Sermon Tone Analysis

*/Justice for All/*

/Exodus 23:1-13/

Pastor Oesterwind

*Introduction:*  We are created in the image of God.

This should lead us to conclude, though much maligned, there is a sense of moral oughtness or justice in each of us.

That is, we know innately when something is wrong or people are mistreated.

We desire and sometimes demand justice in situations like these.

The problem is that sometimes we just don’t see things as they truly are.

That often leads us to false conclusions and snap decisions.

Often, we judge by appearance and aren’t even aware of it.

The question, “What keeps us from seeing people as they truly are?” has been addressed in a book written by Malcolm Gladwell titled /Blink/.

It is a book about “the power of thinking without thinking.”

Choices we make in an instant aren’t always easy and right.

Gladwell writes about how the classical music world realized that their system for auditioning new musicians was corrupt.

They thought the system unbiased until they erected screens between the judges and the musicians being auditioned.

With the screens in place, the number of women in the top US orchestra has increased fivefold.

Consider the story of Julie Landsman…

When Julie Landsman auditioned for the role of principal French horn at the Met, the screens had just gone up in the practice hall.

At the time, there were no women in the brass section of the orchestra, because everyone "knew" that women could not play the horn as well as men.

But Landsman came and sat down and played—and she played well.

"I knew in my last round that I had won before they told me," she says.

"It was because of the way I performed the last piece.

I held on to the last high C for a very long time, just to leave no doubt in their minds.

And they started to laugh, because it was above and beyond the call of duty."

But when they declared her the winner and she stepped out from behind the screen, there was a gasp.

It wasn't just that she was a woman….

And it wasn't just the bold high C, which was the kind of macho sound that they expected from a man only.

It was because they knew her.

Landsman had played for the Met as a substitute.

Until they listened to her with just their ears, however, they had no idea she was so good.

This exemplifies our need for wisdom and discernment that can come from only above.

For many years we may think we’re right while we have perverted justice all along.

God demanded */justice for all/* when He gave His Law to Israel.

We continue our study through Exodus in the midst of the Book of the Covenant, the practical application of God’s Ten Commandments.

*Transition:*  Tonight we consider five objects of God’s comprehensive justice.

God desires justice for all.

God desires justice for, first of all, the guilty.

Justice for the Guilty (23.1-3)

*Explanation:*  Here, God is warning Israel about allowing the guilty to go free.

*/There must be justice for the guilty.

/* This is a specific application of the 9th commandment which states, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (20.16).

There is an added facet, however, to this Hebrew word for /false/ in v. 1.

The word means /empty/, /vain/, /without/ /result/, or /worthless/.

That is, no report should be circulated that has no foundation to it or that causes the perversion of justice.

The report may be true and it may not be true.

The person circulating the report just doesn’t know whether or not it is, and that’s the problem.

What is needed is a true report – something substantive.

The temptation for judges, officials, and witnesses in any legal system is to manipulate the outcome.

God knew this, and He commanded people in this position to not give into a mob mentality (i.e.

“follow a crowd to do evil”; v. 2).

Further, one may “turn aside after many to pervert justice”.

He may, even as a singular person, turn the many to his position.

This would be common among judges.

If several judges gathered to determine a matter, they would often make the junior judges voice their opinions first.

This was done so that these junior members would not turn aside after many and pervert justice.

Verse 3 offers another admonition:  don’t show partiality to a poor man in his dispute.

The poor man is often isolate and alone in his struggle.

A judge might look at this as an opportunity to be protector of the poor.

The problem is that the poor often guilty and */there must be justice for the guilty/*!

Making a snap decision on the basis of weak compassion for the poor is unjust.

*Application:  *We often make snap judgments because we don’t substantiate what we know.

Most of our lying is this way.

We leave out details that don’t fortify the outcome we desire.

We listen to people, but then use their words out of context.

This leads others to believe a lie.

Often this leads ruined relationships and reputations.

It can devastate the life of an innocent person.

What’s worse we believe we’re on the side of justice but have been inaccurate in our testimony.

Don’t believe one side of any story.

We can’t help but hear false testimony from time to time.

The key is we need to not hear it in the sense that we don’t believe it.

Often, people circulating reports without substance do so because they have the proverbial axe to grind.

Don’t repeat what you hear from them.

Get the other side of the story.

Also, whoever said a majority opinion was necessarily a good thing.

There is mob mentality out there fueled with energy from the devil.

Think of people and what they really want in life.

It causes a lustful spirit in all of us.

We are driven to collect as many possessions as we can, to become enamored with the beautiful people instead of the spiritually stable ones, and to gratify evil, sinful desires.

After all, we can’t be inconvenienced by other people’s needs.

We need time for ourselves, don’t you know!

Also, beware carrying the banner for the poor.

We love the underdog, but sometimes there is a reason they are the underdog!

Special interest groups call for their own brand of justice at times.

There is a whole branch of theology built on this thinking – it’s called liberation theology.

Our nation cannot see that our drive for health care is not motivated by a compassion for the poor who cannot afford insurance, but it is driven by something even more sinister:  the justification of socialistic and communistic ideas.

How is this happening in our Republic?

Our leaders are pulling on our heartstrings for the poor.

But, if it’s wrong, it’s wrong.

The poor aren’t always right.

There must be justice for the guilty!

*Transition:*  The first object of justice is the guilty – no matter what form they take.

Secondly, this evening, there must be…

Justice for the Enemy (23.4-5)

*Explanation:*  The operative word in v. 4 is /enemy’s/.

In other words, /one who hates you /(v.

5).

It is possible that the enemy in this scenario is a person involved in a legal case with them.

They could not be unjust because of feelings of aversion for an enemy.

If the ox strays, bring it back – even if he belongs to your enemy.

If the one who hates you owns a donkey that pinned under a burden, you must help the animal.