阅读经文 

我记得在我小时候，校车上有一个恶霸。他经常欺负别人——挑剔他们，羞辱他们，通常都在回家的校车上让人过得很痛苦。因为他，每个人都讨厌上校车。总之，我们都害怕他那天会做什么，或者他和他的朋友们会找谁麻烦。在他的 “统治”下，我们一直生活在惧怕之中。

很多人利用惧怕来让其他人做他们想做的事。从公交车上的恶霸到国家领导人，惧怕可以是一种可怕的、恐怖的动机。

当神教导以色列人如何彼此相处时，祂一定要告诉他们不要严严地管辖对方。无情的管辖利用惧怕来刺激和控制。这种辖治剥夺了每个人的尊严，也剥夺了神在他们身上的形像。神不希望祂的子民被这样对待，也不希望他们这样对待他人。在神的国度里，靠惧怕来管辖是不允许的。

当我们用惧怕来控制别人时，我们做的正是神不希望我们做的事情。祂希望我们能彼此和平相处。而当我们主管他人时，神希望我们以爱和尊重来对待他们。在我们与他人的交往中，无情的惧怕统治没有任何地位。

I remember a bully on the school bus when I was a kid. He used to do mean things to others—picking on them, humiliating them, and generally making life miserable on the bus ride home. Everyone hated getting on the bus because of him. What it boiled down to was that we were all afraid of what he might do or whom he and his friends might pick on that day. We lived in constant fear under his “rule.”

Lots of people use fear to get other people to do what they want. From bullies on the bus to leaders of countries—fear can be a terrific and horrific motivator.

When God was teaching the people of Israel how to get along with each other, he made sure to tell them not to rule ruthlessly over each other. Ruthless rule uses fear to motivate and control. That kind of rule robs everyone of their dignity and of the image of God in them. God didn’t want his people to be treated that way or to treat others that way. Ruling by fear would not be allowed in God’s kingdom.

When we use fear to control others, we do exactly what God doesn’t want us to do. He wants us to live in peace with each other. And when we are in charge of others, God wants us to treat them with love and respect. Ruthlessly ruling with fear has no place in our interactions with others.