Exodus 23:1“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness. You shall not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with a crowd. And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.”
Gossiping has been a favorite pastime as long as people have existed. Even before there were telephones or radios or any form of electronic social media, there were men and women willing to spread all kinds of wild stories about their neighbors. These days with social media, things have only escalated. Sadly, many innocent people have had their reputations shredded and some have even been driven to suicide, all because someone has spread vicious rumors. What does God think about this?
Short answer: GOD HATES IT! Not only is God serious about people not taking His Name in vain, but He is also quite serious about people telling the truth at all times. Someone has pointed out that there is no such thing as a “nice” rumor, only vicious ones!
Why do people pass on rumors? Some people just want attention. Others might think they have been told the truth when they have not. And then there are those who really do want to damage someone else as much as possible.
Here in northeastern Ghana, it is very common for problems to be solved by calling a council of elders. One of the good things about village life is that everybody knows the people who are to be trusted and the people who are likely to carry wild stories just to gain attention. In a village setting, many people live in compound houses with several other families. There are no secrets in a village, and that means that anybody trying to spread rumors is going to have a tough time. Bring a false accusation to the council of elders and you may find yourself extremely embarrassed as your neighbors tell everybody what has really happened.
“You shall not follow a crowd in wrongdoing.” Dennis Prager comments, “This law is a prohibition on people allowing themselves to be led astray by large groups or majority opinion. One of the saddest facts of the human condition is that most people follow the herd. Sometimes, of course, the herd is morally right. That obviously , is the ideal. But most good is achieved by individuals who have the courage to part from the majority when it is morally wrong.
In addition, people tend to act worse in groups than when alone. The herd, not to mention the mob, emboldens people to do bad things they would rarely do if they had no such support…. People go along with the majority when it is wrong for at least two reasons: First, people want to be well – liked, popular. And the desire to be liked can be very dangerous, since it may lead a person to prefer being liked to being morally right. Second, it takes courage to dissent from the immoral majority. They may hurt you – physically or financially, or hurt your reputation. It is a lot safer to side with an immoral majority.” (Dennis Prager, The Rational Bible: Exodus)
“And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.” Currently in the United States, there are a variety of actions that have been taken claiming to redress the wrongs suffered many decades ago. But as Prager points out, “The role of a judge is not to undo society’s ills, but to render justice in any particular case before the court. A judge is thus distorting his professional calling if he rules on behalf of a poor man who is in the wrong…The judge’s primary role is to render justice in the courtroom. That is how he will help repair society. When judges forsake that role, they actually harm society, not repair it, because a good society rests first and foremost on justice.”
APPLICATION: Recent events in America have only born out the truth of these statements. Before buying into any arguments, we must examine our motives. Are we espousing a cause simply because others are doing so or are we truly acting out of conviction? Some of the groups that appeared to have good motives have turned out differently on further inspection. We need to pray for guidance and not be swayed by strident voices. And at some point, we may find ourselves saying, as did Martin Luther when he was asked to recant, “Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me!
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your word and for the standards you have set there. Help us to truly see what your will is and to follow that and nothing else. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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