Everybody's Doing It!

"Everybody's doing it!" exclaims every child ever. And most adults. The crowd mentality has been used as justification for doing many things that should not be done. There is even a specialized version of this argument that implies increased authorization: "The pastor's kids are doing it." If a spiritual leader can be found as an example, the action or activity gains even more legitimacy.

The Bible is clear, however, that God is the authority. What God says is supremely important, regardless of what others say or do. After all, He is the one who created everyone and everything, and He is the one who wrote the Book. The Bible is also clear that each person is individually responsible before God to do what is right, independent of what others do. God is looking for men and women with the devotion and courage to be different when it comes to obedience. He is looking for Christians who will do what is right even when those around them do not.

The final chapters of Ezra provide a sad example of the influence of the crowd. Significant time had passed since the Jews had returned to rebuild the temple, probably about eighty years. The delays and opposition had passed, the construction was completed, and the new temple was dedicated. Ezra arrived in Jerusalem with a new group of people and new gifts for the temple.

A group of leaders approached Ezra and disclosed a problem. "The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, ... for they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands" (Ezra 9:1-2).

Ezra was understandably upset over this news. At the most basic, it was obvious disobedience to God's command. Perhaps more poignantly, the remnant was just returning from captivity - a captivity brought about as punishment for previous disobedience. Throughout Israel's history, the people had intermarried with the heathen tribes, and as a result, had been led into false worship. The mixed marriages may have been the most detrimental factor in leading Israel away from God and bringing His judgment. Now that God was restoring the people, repetition of that same sin seems egregious and dangerous.

It wasn't just one person who did wrong. The problem was widespread. In fact, when the decision was made to address the issue, the people revealed that the problem was big enough that it couldn't be fully dealt with immediately. "But there are many people ... nor can the task be done in one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter" (10:13).

Sadly, the leaders were also involved. "Indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness" (9:2). The Levites were not guiltless, either. In fact, the priests were among the worst offenders (one of the few groups to exceed a 5% offense rate). Among the priests was a man named Jeshua. Not one, not two, not three, but four members of that family had married foreign wives (10:18). Several others of the Levites, priests, singers, and gatekeepers are listed as offenders.

If those spiritual leaders were involved in the practice, it was that much easier for the common people to follow. When one started, it was easy for others to follow suit. In Jeshua's family, for example, it must have been much easier for the fourth son to disobey than it was for the first. Far and away, the worst family was that of Nebo. Of only fifty-two persons who returned to Jerusalem, seven of them married foreign wives - over 13%! This family created an atmosphere in which God's commands didn't matter and a safe haven for those who chose to disobey. The sin became accepted, and easier each time. A total of 113 men are listed who disobeyed God in this area. Who even blinked the 113th time?

Sin snowballs. I am reminded of the story line of "Fiddler on the Roof." The first daughter marries a good man that she loves, but only after she manages to break the engagement that her father has (according to tradition) arranged. The second daughter marries a stranger whom she has chosen for herself without even asking her father's permission. The third daughter elopes with a non-Jew. Each daughter stepped further and further from what was accepted. Although the father hated what was happening, after the line had been crossed once, it became increasingly difficult to hold any standard.

These stories - both from the Bible and from man's imagination - illustrate how important it is not to let the standard drop in the first place. They show the dangerous trends that can follow a leader's choice. They show the rebellion that can pervade families when one person chooses his own way.

There are two great cautions. First, each Christian must determine to follow and obey God no matter what "everybody else" is doing and regardless of which leaders might be included in that group. Second, each Christian must recognize the serious consequences that his own disobedience can potentially have in making it easier for others to rebel also. Families and groups of Christians do exert influence on each other. Let it be the right influence!

"You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude to pervert justice" (Exodus 23:2).