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bypassing preferences

Deuteronomy 21:15-17 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 21:15 “If a man has two wives, one cared about and the other not cared about, and both the cared about and the not cared about bear him sons, and if the wife not cared about has the firstborn son,
Deuteronomy 21:16 when that man gives what he has to his sons as an inheritance, he is not to show favoritism to the son of the wife cared about as his firstborn over the firstborn of the not cared about wife.
Deuteronomy 21:17 He must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the wife not cared about, by giving him two shares of his estate, because he is the first of his virility; he legally deserves the firstborn’s share.

bypassing preferences

This instruction is about fairness. It is about looking beyond your personal preference and doing what is right. There were even examples in the ancestry of the Israelites where fathers acted prejudicially against on child in favor of another, so if a person was inclined to do that, he could use that history to justify it. So, God had to set the record straight. Such prejudice is wrong.

Everyone has preferences. It is so easy as a parent, or a leader in an organization or a church — to let your preferences determine your actions. But fair parents and leaders train themselves to bypass their preferences and make decisions based on principles.

Lord, guide us in the fair exercise of our authority in every situation.