Exodus 23:1-9
~16 min read
💭 Consider this: Are you a “truthful” person? Why or why not?
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for tonight’s message is taken from Exodus 23:1-9. This section is about speaking the truth, and it prohibits giving false reports. It is an extension of the Ninth Commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16). It has the picture of a court of law or a legal system. In the Old Testament, a person’s testimony was very important in terms of declaring the guilt or innocence of an individual. In the ancient world, the judicial system was filled with abuse. The accused had little protection. The accused was considered guilty unless proven innocent. Unlike today, the person is considered innocent unless proven guilty.
In those days, there was little or no forensic evidence. Obviously, there was no such thing as DNA or blood samples. So, almost everything depended on the eyewitnesses account of those who were giving testimony. That was why God demanded absolute honesty and truthfulness. And to make sure that justice was maintained, He commanded that there must not be a conviction based upon the mouth of just one witness; there had to be two or three witnesses. Deuteronomy 19:15 says, “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established”.
God had a very high regard for truth and justice. And there were severe penalties for those giving false testimonies. If a person testified against another man falsely, and the victim was found guilty, and he was punished, the person who gave false witness shall receive the same punishment as the victim. In other words, if you testify against your neighbour, and the penalty is death, and you are found guilty of giving false witness, you will lose your life. That was just how serious it was.
Believers have to speak the truth at all times. In a sense, you and I are always speaking in a court. And it is no ordinary court — it is a divine court — because God is our Judge. We are always in His presence. And He will judge every word we speak, whether it is true or false. The title of our message is ‘Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But Truth’.
I. Not Subjected To Falsehood
Our first point is it should not be subjected to falsehood. Beginning with verse 1, Exodus chapter 23, “Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness” (Exodus 23:1). To “raise a false report” means to spread a false report or a false testimony. The “wicked” was someone who was guilty, and the “unrighteous witness” was someone who distorted or covered up the truth, in order to declare the guilty to be innocent.
Fundamentally, a false report is something that is untrue. It is a lie. And we can commit this sin of spreading a false report in many ways. Sometimes, we only tell one side of the story, and we leave out the details that do not fit our narrative. Or, we quote a person, what he says out of context. Or, we just hear what we want to hear, and when the time comes for us to tell what we have heard, we omit those things that were truly said. Or, we may speak the truth, but it is mixed with exaggeration, and also, some hearsay.
Whenever we fail to tell the truth — the whole truth, nothing but the truth — we are spreading false reports. Consider the harm and damage a false report can do. It can stir up controversy, it can damage relationships, it can destroy reputations, and it can ruin a person’s life. In the church, a false report can cause the congregation to be divided, and a minister to be disqualified. In a marriage, it can cause the marriage to end up in divorce. In the business world, it can cause the businessman to lose his credibility, and reputation, and eventually, his business. In the legal system, it can cause the innocent to be sentenced to death, and the guilty to be set free.
Once a false report gets repeated, it tends to take on a life of its own. And it will spread on its own, like wildfire. Even though later on, when it has been proven that it is a lie, people still cannot get it out of their minds. Allow me to quote the two examples I gave in the message I preached about ‘The Power Of The Tongue’ from the Book of James. The tongue is like “a little fire” that can set aflame a great forest (James 3:5).
Once there was a patient who visited a particular clinic, and he was unhappy with the medical consultation he received from the doctor. He decided to destroy the doctor professionally through spreading false reports. He started to tell everyone that the doctor had wrongly diagnosed the medical conditions of several patients, which resulted in their deaths. Several years later, he regretted what he had said. He had a change of heart. He asked the doctor for his forgiveness. The doctor forgave him.
But there was no way to stop the rumours. The damage was done. And it continued to spread. Fewer and fewer patients visited his clinic. And even when those few patients did visit his clinic, the doctor was always wondering if they had heard the rumours; if they had believed the false reports. He could not continue working in that clinic, nor anywhere else. And finally, he gave up the practice of medicine altogether.
