To follow God in Christ, you are never to “be swayed by the crowd to twist justice” (Exodus 23:2b).
I guarantee in your life, you will have to make a choice between following the crowd and doing what’s right. As it says in a line from Albus Dumbledore of the Harry Potter series, you will have to “choose between what is right and what is easy”. So many will go with the flow, choosing what is easy. God wants you to stand against injustice, do what is right, and be a light shining in the darkness of our modern world. That is never easy, but it is faithful.
From social media to advertising to political action groups and mainstream media, the world is constantly trying to manipulate your opinion. They don’t want you disagreeing with their ideals and biases. They want you to fall in line and do their bidding. As a Christian, you are called to stand with God, even if it means going against the crowd. Your faithfulness to God should be more important than “fitting in” with others or following in lockstep the wishes of those in power. Few people can handle the pressures that come with standing up for what you believe. They are quick to cave when worldly pressures mount. They will abandon their values when pressed to do so.
In the book, 6,000 Plus Illustrations for Communicating Biblical Truths, the authors included a modern reading of the age old Red Riding Hood story. However, it comes with a few twists based on modern sensibilities and pitfalls…..
“Once upon a time, in a faraway country, there lived a little girl called Red Riding Hood. One day her mother asked her to take a basket of fruit to her grandmother, who had been ill and lived alone in a cottage in the forest.
It happened that a wolf was lurking in the bushes and overheard the conversation. He decided to take a short-cut to the grandmother’s house and get the goodies for himself. The wolf killed the grandmother, then dressed in her nightgown and jumped into bed to await the little girl.
When she arrived, he made several nasty suggestions and then tried to grab her. But by this time, the child was very frightened and ran screaming from the cottage.
A woodcutter, working nearby, heard her cries and rushed to the rescue. He killed the wolf with his ax, thereby saving Red Riding Hood’s life. All the townspeople hurried to the scene and proclaimed the woodcutter a hero.
But at the inquest, several facts emerged:
• The wolf had never been advised of his rights.
• The woodcutter had made no warning swings before striking the fatal blow.
• The Civil Liberties Union stressed the point that, although the act of eating Grandma may have been in bad taste, the wolf was only “doing his thing” and thus didn’t deserve the death penalty.
• The SDS contended that the killing of the grandmother should be considered self-defense since she was over 30 and, therefore, couldn’t be taken seriously because the wolf was trying to make love, not war.
On the basis of these considerations, it was decided there was no valid basis for charges against the wolf. Moreover, the woodcutter was indicted for unaggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Several nights later, the woodcutter’s cottage was burned to the ground.
One year from the date of “The Incident at Grandma’s,” her cottage was made a shrine for the wolf who had bled and died there. All the village officials spoke at the dedication, but it was Red Riding Hood who gave the most touching tribute.
She said that, while she had been selfishly grateful for the woodcutter’s intervention, she realized in retrospect that he had over-reacted. As she knelt and placed a wreath in honor of the brave wolf, there wasn’t a dry eye in the whole forest.” (In the section on “Evil”).
Modern social activism, political activism, and religious worldliness have twisted what is right and wrong. These people have turned upside down what was once considered basic social norms that were more aligned with fundamental biblical beliefs. Several hundred years ago, marriage was seen as a social good. Now, more marriages end up in divorce than succeed, with marriage being deemed in the public sphere as “a sexist institution”. For centuries, homosexuality and bisexuality were seen as social and biblical sins. Today, they are seen as simply alternate choices for sexuality. Twenty years ago, people could define what a man and woman are, especially by DNA markers. Today, you aren’t allowed by many liberal groups to define a man or woman because it is seen as insensitive. I even see a dangerous trend in the modern world with the sexualizing of children. Transsexuals want to normalize their views by reading to children in libraries and marching in parades. All this is to change public views about their beliefs and practices, watering down any notion of right and wrong. If you stand up against the powerful voices and big money of these groups and organizations and people, you will be drowned out and vilified and social media will do everything to castigate you.
Still, today’s scripture is a reminder that you must answer to God, not to peer pressure. Your future in heaven or hell is determined by the choices you make right now. Will you cave to public pressures? Will you be manipulated by social media? Will propaganda from political parties and extremist groups twist your ideas of right and wrong? God’s word for today is clear. You “MUST not follow the crowd” (Exodus 23:2a). Did you notice that word MUST? To follow God in Christ, you are never to “be swayed by the crowd to twist justice” (Exodus 23:2b).
I guarantee in your life, you will have to make a choice between following the crowd and doing what’s right. As it says in a line from Albus Dumbledore of the Harry Potter series, you will have to “choose between what is right and what is easy”. So many will go with the flow, choosing what is easy. God wants you to stand against injustice, do what is right, and be a light shining in the darkness of our modern world. That is never easy, but it is faithful.