Deuteronomy 19:21
“And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
At the end of the day, your credibility is the balance on your character’s bank account. Your handling of difficult situations determines the credibility of your leadership. As a Christian, people should observe how you handle controversies and sin and say that you are just in your dealings with wrong. When people feel that you are just, your credibility will allow you to continue to lead and influence more people for Christ.
In the chapter above, God showed Moses how He wanted to establish the cities of refuge, landmarks and witnesses. God knew that the credibility of His people would be determined by how justly they handled sin. Though you may not sit as a judge who determines someone’s innocence, you do lead people, and you must judge the actions of those you lead. Your credibility will be determined by how you handle grievances, offenses and the wrongs of those you lead. God shows us several things we must follow as leaders in judging complex situations so that we can keep our credibility intact.
First, don’t allow personality to influence your judgment. Verses 10-12 show that God didn’t want anyone’s personality to influence judgment; rather, He wanted right and wrong to be the influence. You must be careful about allowing personal ties to an individual to influence your decisions concerning them or their children. Your credibility is at stake, and you must never allow a personal tie to influence your decision concerning punishment.
Second, verse 10 shows that we should never allow injustice to go unpunished. Your credibility will be destroyed when you allow rules to be broken without punishment. An institution’s credibility is determined by how they follow the established rules. A leader’s credibility will be decided by whether they enforce the rules. If you sweep sin under the carpet, your credibility will be destroyed.
Third, never allow emotions to cloud your judgment. Verse 13 says, “Thine eye shall not pity him…” The reason someone did something should never determine the punishment. Someone’s inconvenience shouldn’t determine the punishment; they should have considered the ramifications before they chose to do wrong. Taking emotion out of judgment allows you to keep your credibility.
Fourth, verse 9 shows that we should judge according to the established rules. You will destroy your credibility if you start making up rules at the time you perceive a fault was committed. At the end of the day, the established rules are your protection. Always go to the established rules or laws to determine the punishment. Established rules are the safety net of your credibility.
Fifth, verse 15 teaches that we should never condemn without two witnesses. A person’s character is on the line, and to judge without a witness is unjust. Furthermore, just because someone says something doesn’t make it true. Your job is to ensure the witnesses are telling the truth.
Remember, how you handle sin determines your credibility. It doesn’t matter how much good you do for Christ, if you don’t deal with sin properly, your credibility will forever overshadow your good works. Following these principles will preserve your credibility and the trust of those you influence.