Welcome to this week's posting of the Weekend Sermon. I am so happy that you have taken the time to read the sermon this week, and I am thankful to the Lord for providing me with this opportunity.
Over the course of the last few weeks, we've been discussing the theme of the Bible and social justice. I want to continue with that this week and next two weeks. This week, I want us to focus on what the Bible says the government's responsibility is for those who are among its poor and vulnerable citizens. I know that some Christians believe that only private charity is supposed to be used to take care of the poor and those in need. The Bible doesn't really back that idea up. According to what the Scriptures say, it is the ruler's responsibility to make sure that the poor and the oppressed are taken care of.
The first passage of Scripture that relates to this that I would like us to look at is Psalm 72. This is a Psalm written by King Solomon. In this Psalm, Solomon will speak about some of the things that he wants to do as king, and he will speak about some areas that he needs help from the Lord in order to do what is right.
In Psalm 72:4 Solomon states, "May he defend the afflicted among the people, and save the children of the needy, may he crush the oppressor." Clearly, Solomon believes that a righteous ruler has the responsibility to make sure that the poor and needy are taken care of. Everyone in society is supposed to be looked after by the king.
In verses 12 and 13, Solomon says that following, "For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and needy, and save the needy from death."
I believe that it is quite clear from this Psalm that Solomon regards it as his God given responsible to help those in his kingdom who cannot help themselves. If he were not to do that, he would not be considered a righteous ruler in the eyes of the Lord.
Now let us look at what Isaiah has to say. In Isaiah chapter three, the prophet speaks about the Lord bringing judgment on the elders and the leaders of the land. The reason that God is angry with the leaders is because they have afflicted the poor instead of helping them, Verses 14 and 15 state, "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. What do you mean by crushing my people, and grinding the faces of the poor? declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty?"
From these verses, we learn that God does not want the leaders to treat the poor in the land in a bad way. They are not to make the lives of those who are poor harder. To do this will bring the judgment of the Lord.
One final passage of Scripture that I want us to consider is from the book of Jeremiah. In chapter 22, Jeremiah relates God's word about how the leaders are ruling. First of all, the Lord states what He expects from the leaders. Verses 2 through 3 tell us, "Hear the world of the Lord to you king of Judah, you who sit on David's throne, you, your officials and your people, who come through these gates. This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place."
Once again, we see that the Lord expects the ruler and his officials to defend those who are weak. The leaders are to help the poor and the oppressed. They are supposed to make sure that justice is carried out in the land.
Now, the Lord will make it clear that King Josiah did all of these things. In verse 16, the Lord says that Josiah did what was right. He defended the poor and the needy. Sadly, his sons did not follow in his footsteps, and the Lord is not happy about it.
The Lord says that one of Josiah's sons who became king was an oppressor himself. He did not pay his people for their labor. He only sought what was good for himself. The Lord will go on to say that King Josiah's other son King Jehoiakim did the same thing. He did not treat the people in the manner that God commanded.
Without a doubt, the Bible states that the governing authorities in a nation have the responsibilities of helping the poor, the oppressed and the vulnerable. Each of us as individual followers of Jesus have the responsibility to help others as we have been commanded by Jesus. The governing authorities will have to answer to the Lord if they do not help those who are poor, oppressed and the foreigner in their land. Amen.
Prayer Request And Other Matters
This has been a good week. I have had a good week in writing, and I have some good news to report. I was able to find a part-time job this week. I am going to start on Wednesday. I am thankful to the Lord for looking out for me on this.
I do have one prayer request this week. I am having problems with my sinuses. Please pray that all of this will resolve before I have to go into work on Wednesday.
In prayer this week, please keep praying for those recovering from natural disasters. Those in the Bahamas, the Philippines and Japan need our prayers.
Some of the fires have been contained in California. Pray that the fires will be extinguished, and pray that no more fires will start. Continue to pray that the fires in the Amazon will be put out.
Continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya and Mali need our prayers.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in Chad and Tajikistan. Pray that many will hear about the love of Jesus.
Next week, we will continue with our current series. I believe that I will still be posting the sermon on Saturday. I will let you know if anything changes. I will post the verses on Monday. I will try to post a review on Wednesday or Thursday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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