Exodus 23:2, commentary and pictures

Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil forbids both joining a crowd in doing wrong and bending justice to agree with the majority, requiring judges and all people to refuse false causes, bribery, and partial decisions. The choice of the many never makes wrong right, so widespread custom, worldliness, pride, and popularity can never excuse disobedience or make it virtuous. Faithfulness therefore means standing singular and apart on the Lord's side, with each person and household serving the Lord no matter what others do. This requires keeping the seventh-day Sabbath specified in the fourth commandment rather than yielding to pressure to keep Sunday or follow the world, even when obedience brings opposition, loss of profit, reproach, and inconvenience. For the young it warns especially against joining lawless companions and copying careless conduct, since going with the many places influence on the side of evil and leads others astray, while refusing to follow keeps influence on Christ's side.

Setting and Meaning

The command belongs to the instruction given to Moses on the mount in Exodus 19-24, given by Christ Himself who spoke the directions on Sinai and afterward spoke in human flesh. It is needed now just as verily as it was needed by Israel in the days of Moses, and is to be studied and presented before the people. It guards against doing injustice and guides how to deal with one another, requiring all contention to cease and hearts to be softened and subdued so that brethren love one another.

It presents the truth and light and grace given from Sinai, to be studied, obeyed wholly, and carried out in practice and character. Obedience to all the commandments is the condition for being as kings and priests unto God, for communion with God, and for strength of character under every temptation so as not to lose hold upon God. It forbids joining a crowd in doing wrong, and it forbids speaking in a cause so as to turn aside after many to wrest judgment. Judges therefore must not distort justice, support a false cause, let bribery sway decisions, or bend judgment to agree with the majority.

Israel broke this word when Moses was absent by following the multitude to do evil in making the calf and worshiping idols, though with lifted voice and hands to heaven they had professed to comply, and by this they proved disloyal and untrue. In mercy a chance was given to redeem themselves by separating from the apostasy and taking a firm decided stand on Moses's side. The three thousand who would not come perished.

Numbers Never Excuse Sin

The choice of the many never makes evil right, and joining in sin is never excused by the number who choose it. Widespread practice of worldliness and pride does not excuse imitating it. Popularity, custom, and the world's disregard of God's law do not make disobedience right or virtuous, so duty must be chosen rather than conforming to avoid seeming different. This applies when many oppose obedience, as in pressure to keep Sunday instead of the seventh-day Sabbath.

When duty requires avoiding sin, faithfulness may require being singular and standing apart from the majority. Being different in that case is simply the distinction between purity and impurity and between righteousness and unrighteousness. The command means placing oneself on the Lord's side and refusing to join the multitude in doing evil wherever one lives, with each person and household called to serve the Lord no matter what others do or serve and worship.

Choosing the crowd's path of transgression over obedience, after rejecting clear warnings, leaves people responsible for their choice. The same testing by God's Word comes in the present day. It requires young and old to be braced Bible students, led step by step to do righteously, refusing insinuations of evil, praying, and holding to God through temptation and sickness. The verse is a single text to stand upon and to meet Satan with It is written in order to effectually resist him.

Standing Firm in Obedience

The command requires keeping the very day the fourth commandment specifies, the seventh-day Sabbath, rather than yielding to pressure to keep Sunday. God's people must not follow the world's customs to avoid seeming different, and must not abandon His commandments for an easier time or to avoid persecution, opposition, reproach, and inconvenience, even when many oppose those who obey. Popularity does not make disobedience right, and the world's disregard of the law does not make transgression virtuous, so Christians must choose duty and stand apart rather than join the majority in doing wrong.

Obedience holds even when keeping the Sabbath means closing business on Saturday though it is the busiest and most profitable day, giving up that gain, losing income, and standing apart from the crowd. Popularity, profit, and worldly favor do not justify disobeying God's law. Hesitating for profit and riches, or to gain favor with transgressors of God's law to escape inconvenience, opposition, and reproach, breaks this command and bows the knee to Satan as in Christ's temptation, choosing Satan's way and will over God's claims and becoming liable to suffer the penalty for transgression of His holy law against all disobedience. Nor are those under such opposition to condemn faithful believers who remain steadfast.

For the young, the command warns against joining lawless companions and copying careless conduct when unholy examples are on every side. Going with the many puts personal influence on the side of evil and of Satan, and can mislead others who have held firmly to right principles or have no firm loyalty to God, while refusing keeps influence on Christ's side and keeps others from being led astray. Those who follow the crowd disregard warnings, claim in self-confidence that they know enough not to be corrupted, fail to seek safe footing, become unguarded, and are charmed by the careless recklessness of those who boast of knowing evil. In this way they abandon right principles and take deadly steps on the road to death and destruction, because influence is power; the command therefore calls the young to guard their choices, hold firmly to God, and follow what is right even when many choose otherwise.