Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 2, No. 40
“Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil…” (Ex 23:2KJV)
“You must not do wrong just because everyone else is doing it…” (Ex 23:2NCV)
Ask some people why they do certain things, and they will say, “Everybody is doing it.” “Why are you cheating on your wife?” “Everybody is doing it!” “Why do you steal from your office?” “Everybody is doing it!” “Why do you always go late to work and manipulate the time register?” “Everybody does it!” “Why do you use adjust the measuring cans and scales you use for your business?” “Everybody does it!” “Why do you drive on the wrong side of the road and still scream at those who are doing the right thing?” “Everybody does it!” “Why do you lie to your parents about the exact amount of your school fees?” “Everybody does it!” “Why do you now dress like this, revealing some portion of your private parts?” “Everybody does it!” “Why do you wear charms around and even keep magic tokens in your shop?” “Everybody does it!”
In short, the list of the things people do because everybody does it is endless. They just do things, not because they are convinced that those things are right but because everybody is doing it. So, their lives are run like a democracy, a system of government in which the majority wins the day. But the majority are not always right. For instance, why are most African nations still poor today? Is it not largely because the majority have been consistently putting wrong, inefficient and incompetent individuals in leadership positions? And I am not trying to undermine the merits of democracy by saying this. I am just trying to show you that things don’t become right because many people believe that they are right; rather, things are right because God says so.
Think of what happened in the days of Noah. Did the majority carry the day? No! Everybody on the face of the earth, except the family of Noah, was destroyed. Why? They were all wrong. Also, think of the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. If the majority were right, then, it should be the family of Lot that should have been destroyed. But that was not the case at all. Everybody in those two cities was wrong, except the family of Lot. So they were all wiped out by God without remedy. (Cf. Gen 6-7 & 19)
What is my point, then? It is that you should not follow a multitude to do evil. Don’t do things because everybody is doing them. Rather, do things because you are convinced that they are right and acceptable in the sight of God. That is what God expects of us, as we see in our opening bible texts. He does not want us to go in the wrong direction because everybody is doing so. He does not want us to ruin our lives, homes and future because others are ruining theirs.
Now, of course, standing alone in righteousness is often difficult and even dangerous. It may make you a target of all forms of abuses, hostilities and persecutions. But it is better to have God on your side and be right than to have the whole world of men on your side and be wrong. Remember that Paul says, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Cf. Rom 8:31) So, don’t allow fear or a desire for the praise of men to drive you to join any train of multitudes of men and women who are ignorantly rushing to their own destruction in their errors. Rather, always take your stand with God in doing righteousness, even if you have to stand alone, and He will see to it that you are kept safe from every evil attack and also satisfied with eternal life, peace and joy.
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