Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong **

Exodus 23:1-19

Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit.

Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.

Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.

Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. “Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

The land is entitled to a rest of its own: God preserves and provides for the creatures of the wild as well as humankind.

Why?

Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit. Do the righteousness of the Lord, do not be influenced by the crowd or any personal favoritism. There is no fear and no favoritism. We need brave and righteousness to face our daily life and make the right decision.

Rest is needed to a man and his land and his staff. For the Lord rest on the seventh day, so we have to follow it either. It is good for us and our environment.

What we have is the love and mercy from the Lord, so bring the best of the firstfruits of my soil to the house of the Lord is our honor and responsibility.

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要彰顯法庭的正義：法庭是正義、公義的最後一道防線。不可散佈謠言，不可受輿論的影響。不是滿足大家的期待。不能公報私仇。不可因為私人恩怨影響判斷。不可受利益的影響。訴訟人的身份不該影響審判。

安息年避免土地使用貧瘠，同時為了照顧窮人及野生動物。十誡過於強調人的權利，容易流於個人主義，因此這裏提出人的社會責任，維護生態平衡的功能。

要考慮為我工作的人、動物也可以休憩，不要過度使用。 人成功的時候很容易驕傲，人不是主宰，神才是一切的主宰。

一年三次要守節。除酵節(開始收大麥)，收割節(五旬節收小麥時)、收藏節（住棚節），農忙結束時），一切都是神賞賜的，要感恩。忙的時候更要花時間守節。向神守節，敬拜神不是等到我有空才去教會。我們會因為讀書而不吃飯嗎？為了讀書而不睡覺嗎？我們卻會補習、上課、工作等等許多大大小小的事忙碌而輕易把聚會放在一邊，把去教會放在一邊。不要只想到自己，還要想到世界環境，社會的需要。不要在忙碌中失去了信仰。

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How?

Love the Lord with my heart and strength is follow God's word and obey His commandment.