Mar-24-0083-Love your neighbour as yourself
83_Love your neighbour as yourself Ex 23:1-9 “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. 2 You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, 3 nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit. 4 “If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. 5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him. 6 “You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. 7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. 8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. 9 “You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. A young boy once found a wounded bird on the roadside. It had been caught in a thorny bush, and its wing was injured. He gently picked it up, took it home, and cared for it until it regained strength. One day, as the bird took flight again, the boy felt immense joy—not because he had gained anything, but because he had done what was right. His father, watching from the porch, smiled and said, "Son, you have learned the meaning of loving your neighbor." Loving our neighbor is a principle deeply embedded in God's law, culminating in the commandment Jesus declared as the second greatest: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39). This command, along with the first—to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind—encompasses the essence of all Scripture. Love is not an abstract feeling but a call to action, shaping our interactions with those around us. Exodus 23:1-9 presents the practical outworking of this command. First, love for our neighbor means we must do them no harm—not by physical violence, not by stealing from them, and not by harming their reputation. Slander and false accusations are grievous sins in God's eyes. Leviticus 19:16 warns, "You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord." Spreading falsehoods can destroy lives, reputations, and families. Malicious testimony in court, whether out of self-interest or to align with the crowd, can bring about injustice that God will hold us accountable for. When we speak, our words should be truthful and seasoned with grace, reflecting God's character. Justice and fairness are also at the heart of loving our neighbor. In a world where the rich and powerful often manipulate the system to their advantage, the Bible speaks strongly against partiality in judgment. Proverbs 22:22-23 warns, "Do not rob the