Do Not Pervert Justice

Monday, July 6, 2015
Exodus 23:1-8 NIV 

1 "Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness. 2 "Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, 3 and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit. 4 "If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. 5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it. 6 "Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. 7 Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty. 8 "Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What were the Lord's commands concerning false reports and false witnesses? (v.1)
2) What did the Lord command about doing the wrong that others do? (v.2)
3) What was the Lord's command about favoritism? (v.3)
4) What was the command concerning another's property (v.4-5)
5) What did the Lord command about lawsuits and bribery? What was God's reason for each law? (v.6-8)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
6) Have you ever spread gossip against another individual without knowing all of the facts? If so, what happened?

LIFE LESSONS
7) God is the only absolutely Righteous Judge of any and every situation.
8) The Lord's commands were give to help His people to love Him and to love others.