The Law of Testimony (Exodus 23:1-9) – Justice and truth are not subjective. Our words and course of action should not be dictated by who is in the situation. The testimony of our words in the works of our hands should not be influenced by our emotional Involvement in the situation for our attachment to the people Involved. These verses offer insight into how and when we might be influenced to have a bias. We must learn to recognize and control our natural tendency to so: “Perjury” Principle (Exodus 21:1) – God told the Israelites not to take the stand in a court of law and bear false witness. Doing so, was to join in the wrongdoing of another. When we use dishonest words to aid the wrong of another we have joined their offense. Our words must be honest, always. Whether we are speaking against friend or foe, our testimony must be true.
“Peer Pressure” Principle (Exodus 23:2) – God told the Israelites that they should neither join in the actions of the masses doing evil or allow their testimony to be influenced by what was popular. The number of people that do something does not make it right or wrong. The number of people that believe something does not make it true or untrue. Our words and actions need to be based on God's word and not on the opinion of those around us. We can easily allow our need to be accepted to pervert our perspective. There is only one opinion that matters and that is the one of our God in heaven.
“Little Guy” Principle (Exodus 23:3) – there is a tendency to side with those who can benefit us the most. God had to tell the Israelites not to be partial against a poor man. It would have been easy for well-to-do members of society to bribe and pervert justice. Too often we can allow the voice of the less fortunate to be drowned out. Those who are in charge of justice should not even consider what they can get out of a conflict nor should they even consider this stature or position of a person in society. Each person should have their voice heard whether they are rich or poor, whether they are black or white or brown, or whether they are male or female; justice is not determined by the money and one's bank account, the color of one's skin, nor the language that they speak.
“Omission” Principle (Exodus 23:4-5) – if a man encountered an ox or donkey belonging to his enemy and the animal was wandering away, then he would be required to return the animal to the owner. If his enemies cart flipped and pinned his enemies animal underneath of it, then he would be required to help his enemy free the animal. God did not allow the Israelites to watch bad things happen to the people they didn't get along with. God asked people to do right to their friends and to their enemies. We have an obligation to actively choose good, not simply stay away from evil.
“Robin Hood” Principle (Exodus 23:6) – The opposite of verse three is also true. God had to tell the Israelites not to lie in order to help someone who is needy. Just because someone was economically challenged, they were still subject to the same laws and rules as everyone else. We cannot allow people to use their circumstances as an excuse for doing wrong. In doing so, we create a generation of victims and people who feel a sense of entitlement. We must not let our feelings of pity pervert or sense of justice.
“You Can Run, but You Can't Hide” Principle (Exodus 23:7) – God told the Israelites not to kill the innocent or the righteous. He told them that if they threw someone else under the bus he would not quit the guilty. We can get someone else to take the fall and to think that that will get us off the hook, but we have a God in heaven who knows all. He will not leave the guilty unpunished. We must not fool ourselves into thinking that we can get away with wrong. We can fool the courts, we can fool our friends, we can even fool ourselves, but we cannot fool God.
“Sell Your Soul” Principle (Exodus 23:8) – God told the judges of Israel never to take a bribe. Justice cannot be bought by the highest bidder. We must not let our decisions be swayed by any outside influence. Money, emotions, or relationships should not influence our view when judging between two people. Our God does not judge with partiality, nor should we.
“ET” Principle ( Exodus 23:9) – God commanded the Israelites to treat foreigners fairly when judging them in a court of law. God reminded them that they were just strangers in Egypt to remind them of what it was like to be treated unfairly. We have a tendency to show favor to those who are closest to us and who we know the best. We tend to give them the benefit of the doubt and automatically assume that the other person must be wrong. We must do our best to ensure those outside of our circles get the same treatment as those who we are closest to.





