“You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.” (Exodus 22:21-24, NASB)
The Bible portion above is part of the Mosaic Law, that which God gave to Moses. In this passage, God reflects a portion of His perfect justice. He wants Israel, and us, to protect, and not to oppress, the most vulnerable among us: The stranger, the widow, and the orphan.
The stranger: Why should we protect him? “For you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” God calls us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We were once strangers to the Kingdom of God, but usually someone took the time to love on us and tell us about Jesus. We should do the same, to show love to the stranger and the alien.
The widow and the orphan: These are among the most vulnerable among us. In fact, God promises His retribution for those who afflict them: “If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.”
Not to mention the babies.
God is the perfect Arbiter. He metes out perfect justice. Unfortunately, we’ll not see God’s justice until we get to heaven. Too many people in the way. God promises retribution to those who take advantage of the vulnerable. He is just. He is great!
I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land . . . Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” (Daniel 9:4-6, 18-19, NASB)
The book of Daniel takes place during the Babylonian exile, and the subsequent conquest by the Persians of that empire. This is the same Daniel who endured the Lion’s Den. Daniel received favor, and was appointed to high positions in the courts of the kings of Babylon and the Medo-Persian Empire. Today’s snippet takes place during the reign of King Darius of Persia. This Bible passage features a prayer for national repentance for the nation of Judah, and is a great model as we pray for our Nation.
Daniel had noticed the number of years that the Prophet Jeremiah had said that the exile would last (70 years), had almost run its course. Daniel therefore fasted and prayed, and chapter 9 contains that prayer. Notice how he acknowledges Judah’s sins, but also his responsibility in those sins: “We have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.” It’s important that you and I identify with the transgressions of our Nation, as well as our own sins.
Daniel continues: “Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.” Who are our modern-day prophets? Many of our pastors. We need to pay attention to them!
Last, Daniel prays for a desired end state. In this case, he prays for the resettlement of the city of Jerusalem and the restoration of the Holy Temple, because he’s aware that the 70 years of exile and Jerusalem’s desolation are almost complete. Daniel also admits to the Lord that the people don’t deserve what he’s asking for, but it’s by God’s love and mercy that He will abide by His word!
On a recent walk through the Bible, I made a list of the great national prayers. In addition to Daniel 9, we see them also in Ezra 9; Nehemiah 1; 1 Kings 8:22-53 & 2 Chronicles 6:12-42; 2 Kings 19 (King Hezekiah’s prayer) & Isaiah 37; Psalm 85; and Jeremiah 14. It’s interesting that these prayers follow much the same format: Personal and national repentance, a desired outcome, and acknowledgment that we don’t deserve God’s mercy in the outcome.
I am guilty of sins against God. I’ve not done all I can to straighten out the transgressions perpetrated in our land. Please forgive me, Lord! I pray for liberty and justice for all, and for revival and a Great Awakening in our land, that people would turn back to God. And like God’s gift of salvation, I and we are not deserving. Only by His grace can we approach Him, trust in His Son, and be saved! In Jesus alone is our Hope!
Thus says the LORD, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. Thus says the LORD, “Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place. For if you men will indeed perform this thing, then kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, even the king himself and his servants and his people. But if you will not obey these words, I swear by Myself,” declares the LORD, “that this house will become a desolation. ’ ” (Jeremiah 22:1-5, NASB)
Jeremiah was a prophet in the last days of the Kingdom of Judah. He prophesied in the days of King Josiah and Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim, until the defeat and exile of Judah to Babylon. (Jeremiah 1:2-3) The Bible passage above is from one of Jeremiah’s warnings to Jerusalem if they don’t shape up.
The “king of Judah” refers to Jehoiakim, who was evil in the sight of God (Jehoiakim’s father, Josiah, is described as being the most wholehearted king of all time over Israel and Judah). God tells Jeremiah to warn the king to “do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place.” God’s people had been consistently told to be just and righteous; to be kind to the stranger (because they had been strangers in the land of Egypt); and to provide for orphans and widows. But Judah had fallen away from justice and righteousness.
God’s warning is clear: Repent, and Judah’s kings would continue to sit on the throne of David; or continue in their ways, and “this house will become a desolation.” Unfortunately, Judah did not turn from its ways, and God kept His promise. Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar, besieged Jerusalem, utterly destroying the city, and carried the people of Judah off into exile.
Our Nation faces a similar choice today. We’ve turned our backs on God. We can turn back to Him, or face the consequences. God’s people must lead in this effort to “do justice and righteousness,” and be kind to people. As I’ve said, God wants our hearts. If we give Him our hearts, everything else will fall into place!
Worship: “I Give You My Heart,” by Hillsong Worship & Delirious?
Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, But those who keep the law strive with them. Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the Lord understand all things . . . When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, But when the wicked rise, men hide themselves. (Proverbs 28:4-5, 12, NASB)
There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed. (Hosea 4:2, NASB)
These verses again remind me of the lawlessness and lack of justice in our nation. The criminals are elevated above law-abiding citizens. Those who abide by the law are derided, those who break the law are lauded. There is no justice, nor is there peace. People who seek justice are ridiculed. In our biggest cities, crime and murders skyrocket as there is no accountability.
However, there’s Good News! There will be justice in Heaven to those who seek it on earth! Those who love Jesus will live to see true justice!
Worship: “Wishes,” by Out of the Grey
I’m sorry this is so short. I’m having computer issues.
