Isaiah on Tuesday - Justice for the Poor

We continue with Isaiah 3, moving to three verses which place a judgment on those who would oppress the poor:

"The LORD takes his place in court;
he rises to judge the people.

¹⁴ The LORD enters into judgment
against the elders and leaders of his people:
"It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
the plunder from the poor is in your houses.

¹⁵ What do you mean by crushing my people
and grinding the faces of the poor?"
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty."

The elders and leaders in Israel have neglected their role as defender of the people taking their place, instead, alongside the oppressor and the thief. As the people whose responsibility it was to administer justice, the elders and rulers should have been on the side of the poor. Their arrogance and pride, however, led them away from compassion and humility. It is no wonder, then, that God judges against people who have forsaken their duty to protect and defend the fatherless and the widow, the downtrodden and the disenfranchised.

God appointed them and gave them power not to crush His people, but lift them up. Much was expected of them because much was given, yet they not only failed to perform, they went one step further to participating in evil.

As a modern day Christian, my hope is that God does not find the plunder of the poor in my home. I hope that my comforts, my food and my clothing are not bought on the backs of the poor or oppressed. There are many manifestations of this, but as a practical matter this means to me that, as much as possible, my purchases should be from companies that treat their employees justly, that the product was created or grown in a way that is responsible and the product itself is not a reflection of injustice or exploitation. My earnings must not be at the expense of the poor, nor must I participate in an endeavor that is harmful to people or the earth.

God's judgment was against those who not only should have known better, they were empowered to do better. I believe it is incumbent upon Christians to hold ourselves to the standards that God has set up for us. My hope is that someday God will find an America where Christians are known for their compassion and humility as well as their righteousness. My fear is that Christians maintain the appearance of righteousness, but fail to be transformed inwardly. We are very good at "shall nots" (or at least talking about them), but fail miserably at the "shalls". Yet the "shalls" are our greatest commandments. Our daily struggle is "to love the Lord our God with all my heart, all my mind and all my strength and love our neighbors as ourselves. All of the prophets and the law is fulfilled in these commandments." As Einstein once said, "the rest is details."

Further reading: Finding Justice in Charity, Bill Moyers (article adapted from a speech at the wealth and giving forum, October 2005)