Poverty and Injustice

For Monday, October 31, 2005
Proverbs 13:23

The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,
but it is swept away through injustice.

Here is a sobering observation, not to make us cynical but to make us compassionate and zealous for justice. It is a reminder that righteousness is not merely to be about personal holiness, but about how we care for others, particularly those who are poor and defenseless.

Somehow, evangelical Christianity has become known as the religion about morality and of little interest in justice. How did that happen, considering that the rise of evangelicalism corresponded with the societies formed in the 1800s to combat slavery, child and women oppression, and poverty? Jesus said that we would always have the poor with us, one reason being that we always have injustice with us. Do not be quick to explain poverty away on laziness. Scripture, God's Word, observes that the poor may be kept in poverty through injustice.

As you examine your life, what do you do to support the cause of justice and to help the poor?

Lord, open my eyes to the poor and the needy. I want to look away. Open my eyes and give me your compassion for the poor and your zeal for justice. Amen.