Read
10Don't tell a slave owner
something bad about one
of the slaves.
That slave will curse you,
and you will be in trouble.
Reflect
Have you ever heard someone tattle about one of the employees to a person in authority? The comment could have been made to you or even made about you to the boss.
I have personally experienced this type of situation in my professional career when I was a director at a company that specializes in international trade. People came to me criticizing the work, the attitude or the behaviour of one of my assistants.
My initial reaction has always been to try to discern the tale-bearer’s motivation. What are his true motives and interests all about, especially when it’s a situation that has absolutely nothing to do with him?
Incidentally, this person loses all credibility when it is eventually discovered that his or her motives were questionable. Strangely enough, these same people often cannot tolerate even a single criticism about themselves.
Jesus also addresses this subject in his teaching. We find in the Gospels, the well known warning of ‘the log in the eye’ (Matthew 7:3-5). Here Jesus is asking us to not judge others, seeing that we ourselves are guilty of errors and shortcomings often as bad as, if not worse than, those we judge!
There is always a temptation to judge others. Doing so often makes us feel better about ourselves. We need to judge ourselves before the Lord, and then turn away from our own mistakes and errors.
It follows that if we think this way we seriously want to help people in need, being motivated by a spirit of grace and understanding. Is it not far better to do to others what you would have them do to you? (Matthew 7:12)
Respond
Dear Lord, I recognize that you and you alone are able to judge people. Thank you for grace and mercy that has carried and judged my sin on Calvary’s cross, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Donald Tardif
Donald has worked as a custom broker and international freight forwarder. His Biblical training was with L’Institut Biblique du Québec. In 2006, he took an early retirement and assumed the leadership of La Ligue pour la lecture de la Bible in Quebec, after having been on the board of directors for a few years. He retired from Laligue pour la lecture de la Bible in 2017. Donald is married to Jeannine and they have 3 adult children and 8 grandchildren.