TUESDAY 26th
Psalm 82
NIV (vv3-4) – ‘Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’
ESV (vv3-4) – ‘Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’
As soon as I read this psalm and the verses that I have highlighted for today my mind went to the book of James and verse 27 of the first chapter, ‘Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.’ There are other verses that also speak of the need to speak up for those who are suffering in some way, for example:
Psalm 10:18 ‘to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed . . .’
Psalm 41:1 ‘Blessed is the one who considers the poor!’
Jeremiah 22:3 ‘Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.’
We live in a world where there is a lot of injustice, a world where many are in poverty, many are being inflicted and many are suffering in some way because of the terror of the rule they are living under and many because of their faith in Christ.
We who are the people of God are called to help and to give assistance to those who are less fortunate, and it can be done in many ways, we can pray for circumstances to be changed we can give out of what we have, however little it may be, we can come alongside and give support, we can befriend and we can seek to share the good news of the gospel for it is the power of God at work to save men and women and as a result will help to turn their lives around.
It doesn’t mean that we should put ourselves in circumstances where we can be taken advantage of, but we need to use common sense and discern where our help that we give would best be served. May God help us to be aware of that which he wants us to support, that out of what we have, others may be blessed.