The Enemy's Donkey Still Needs Help

If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.

Exodus 23:4

Read Exodus 23. Focus on verses 1 through 9 and 20 through 33. The command does not wait for the enemy to become a friend. It assumes the relationship is strained and tells the Israelite what to do when the other person's animal wanders off. Bring it back. The next verse addresses an animal struggling under its burden. Help is still required. These instructions appear among commands about truthful testimony, impartial judgment, and treatment of vulnerable people. Personal hostility must not become permission to distort facts or withhold ordinary care. The person you dislike remains a neighbor before God. This is a demanding kind of moral consistency. Most of us can imagine being helpful once a dispute has been settled or the other person has acknowledged their fault. Exodus places a practical need in front of someone while the relationship is still unresolved. The action is also modest and specific. Returning an animal does not declare that every accusation was false. Helping with a burden does not require immediate friendship. A concrete good can be done without pretending that trust has been restored. Suppose a neighbor with whom you have argued leaves a car's lights on. You can let them know. Suppose a coworker who has been unpleasant forgets a folder they need for a meeting. You can return it without using the opportunity to humiliate them. Their mistake need not become the small revenge your resentment has been waiting for. These examples concern ordinary friction. Where a person poses a real danger, help can be arranged through a safe channel. The command is not a requirement to expose yourself to abuse or resume contact that appropriate protections have limited. For everyday antagonism, though, we often withhold assistance for reasons that have little to do with safety. We want the other person to feel the consequences of being difficult. Their inconvenience becomes a private source of satisfaction, and our inaction feels conveniently neutral. The wandering animal reveals that neutrality is sometimes a disguise. You have encountered a need you can reasonably address. The question is whether dislike will make the decision for you. The chapter ends with promises and warnings about Israel's journey into the land. Even as God addresses the nation's future, the laws attend to a roadside encounter between people who do not get along. Covenant faithfulness reaches both scales. Our devotion is tested not only in the causes we support but in the small kindness we could quietly offer to someone whose approval we are not seeking. Put It into Practice If a safe, natural opportunity arises, offer that person a practical courtesy. Keep it free of sarcasm, a lecture, or a reminder of what they owe you.

Whose avoidable inconvenience are you tempted to enjoy because you do not like them?

Lord, free my conduct from the rule of personal hostility. Help me do an appropriate good without demanding reconciliation as payment. Give me sound judgment about safety and a generous conscience in ordinary disagreements. Amen.