The first to state his case seems just, until another comes and cross-examines him. Proverbs 18:17, TLV

“It Wasn’t Me!”     If you’ve ever taught, babysat, and/or had children, you totally get this proverb. Someone breaks a lamp — operative word here is someone — and there are multiple suspects. Child #1 gives their testimony and that boils down to, “It wasn’t me.” Child #2 gives a similar story, except they give a convincing, “It wasn’t me.” Depending upon how many possible culprits there are, this could go on for a while. And, most times, their defense comes at the same time — unless you cross-examine them individually.

Parenting, teaching, and oversight of young people takes the wisdom of Solomon. But in the case of finding the guilty party, the first place to begin is to hear everyone’s story/testimony—individually.

Our court system is set up this way. And it is why God is strong in His opinion about false witnesses. If they are discovered, the punishment is severe.

A false witness is right up there with murderers and adulterers.

“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander.” Matthew 15:19, TLV [emphasis mine]

Let’s go back to our scenario of the broken lamp. How do we find the culprit? If this were a court, we could only use the admissible evidence, however, outside the courtroom, we can use discernment, knowledge, understanding.

We can follow the facial expressions, body language, and how well we know the parties involved. Truth will arise, eventually. Not always in the timing we desire.

Not Just Children . . .

Having personally been wrongly accused of lying in a workplace, I can tell you, the childish behavior of trying to cover up a wrongdoing with lies happens at any age — and any environment.

Had my boss believed the accusations, I would have been fired. However, he knew me and knew I wouldn’t have done the deed. But, because of the complexity of the lie and the perpetrator being so adept at spinning it, he had to wait.

Others in the office thought I should be fired, but my boss firmly replied there wasn’t enough evidence.

Eventually, the culprit confessed, but it was pretty uncomfortable working there until they did.

My boss was wise and discerning. He was also a man of faith. Although I didn’t appreciate it at the time, I’ve come to see him as a great example of how to handle a delicate situation. He listened to both sides and knew he had to wait before he could make a ruling. His patience was my vindication.

The Pursuit of Godly Wisdom

The need for the pursuit of Godly wisdom is all the more necessary today. You all know how I feel about it. Spread the word to your families, friends, congregations, co-workers, and students — wisdom fosters justice.

Think More About It

Have you ever been wrongly accused of an offense? How was it resolved? Was it resolved? Have you ever been in a position to determine the guilt or blamelessness of another person? How was that resolved?

Until tomorrow, may we learn how to apply wisdom and discernment to justice, my friends.

Sigh. With everything going on in Israel, Gaza, college campuses, discernment and wisdom are all the more important. Please pray for wisdom, discernment, knowledge, and understanding to be able to rightly speak up. God bless you.