On another occasion, there was a woman who liked a married man who was a Christian, and she tried to seduce him. But he was like Joseph in the Bible, and he resisted her advances. She was angry. And she started to spread all kinds of false reports about him, that they had an affair; that he was immoral and promiscuous. That lie spread like wildfire. And the whole church came to know about it. The man was confronted by the church leaders, even though it was proven that it was a lie. But it was too late. The damage was already done. All the church members started to look at him with a critical eye.
His wife also heard about it, though she did not believe the lie. But the whole family, including the children, were devastated. They were all affected. They left the church because they could not stand the critical eye of the people. They went church-hopping for a while. And when they could not find a suitable church, they stopped attending church altogether. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually, they were all affected. Both the husband and wife fell into depression. They ended up in divorce. The children were left to the care of the relatives.
How tragic. These were two real stories. And it all started with a false report. Just one. And before they knew it, it spread. And the damage was unimaginable.
Dear friend, how can we avoid spreading false reports? By not listening to unfounded rumours in the first place. If someone tries to tell us something that is none of our business, we should not even listen. Even if it is our business, we should listen to the whole story and get to the whole truth. We should be careful not to believe everything we hear, especially from someone who is angry or has an axe to grind against the person he is speaking about. We should only hear and say things out of a love for the people and with a desire to advance God’s Work. When your words and my words cannot pass all these tests, then it will be better for us not to hear or say anything at all. We must not bear false reports. God forbids.
II. Not Subjected To The Majority
Secondly, truth should not be subjected to the majority. Verse 2, “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment” (Exodus 23:2). Another temptation to give a false report is to be influenced by the opinions of others. We want others to accept us. And sometimes we are tempted to say what they want to hear and to say what they want us to say, even though we know it is false.
To “speak in a cause” means to speak in a controversy, in a dispute, or in a lawsuit. The words “decline” and “wrest” come from the same Hebrew word, which means to stretch out, to extend, or to pervert. In other words, God is saying, ‘When you testify in a dispute or in a lawsuit, when you are giving your testimony, do not follow the majority in doing evil; do not stretch the truth; do not pervert the truth by siding with the majority’.
Take a moment and consider this: Throughout our lives, we face the pressure from the majority, right? In our school, everyone is making fun of the kid who is unpopular. And we face the pressure to join them in their mockeries. In our workplace, everyone is engaged in dirty jokes. And we face the pressure to join in those immoral conversations. In our social lives, everyone is drinking and partying. We face the pressure to join in those worldly activities. We are always asking ourselves, ‘What would the people think if I do not join in’? Before we know it, we are not only dressing like the way they are; we are not only talking and thinking like the way they are talking and thinking, we are doing the same thing as them.
When it comes to the truth, there is no difference. The majority will pressure us to side with them, even at the expense of the truth. As believers, we must not subject ourselves to the majority. God wants us to be different. He does not want us to follow the majority, in doing that which is evil; that which is wrong. You and I belong to Jesus Christ. And we need to follow Him. We need to speak and stand for the truth, even if it may be unpopular and unwelcome.
Dear friend, let us ask ourselves: ‘If, in speaking the truth, we have to stand against the majority, will we still do it? If, in speaking the truth, we will lose all our friends, will we still do it’? If we are willing to speak the truth regardless of the consequences, even if the whole world is against us, our God is with us. He is pleased with us. And that is all that matters. Is that not true? We want to seek the approval of our Almighty God. So, we need to speak the truth, even if there are times we have to go against the majority, even at times when we will lose all our friends. But God is pleased with us.
Next, let us move on to verses 4 and 5. As this whole section is about speaking the truth, some theologians feel that these two verses seem out of place. But I believe they are still within the context of the truth. Why? Because the other verses were about speaking the truth, while these two verses were about leaving out the truth.
III. Not Subjected To Animosity
So, our third point is not subjected to animosity. Verse 4, “If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again” (Exodus 23:4). This is the situation whereby you chance upon one of your enemy’s animals going astray. It’ll be tempting to do nothing at all, and just let the animal wander away. After all, no one will ever know. But God knows. And He expects us to do the right thing by taking hold of the animal, and bringing it back to its rightful owner.
