QT 4/3/2026 Exo 23:1-9, Understanding how important laws are to life

Exodus 23:1–9 (ESV) —

1 “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. 2 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, 3 nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.

4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. 5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.

6 “You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. 7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. 8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

9 “You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

 

NOTE: Two things to note that relate to the arguments about illegal immigrants:

 

Verse 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.

Verse 9: You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

 

We are not to show partiality to a person who is poor or side with the many. What is wrong remains wrong no matter who does it or how many people think it is okay. If a person is in the country illegally; has not made their deportation hearings; or have committed a crime; they should be treated with justice and legally -- they are not entitled to special privileges. For a person who has entered legally, they should not be oppressed. But if they are trouble makers or commit crimes or encourage crimes, they can be arrested and even deported (oppressed).

 

There is a strange spirit in our country which is obsessed with one man and expresses (literally) demonic outrage over his actions. I believe that many of these people are oppressed by demonic spirits; have mental health problems; and are seriously searching for meaning in their broken lives. One  cannot even talk to them because they do not want to listen to truth. All we can do is pray that God wakes them up and gets their attention with truth, the hard truth, that they have a sin problem (like we all do) and they need to repent.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I guilty of perverting justice or truth for a cause?
2. Do I respect the law (Romans 13:1-7 and I Pet 2:13-17) and submit to the institutions God has allowed and instituted?

 

PRAYER: Father, my country is desperately in need of a savior and terribly lost. We no longer believe in truth and it is showing everywhere. I pray for the people caught up in Satan's lies. Open their eyes. Get their attention. I pray that they would repent of their sin and turn to Jesus.