The Caring Courtroom

"You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. 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, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit. "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. 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. "You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. "You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. - Exodus 23:1‭-‬9 ESV

Rev. Irwyn L. Ince Jr. 

https://www.irwynince.com/

Purpose

God is telling us the reason for the law. It's is how loving God and neighbor supposed to work.

Predisposition of the human heart

God addresses how we should treat those who hate us. The context is this word comes to the nation of Israel after their deliverance from Egypt. It comes after the grumbling and rebellious of the people after their deliverance. They are undeserving recipients of God's lavish forgiveness and mercy. They are not to act like karma is the way, but rather compassion is the way of the Christian. When Christians come across contempt, how should God's children react? They should react with mercy and compassion like their Father.

Promotion of justice

It is wrong to give false testimony. But there is more than that, we should never make the guilty look innocent. We should never make the innocent look guilty. Why? Because we should never take a bribe, it blinds those who can see. There is personal gain in playing favorites to the great & powerful. But only that, but we should not show favoritism to the poor. In society, the poor are disadvantaged. But we need to be sure not to give the poor any favor or partiality in court. The rich can be wrong. The poor can also be wrong. God will not allow the perversion of justice. We are called to judge in a just manner. 

In the time of systemic racism, classism, and history of slavism, we are to not just do what feels right, but to do right. We must act as those who have been delivered by the great grace & mercy of God. We must deal with others as fellow image bearers. We must pursue justice while preserving our humanity. We must chase justice with love. We must love because that is the character of the God we serve.

The Costly Pursuit of Wealth

If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields. He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil. If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life's good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place? All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 5:8‭-6:9 ESV

Rev. Dwight Too

The love of money and the pursuit of wealth

We live in a culture that is steeped in accumulating wealth and the love of money as residents of the United States. Much like fish that may not even realize that we are in water, we are swimming in a culture filled with the love of money.

The craving for money

He who loves money will not be happy with wealth. If gathering wealth is your focus, no amount is enough. This is the nature of craving wealth. There is never enough. A craving for money just keeps growing. 

The consequences of the love for money

When we take something and use it for another purpose or will have consequences. If we take money and make it ultimate, it will hurt us. A laborer can sleep, even with little food. But rich people suffer insomnia from their wealth. The more stuff you have, the more you have to clean, organize, and protect it. 

A life spent in pursuit in money & wealth is a wasted life

The passage speaks of a man gained riches through working hard, but loses it all in a bad venture and had nothing to leave his son. But more than that, we cannot hold onto riches forever, we will die and leave it behind. We cannot take it with us when we die. But wait someone might say, isn't it better to have more rather than less? Better to have more than not enough? There is a rich man portrayed as having everything that could make for a happy life, but cannot enjoy any of it. The rich man is discontent and cannot enjoy these good things. Satisfaction is not guaranteed just by having more. Your can have it all and still not have contentment.

Intrinsic things can bring joy

God can bring joy through his blessings. A man can be content with what God has given so much so that his days for by. There's another man who found genuine joy & contentment regardless of circumstances. The apostle Paul speaks of contentment in all circumstances. Contentment comes from God, but how? It is learned. When we feel discontentment rising in our hearts, we need to turn to God. How? We place God and Jesus upon the throne of our lives. If we look for joy in buying things, we should turn and consider the gift of life & love in Jesus. If we look for security in money, then we should see our place secured in heaven through the work of Christ. If we look for status through material things, then we should see our great inheritance and royal adoption into the family of God. 

This will make us generous givers. It will make us hold wealth loosely. We will see hurting and poor people and will share what we have. A thief who has been grabbed by the gospel will not just make them stop stealing... It will make them work so they can share, not just live a comfortable life, but to share! Our money is God's investment in our lives so that the church can as a whole further the kingdom of God. If Christians in the United States tithed, simply tithed, we could fund all the missionaries, all the works that God desired. So please steward the blessings of God well. Keep Jesus as the ultimate treasure in your lives.

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Let your words be few

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words. When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear. - Ecclesiastes 5:1‭-‬7 ESV 

Rev. Dan Whang

Meaning for life under the sun is found when we relate to our Creator in worship

Come to listen

We may have come to God today bringing the sacrifice of fools. What is the sacrifice of fools? It is coming with our own wisdom and self focused. Coming to worship with our hearts far from God. 

God is in heaven, He is so high above us. We should come to Him respectfully, waiting to hear from Him. 

Keep your vows

We are to live lives of integrity. We are to do as we say. In old testament days, it was customary for worshippers to vow to bring sacrifices or give gifts to God. It was a way to curry favor with God. But for us, it is a question of how we handle our commitments. Do we fulfill our promises even when they are costly and uncomfortable? Do we let our words lead us into sin? When we speak we are reflecting the image of God. He spoke the world into being. So we need to use our words to build up, encourage, and love one another

Fear the Lord

Live in a reverential affection & respect for God, both in the house of worship and in our daily lives. We need to acknowledge his ability to smite us as well as his unending grace and mercy day by day. A fool who utters too many words thinks too much of himself and too little of God. A fool's life is filled with many dreams and busyness. But a life lived before God is one lived in awe & affection for God, He is our ultimate value and He fills our lives with meaning and propose. We love in expectation that one day He will take us home.

Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?

Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun. Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind. Again, I saw vanity under the sun: one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, "For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?" This also is vanity and an unhappy business. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor. I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that youth who was to stand in the king's place. There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 3:16‭-‬4:16 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Injustice

Where one looked for justice, one would find systemic injustice. Even in the nation of Israel with the law of God being the law of the land, there was injustice. Individual sins, corporate sins, and sins of a nation. So when we consider our own nation, when slavery no longer exists, is it hard to imagine that our own nation still has systemic injustice? 

We act like animals in how we treat one another. We will die and will return to the dust. If it does not benefit us, we ignore how others are treated. We dehumanize those we disagree with. Those who are oppressed often rise up and themselves become oppressors. 

Competitiveness

Often people try to bury themselves in their work. This isn't satisfactory. Work becomes a competition and envying others. Achievement comes only from beating out others. We live lifestyles of cutthroat, winner takes all. 

Isolation

Overwork and isolation comes together. Overwork often causes isolation. We miss family engagements. And when we try to make friendships we cannot get close. We see others as competitors rather than people to love and be loved.

As Christians, we know Jesus. He died an unjust death so that we could have eternal life & redemption. He was separated from God the Father so that we could join the family of God. Jesus is the answer to all these problems and the world needs Him more than ever.