Let’s say, you are a person who does the right thing, only when people are watching you; only when that thing relates to your friend. Are you a truthful person? No. A truthful person is always truthful. No matter what. Whether in words or in actions; whether the people are watching or not; whether it relates to his friends or enemies, it doesn’t matter, because he knows that God is always watching him. A truthful person will always be truthful in both his words and his works as well.
Verse 5, “If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him” (Exodus 23:5). This is a situation whereby you chance upon your enemy himself, and he’s struggling with his donkey. Perhaps he has fallen, and he cannot get up. When something like this happens, some people will just stand and watch, and enjoy what they see. After all, that is his enemy.
But the Bible tells us in Proverbs 24:17, “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth”. And 1 Corinthians 13:5-6 says, ‘Love thinketh no evil, and rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth’. The truth of the matter is that God expects us to rush to our enemy’s side, and to lend him a helping hand. In other words, we are to treat our enemies like the way we treat our friends. And when we treat them in this way, they will become our friends.
As one theologian said, ‘It is hard for our enemies to hold onto a grudge at the same time we are holding onto their donkey’. It is hard for our enemy to keep on hating us when we willingly come to help them. This is how love triumphs over hatred. Can you imagine if every one of us were to apply this principle into our lives? Then we will be able to turn our enemies into our friends. This is the wisdom of God.
Do you have any enemies? Has anyone mistreated you? Is there someone you secretly try to avoid? If there is, then that is the person you are called to love. Remember, Jesus said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). If there is such a person, then that is the person we are called to love.
IV. Not Subjected To Partiality
Our final point is not subjected to partiality. Look back to verse 3, “Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause” (Exodus 23:3). You are not to show partiality to a poor man in his dispute or in his lawsuit. The Hebrew word for “countenance” means to honour or to glorify. Therefore, the literal translation can be, ‘Neither shall you give honour to a poor man in his lawsuit’.
Now, the question is ‘Why would anyone show honour to a poor man’? Interestingly, sometimes there is the pleasure to side with someone who is poor. What do we mean by that? Some people consider the poor man as the underdog or the victim. He belongs to the small, special group fighting against the big establishment. He is the minority. And therefore, he ought to be supported, even at the expense of the truth.
Today, there are many movements out there that support the minority. Whether they are right or wrong, it doesn’t matter, as long as they are small; they are the minority; they are the poor; they are less privileged; they are the disadvantaged, then they ought to be supported. There are even some Christians who think that God is always for the poor and against the rich. While it is true that God loves the poor, but as far as His truth and justice is concerned, the poor are just as sinful as everyone else; the poor can be just as guilty as anyone else. God’s love is not sentimental, but it is based on the truth. And He wants you and me to also support the poor based on the truth.
Verse 6, “Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked” (Exodus 23:6-7). The opposite of verse three is also true. God says, ‘Do not deny justice to the poor in his lawsuit. You must have nothing to do with a false report, and do not put an innocent person to death. That is a most wicked thing to do. And if you do that, I will not acquit the wicked’. In other words, we are to stand and support, not based on partiality; not based on whether the person is rich or poor, but simply based on the truth.
Verse 8, “And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous” (Exodus 23:8), which means do not take bribes. When someone offers you a bribe, essentially he is using that gift to blind your eyes, right? Just like someone who offers the traffic police some money, so that he will close his eyes to the traffic violation. When you and I do that, it means that we are someone who can be bought over with money. Justice and truth can never be for sale. Whether it comes in the form of money, or rewards, or presents, we must never let anything close our eyes to the truth; never let our eyes be close by those gifts, because it will lead us to injustice, and God will hold us accountable.
