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Exodus 23 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
“You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.
Exodus 23:1 NASB
“Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty.
Exodus 23:7 NASB
Verses 1 and 7 speak to the culture at that time (second millennium BC), which was heavily influenced by justice. The legal system was being established by God, and many other cultures of the world would follow suit.
For instance, Babylon’s King Hammurabi would establish the Hammurabi Code about 300 years before Moses received the 10 Commandments. Though it dealt with the civil aspects of society, it’s focus was not centered around God’s heart and certainly not inspired like the Scriptures. You can go back many hundreds of years before Hammurabi and see similar laws that were put in place to govern matters of justice. The point is, humanity understood there was a moral structure that came with Creation – even if they failed to follow it. The internal compass God built into our being was put there by Him and could not be truly accomplished without Him.
These two laws (and many before them) also deal with the tongue. A false report or malicious witness would come forth against another with a lying tongue. James writes of how something so small can guide our entire lives.
James 3:3-5 NASB Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. 4 Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. 5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!
The laws here of a false tongue are a strong reminder that we have been called to use our tongues to glorify God’s kingdom. God sees and knows those who control their tongue in public but use it as a vicious weapon behind closed doors. A great forest can be set aflame by a small fire!