Isaiah 7:15 He (Jesus) will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right.

Right and wrong.  What is right – and what is wrong?  For the past few days I have been aware of this topic stirring within me.  Being able to identify right from wrong is very important for us.  We must recognize that it’s a requirement of our faith.  Who determines what right and wrong are?  Is it like beauty being in the eyes of the beholder – what is wrong in one person’s view might be right in another’s?  Further, what is the implication of identifying right from wrong?  Is there something required of us?

These and a lot more questions have been swirling within me.  This morning I looked up scriptures involving this subject and found myself surprised by how many there are – and their significance.  Today’s verse speaks prophetically of Jesus growing up and learning to reject the wrong and choose the right.  That alone makes it a critical skill for us to learn.

Given the impact of culture upon our lives, and particularly upon the church, it is far more critical than many of us might think.  It is something we must all become more aware of because it is so involved in our daily lives – with a much greater frequency than we might imagine.  In Exodus 23:2a the Israelites are admonished, “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.”  What is the basis for determining the crowd is wrong?  A very important aspect of this whole process is added in Exodus 15:26, ‘He said, ‘If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes,”  There is an objective standard as to right and wrong.

One of the disconcerting things about this subject is the fact that an individual can be convinced he is right … and be wrong.  In Proverbs 12:15a it says, “The way of a fool seems right to him,”.  But in Proverbs 14:12 it says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”  We can be foolish and/or sincere and miss it.  Fortunately, we have His word and the Holy Spirit to teach us.  We simply have to respond and learn from Him.  This is more than a subject He wants us all to master – it’s a way of life.

To be continued…