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Doing Right In Spite Of Wrong
From “all that is in the world” (1 John 2:16), we have witnessed the results of the “lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.” The list of things would fill the remainder of this page. It is a shame to see and hear about turmoil and hypocrisy in the church. It is discouraging to hear of such from individuals who are expected to be committed to God. One may wonder if there is any hope of righteousness. Will there be any preservation of truth and good? Will people do right in spite of the wrong that prevails?
When Moses descended from Mount Sinai and discovered the golden calf his own brother had made, he had several things to consider: (A) Allow the people to do whatever they wanted to do and not say anything about it; (B) Let God go ahead and destroy the nation which He promised to bring to Canaan and not say a word; (C) Join their foolishness and participate in their idol worship; (D) Complain to himself and others about how “evil people are these days;” or (E) Give up and quit, realizing the situation was hopeless and these people “will never change.” He did none of the above.
Moses came down to help the people he was responsible to lead. He brought with him commands and guidelines for living with God and others. Moses showed his seriousness to what is right when he broke God’s covenant into pieces, but the covenant would not do the people any good until their sin was corrected. Moses showed his selflessness by entreating Jehovah not to destroy Israel (Exodus 32:11-13). He led the effort in punishing those who did not choose “Jehovah’s side” (v. 26). He prayed to God on behalf of the people for His mercy (vv. 29-32). Moses did not quit what was right when others did wrong.
We need to imitate Moses’ fortitude and courage. We give up, give in, get fed up, get sick and tired, go along, or quit so easily. There comes a time, whether we stand alone or alongside others, we must decide to do right. We cannot always wait on someone else. The crowd probably will not make the first move toward righteousness. We need to do good and try to help others do what is right as much as possible Fact is, if we do not operate our lives on this principle, the result will be a life of discouragement, depression, anxiety, and disgust. “And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).
