Friday: Further Thought ~ Violating the Spirit of the Law

Further Thought: Ellen G. White, “A Rebuke Against Extortion”, pages 646–652, in Prophets and Kings.

“As Nehemiah heard of this cruel oppression, his soul was filled with indignation. ‘I was very angry’, he says, ‘when I heard their cry and these words’. He saw that if he succeeded in breaking up the oppressive custom of exaction he must take a decided stand for justice. With characteristic energy and determination he went to work to bring relief to his brethren” – Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 648.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

“Jesus proceeded to lay down a principle that would make oath taking needless. He teaches that the exact truth should be the law of speech. ‘Let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil one’. R.V” – Ellen G. White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 67.

“These words condemn all those meaningless phrases and expletives that border on profanity. They condemn the deceptive compliments, the evasion of truth, the flattering phrases, the exaggerations, the misrepresentations in trade, that are current in society and in the business world. They teach that no one who tries to appear what he is not, or whose words do not convey the real sentiment of his heart, can be called truthful” – Page 68.

Discussion Questions:

Why does selfishness lie at the core of our human problems when dealing with finances and interpersonal relationships?
How can God’s people avoid greediness? What is God’s provision against it? Study the following texts: Isa. 58:3-12 and Mic. 6:6-8.
Dwell more on the gift of speech and the power of our words. What does John 1:1-2 mean when it calls Jesus “the Word”? How does this help us understand the importance of words and what they mean?
It’s amazing that thousands of years ago Jesus said that the poor would always be among us. We also are admonished to help those in need. How do these two ideas fit together in helping motivate Christians to work for those who are less fortunate?

Amen!