DCLM Daily Manna 2024: DCLM Daily Manna 7 October 2024: Equity and Justice
Text: Leviticus 19:15-21 (KJV)
15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.
17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.
18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
20 And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.
21 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering.
KEY VERSE: Leviticus 19:15
“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.”
In September 2018 in Dallas, Texas, USA, Amber Guyger, a white police officer, who was off-duty but still in her uniform, entered an apartment she believed was her own but actually belonged to Botham Jean, a 26-year-old black man. She shot and killed Jean, claiming she mistook him for an intruder in her own apartment. During the trial, the prosecution argued that Guyger’s actions were unreasonable and negligent and that her use of deadly force was unjustified. Guyger was held accountable for her actions and subsequently convicted of murder in October 2019.
Considering the pervasive nature of racism in the globe, the jury that handled the above case deserves commendation for their intrepidity and fairness. Conversely, judges, magistrates, lawyers and other leaders in various positions of adjudication, who distort judgments in favour of the guilty in exchange for material or other gratifications, should cover their faces in shame. The Bible unequivocally states, “…rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil” (Romans 13:3). Persons in positions of authority, secular or spiritual, must, therefore, realise that they are under obligation to “do no unrighteousness in judgment.”
God used backslidden Israel to chastise Judah for their backsliding; yet the same God sent Prophet Oded to warn Israel against overstepping reasonable limits in punishing their brethren. This means that there is a need for caution even when we find ourselves in positions of power and authority deciding the fate of those who err against the Lord or contravene the administrative rules of the church or the statutes of the nation. We must learn to temper justice with mercy. Otherwise, we might attract divine rebuke.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Equity and justice must be our watchword in divine service.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Luke 11-12
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Daily Manna 7 October 2024
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