Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Exodus 23:5
If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.
These laws make fascinating reading. Here, the people are told that they have a responsibility to other people, whoever they are. If you see the donkey of your enemy struggling, the immediate ungodly response would be to say of the owner: “Serves him right. Just what he deserves.” But God declares that our responsibility is to give practical support to other people, whether they are our close friends or enemies.
This law reminds us of the words of Jesus, who went even further. We are not merely to be caring towards our neighbours – we have a responsibility to love them. This command, more than any other, shows that Jesus was turning normal human thinking upside down. Jesus seemed to take it for granted that His followers would have enemies, just as He Himself had throughout His ministry. There is no way of avoiding that, but the person who walks in Jesus’ steps has a completely different way of approaching enemies. The love that we have for our enemies might have no impact on them at all, but there is a possibility that it will bring healing and restoration, so we must keep on loving. However hideous the actions of our enemies, they are loved by God, and we need to model our lives on Him.
Following God is never easy. The demands of the Old Testament law were tough, but Jesus made them even tougher. It is crystal clear that we cannot obey any of them in our own strength. We are totally dependent on God’s power to enable us to live in His way. Let’s seek His Holy Spirit’s strength today as we live for Him, and look for creative ways of bringing His love to the people around us, whoever they are.
Question
In what way are you challenged by Jesus’ command to love your enemies?
Prayer
Lord God, help me to be loving towards everyone today, whoever they are. Amen

Exodus 23:2-3
When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice. And do not slant your testimony in favour of a person just because that person is poor.
Telling the truth is absolutely crucial in a healthy society. However uncomfortable and awkward the truth might be, it needs to be proclaimed and followed at all times, or society is in peril. That means we must not bend the truth, even when we are seeking to help vulnerable people. When I first read this verse, I thought it was a misprint. Surely the greatest danger is of bending the truth because a person is powerful and influential. But in saying that we mustn’t slant the truth in favour of a poor person, God is saying that we mustn’t play around with the truth, whoever the person might be and however vulnerable and needy they are.
We all seek to tell the truth. We have been brought up to do so, and we know it’s the correct thing to do. But these verses are right in identifying the pressure of the crowd. If we have views that are very different from those around us, we don’t want to stand out and feel stupid. If a particularly unpopular person at work is being unfairly criticised or mocked, it would be much easier to keep quiet than to stand up for them, but truth and justice would demand that we do precisely that.
Our conviction that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life is not a generally held view. However, if we are convinced that it is indeed the truth, we need to be willing to share it, however hostile or offensive the reaction. Speaking the truth is our calling as Christians, whatever the audience, subject or reaction.
Question
In what situations do you find it difficult to speak the truth?
Prayer
Loving Father, help me to be utterly truthful in everything that I say today. Amen

Exodus 20:13-17
[God said:] “You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely against your neighbour. You must not covet your neighbour’s house.”
These blunt commandments are even more brief in Hebrew, where a better translation would be “No murder. No adultery. No stealing.” God is setting out in quick succession the activities that must be stopped if the community is to thrive. Having respect for human life, marriage, property and truth-telling are foundational to a peaceful and harmonious society, and coveting can only be destructive.
On first reading, the trouble with these commandments is that they sound so negative. However, the reason for this is, quite clearly, because God’s desire is the best. He won’t settle for anything less than that, so He is ruthlessly opposed to anything that will spoil life for His much-loved children. The sanctions showed how serious He was. Murder would lead to capital punishment, adultery to stoning and the thief had to make full restitution.
As human beings, we never enjoy being told what we can’t do, but it is often a sign of love. My parents spent years telling me the things I shouldn’t do. Their rules were often annoying and frustrating, but there is no doubt that they were a sign of their love for me and my sisters. If they had allowed us to do whatever we wanted, it would have been the clearest sign that they didn’t care.
Coveting might well be the most challenging of these five commandments for us. In our society, coveting is continually encouraged. Every advertisement encourages us to want something, but God has a much better plan. He wants us to be content with what we have and to find peace in not continually rushing after more and more of everything.
Question
Which of these five commandments do you find most challenging and why?
Prayer
Lord God, I thank You for Your complete love for me. Help me to believe that Your commandments are always an expression of Your love. Amen

Exodus 20:8-10,12
“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God…Honour your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”
Here are the first two positive commandments. The previous three declared that we shouldn’t put any other gods in front of the true God, shouldn’t make idols and shouldn’t blaspheme. Having established those foundational principles, we are given positive guidance on how to build a secure, God-focused society. The first is by ordering our time properly, and the second is through building strong families.
Respect for the Sabbath is far more important than merely having a day off each week. That is undoubtedly a wise and healthy thing to do, but the principal reason for respecting the Sabbath is that by doing so we put God in His rightful place. The Sabbath day is dedicated to the Lord. It’s a day when we worship Him together and declare His greatness and power, and through it we are refreshed and strengthened in our faith for the other six days of the week. God has given us plenty of time to do our work, and the seventh day enables us to refocus our lives on God and on the things that matter most.
The Jewish celebration of Sabbath is an intensely family occasion, so it isn’t surprising that the next foundational commandment was one concerning parents. Honouring parents is so crucial that God declared that if the people obeyed it, they would live a long and full life. Everything hinges on the family. In days when many families are dispersed and rarely see one another, this is a challenge, but this does nothing to erase the importance of the commandment.
It has been wisely observed that God didn’t give ten suggestions but ten commandments. We disobey any of them at our peril. Ordering our time and family life in a godly way are not options but absolute necessities.
Question
In what ways do your sabbath days help you to refocus on God?
Prayer
Loving Father, thank You for the gift of the Sabbath and of my family. Help me to treasure them more and more. Amen

Exodus 20:6-7
[God said:] “I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.”
The word commandment sounds demanding and perhaps even harsh, so we need to be clear that God’s motivation was lavish unfailing love. When I think back to my childhood, I recall that my father had some very clear principles. The most major among them was showing respect to my mother, and if I said or did anything that suggested less, I would know about it quickly! There is absolutely no question that his reaction was based upon love for my mother and also for me, although it could seem and feel quite harsh at the time. In a similar way, God insists that His name must be given absolute respect, and the penalties for showing disrespect would be very severe.
Some devout Jews have taken this commandment to mean that we shouldn’t use the word God at all, but I don’t agree with that. What matters is that we use the name of God with ultimate respect. This is difficult in a society which constantly makes jokes about God and frequently uses His name as an expletive. We won’t achieve anything helpful by lecturing the people around us and telling them how offensive we find their language. I believe our best approach is to ensure that we always use the name of God with care and respect. I like to take every opportunity to say to people: “God bless you” in the hope that they might see how much God means to me. However brief the encounter, I have found that it is normally possible to use the greeting, even in a shop or at a petrol station check out!
Question
In what ways might you be able to help the people around you to see how much God means to you?
Prayer
Lord God, help me always to speak Your name with love and respect, and to encourage others to do the same. Amen