Daily Devotional – Tuesday, March 1, 2022
You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong…
Exodus 23:2 (NLT)
A twenty-two year-old university student is in prison. He has just started his twenty-year sentence for trafficking marijuana. The innocent village boy joined the wrong crowd. He regrets following the throng in wrongdoing.
The sixteen year-old girl is pregnant, again. Her first-born in barely two-years old. The young mother could not restrain herself from partying with her friends on weekends. As she reflects on her predicament, she wishes she had cut ties with her partying friends, years ago.
The Power of Peer Influence
A former bank manager is on trial for murder. Neighbours had caught some young thieves in the act. He joined the mob in killing the criminals. Police investigations identified him as the leader of the murderous mob.
What these and other similar experiences reveal is the power of peer influence, especially towards evil and destruction. Herd mentality has a way of obscuring thinking and deafening the conscience.
When Vox Populi is Not Vox Dei
Among the instructions God gave to the Israelites after rescuing them from Egyptian slavery was this gem, “You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong…” Exodus 23:2 (NLT). Considering the instances when Israel rioted against Moses and God, this was critical counsel.
We must appreciate that sometimes Vox Populi is not Vox Dei (the voice of the people is not the voice of God). A mentor taught me that one of the most important skills I needed to learn was to say NO. Leaving the popular highway and charting your own path may save you a lot of trouble.
The Truth Is Still the Truth Even If No One Believes It
In which ways could you be following the crowd blindly in doing evil? Are there areas in your life where you need to put boundaries? Which crowds do you need to withdraw from as you seek to live righteously?
“The truth is still the truth even if no one believes it. A lie is still a lie, even if everyone believes it.” – Unknown
Dear God, help me not to follow the crowd in doing well and to choose the path of righteousness, even when it is unpopular to do so.
Indeed one cannot associate with the wrong and fail to be influenced.
Proverbs 6:27 Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?
Great insight, Doc.
“Vox Populi is not Vox Dei” The true christian Behavior is a major credential of Christianity. May the Lord of hosts lead us. We must not follow the crowd in doing wrong; for therein we resist God’s true disposition. Amen
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