Goodness and justice are inseparable. God is both good and just. He is also righteous, merciful and compassionate. Our standard of justice is defined by God. It does not change with one’s culture. Exodus chapters 21 to 23 are about God’s civil laws for Israel. These laws are the application of God’s moral law, thus the principles behind these civil laws are also applicable to believers today. Three principles can be derived from Exodus 23:1-9.

1.  God’s judgment is objective (Exod 23:1-3):

God’s judgment is not subjective. It is truthful. Exodus 23:1: “Thou shalt not raise a false report….” A “false report” refers to false words or rumours that are unestablished, unverified, exaggerated, and where key details are omitted. A “false report” could also be just an opinion or hearsay. The facts of a report must be verified objectively. We must not listen to, nor spread, rumours. To “put not thine hand with the wicked” (Exod 23:1) means we are not to defend a wicked person, and not to be a false witness. “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil…” (Exod 23:2) means we are not to be influenced to do evil by the majority. The majority may not be always right. We must also not “wrest judgment” (Exod 23:2), i.e. not to pervert judgment. God’s objective judgment is fair and true, not wicked. Thus, we do not rule in favour of the poor just because they are poor (Exod 23:3). One’s social status does not determine what is right. Justice is what is right according to God’s Word.

2.  God’s judgment is based on love (Exod 23:4-6):

Exodus 23:4-5 teaches that we are to help our enemy’s animal if it goes astray. The enemy here refers to a personal enemy. We are also to show love and kindness to our enemies and their loved ones (Rom 12:20). Exodus 23:6 teaches that whether a person is rich or poor, it should have no bearing on how we judge or treat him. [Note: As for God’s enemies, 2 John 1:10-11 teaches that we are not to help them.]

3.  God’s judgment is pure (Exod 23:7-9):

Exodus 23:7: “Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not…” We are to keep away from falsehoods, and not to “slay” the innocent and the righteous. We can do what is right and make pure judgment when we refuse to take bribes (Exod 23:8) or to be corrupt. God will judge. Exodus 23:9 teaches that we are not to oppress foreigners, but to have compassion on them.