Exodus 23:6 “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.
Again, the billboard from long ago comes to mind: “Just love everyone. I’ll sort them out later. ~God” What would the world look like if we leaned into these words, to the command to love our neighbor as ourself, to love God and love others?
Exodus 23:7 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.
We see this kind of unconditional love when folks show up for each other after natural disasters–hurricans, floods, fires, etc. We see it when folks stop looking at who their neighbors vote for, where they worship, who they love and, instead, just act with loving kindness towards each other.
Exodus 23:8 “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.
Precious Savior, I am guilty of not always loving my neighbor in the way that I should, of being small or petty because of differences that we have that feel so big. It is frighteningly easy to do. Help me to love, first and foremost, without restriction and without limitation. Help me to be more like You. Amen.
Exodus 23:9 “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.
Have a blessed day.