Justice in the Proverbs: Week 4
OUR CALL TO HELP POVERTY & OPPRESSION
Proverbs 13:23 (NLT) A poor person’s farm may produce much food, but injustice sweeps it all away.
Proverbs 18:23 (NLT) The poor plead for mercy; the rich answer with insults.
John 8:42-44 (NLT) 42 Jesus told them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why can't you understand what I am saying? It's because you can't even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Satan works through injustice deception, accusation, division, exploitation, indifference, and dehumanization — God's kingdom moves in the opposite direction: toward truth, justice, mercy, dignity, reconciliation, servitude, giving and love.
As a person of faith I am called not only to recognize injustice and oppression, but to resist evil by becoming a person of justice, mercy, compassion, and presence—especially in the community where God has placed me.
We must understanding that evil goes deeper than politics, economics, or social systems.
Ephesians 6:12, NLT “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world.”
The enemy wants people to believe that God is not just. God does not see you, God does not care about you, You are alone. You have no value. Nothing will ever change. Therefore the tragedies of injustice is that injustice can become a barrier to faith.
I am called to live differently. Where the world dehumanizes, we restore dignity. Where the world ignores, we notice. Where the world takes, we give. Where the world divides, we reconcile. Where the world exploits, we protect. Where the world condemns, we offer mercy. Where the world creates despair, we carry hope.
How I Treat the Vulnerable Reveals What is in my Heart
“So the Word became human and made his home among us.” — John 1:14, NLT
The gospel is a story of proximity. God came near.