Does this kind of thing happen in the church? Tragically, yes. Once there was a church deacon who had committed adultery, and the pastor knew about it. In an attempt to cover up his sin, he lavished on the pastor — gifts — and he tried to invite him to expensive restaurants, hoping that the pastor will not expose his sin, and allow him to continue serving as a deacon. But thank God, the pastor was godly and wise, he refused to be blinded; he refused to pervert the truth. He returned all the gifts and he rejected all the invitations.
As a word of caution, we should be careful with the gifts we receive, because some of those gifts may be attached with strings, to blind our eyes so that we will pervert the truth; so that we will not speak the truth; so that we will go with the majority. If you and I recognise that there are strings attached to such a gift, the right thing to do is to reject it. No matter what. No matter how valuable and expensive it is. We must reject it at all costs. We must never let our eyes be blinded. We must never pervert the truth. But always speak the truth.
Finally, verse 9, “Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:9). Oftentimes, when it comes to the truth — the strangers or foreigners — they are the ones most oppressed. They are considered people with no rights. They are treated as second-class citizens. In some countries, they are even used as scapegoats to take responsibilities for crimes they did not commit. As the saying goes, ‘When there are crimes, blame it on the immigrants’.
God’s people must never do that. The children of Israel knew this better than anyone else, they knew this by first-hand experience; they knew what it meant to be “strangers”; they knew “the heart of a stranger”. Why? Because they themselves were once “strangers in the land of Egypt”. So God said to them, ‘Do not behave like that. Speak the truth without partiality’.
Dear friend, we must always speak the truth. Our Lord Jesus said to us, “[Let] your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:37). We may be able to deceive the people around us, but God knows. And at the end of the day, we will have to give an account for every word we speak, whether it be true or false. We want to speak the truth. And the words we speak must not be subjected to falsehood, to the majority, to animosity, and to partiality. Truth is truth. And it must not be subjected to anything, but the truth.
Let this sink into our hearts, and be applied into our lives. God wants us to speak the truth always, at all times. And as we said a moment ago, we are always speaking in a court. But it is no ordinary court — it is a divine court — because we are always speaking in the presence of God, who is our Judge. Let us be careful of our words.
Let us pray. Father in Heaven, indeed, Thou has taught us and reminded us, that we ought to speak the truth, at all times. And Thou has reminded us not to spread false reports. Forgive us if there are times we have not spoken the truth, whether we speak one side of the truth and leave out the details that do not fit our narratives, or we just say things out of context, not the whole truth, or we only hear what we want to hear and say what others want to hear, or we say the truth but it is mixed with some hearsay and exaggeration. O Lord, forgive us.
We want to speak the truth. And Thou has taught us that the truth we speak must not be subjected to falsehood, to the majority, to animosity. We do not speak the truth or apply the truth only to our friends, and not to our enemies. God forbids. And we ought not to be partial. A truthful person is always truthful, in both his words and actions, at all times. O Lord, remind us of this truth and help us to apply it into our lives. And help us to be reminded that we are always in Thy presence, and what we say, and even what we think are always open before Thee. And we want to be right with Thee. Teach us this truth. And help us to apply it to the glory of Thy precious name. We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeExodus 21:18-36
The Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsThe Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsExodus 22:1-15
The Character Of GodThe Character Of GodExodus 22:16-20
Reaching Out To The Down-And-OutReaching Out To The Down-And-OutExodus 22:21-24
The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodThe Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodExodus 22:25-31
Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthTruth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthExodus 23:1-9
Remember Who God IsRemember Who God IsExodus 23:10-19
What Must We Do To Have VictoryWhat Must We Do To Have VictoryExodus 23:20-33
How We Ought To Worship GodHow We Ought To Worship GodExodus 24:1-4, 7
On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?Exodus 24:4-8
Responding To God’s InvitationResponding To God’s InvitationExodus 24:9-18
The Right Attitude Of GivingThe Right Attitude Of GivingExodus 25:1-8
There I Will Meet YouThere I Will Meet YouExodus 25:9-22
Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Exodus 25:23-30
Let Your Light So Shine Before MenLet Your Light So Shine Before MenExodus 25:31-40
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
