“The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.” (Deuteronomy 17:7)
Being a witness in Israel was a big commitment. You couldn’t just accuse someone of wrongdoing and walk away. If you were a witness and they were found guilty of a crime worthy of capital punishment, you also had to be the executioner, too. I imagine that really made you think twice before publicly condemning someone.
Slander and gossip are dangerous habits, and telling tales is often so tempting because it is easy to say something about someone without having to face the responsibility for those words. Things like social media, text, email, and other forms of modern communication which place distance between us and others haven’t helped.
If you had to really throw the stone, would you say the words? Words have consequences. Speak wisely.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites
This Week’s Reading: Deuteronomy 14-23; Psalm 21; Proverbs 21 This year, #Biblebites are looking at lessons from the history of the Old Testament. Each week reads a section of history with a Psalm to meditate on and a dash of Proverbs to dwell upon. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2024-vision