I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 22-24.

    There are several verses in today’s passage which contain commands which are relevant in discussions going on in our society today. Twice in this passage God commands the Israelites not to oppress the foreigners living among them. These commands, and others similar to them, are often used by those who argue in favor of the U.S. not enforcing its immigration laws. I do not want to get into politics in my blog. However, I want to point out that there are people among those arguing for not enforcing immigration laws who use those laws to allow them to exploit people in this country illegally. This command tells us that we should be speaking out against those who are exploiting and oppressing those people who are in this country in violation of the law. I believe that it is not wrong for a country to establish laws concerning who is allowed to enter that country. However, I also believe that I should do my best to provide aid to those in need, even if they are in the country in violation of the country’s laws (what form that aid takes must be determined on a case by case basis).

    The other call to justice I want to focus on here is a call for honesty. There are a series of important elements to this. First, God commands us not to spread false rumors. I do not believe that not knowing that the rumors are false gets you off the hook for this one. If the rumors you know reflect negatively on the character of someone, check their truthfulness before sharing them. God has more commands pointing up the connection between honesty and justice. If you lie on the witness stand (and I believe this applies to any place where you are giving witness, not just the courtroom), at best, you are cooperating with evil people. Further God commands us not to follow the crowd in doing wrong and to not let the sentiment of the crowd sway us to make false statements about people. Stick to what you know to be right and true, even if everyone else is convinced (or acting as if they are convinced) of the opposite. This does not mean that you do not take a moment to make sure that you are not the one who is in the wrong. It does mean stay out of witch hunts and wait until you know the facts when the crowd is howling for blood. The final command in this passage on the theme of honesty and justice is to refuse all bribes, even ones for making the decision you had already decided to make. Once you have accepted the bribe, you will be less likely to notice evidence that shows your original conclusion to be incorrect. In addition, bribes, even those which are for the just decision, will bring into question whether justice is truly being served.