OUR DAILY BREAD : DYING FOR JUSTICE

[cimi]

February 20
Friday


DYING
FOR JUSTICE

READ:
Deut. 24:14-22
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You shall remember
that you were a slave
in Egypt, and the LORD
your God redeemed
you from there.
__Deuteronomy 24:18
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When Presbyterian clergyman Elijah Lovejoy (1802-1837) left the pulpit, he returned to the printing presses in order to reach more people. After witnessing a lynching, Lovejoy committed to fighting the injustice of slavery. His life was threatened by hateful mobs, but this did not stop him: "If by compromise is meant that I should cease from my duty, I cannot make it. I fear God more than I fear man. Crush me if you will, but I shall die at my post." Four days after these words, he was killed at the hands of another angry mob.

Concern about justice for the oppressed is evident throughout Scripture. It was especially clear when God established the rules for His covenant people after they were released from Egyptian bondage (Deut. 24:18-22). Moses emphasized concern for the underprivileged (Ex. 22:22-27; 23:6-9; Lev. 19:9-10). Repeatedly, the Israelites were reminded that they had been slaves in Egypt and should deal justly with the underprivileged in their community. They were to love strangers ("aliens") because God loves them, and the Israelites had themselves been aliens in Egypt (Ex. 23:9; Lev. 19:34; Deut. 10:17-19).

God desires that His people affirm the supreme worth of every individual by fighting against injustice. __Marvin Williams
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````````````Open my eyes, Lord, to people around me,`````````````
``````````````Help me to see them as You do above;```````````````
```````````Give me the wisdom and strength to take action``````````
``````So others may see the depth of Your love. __K. De Haan````````
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Standing for justice means fighting against injustice.

************Today's Bible Reading __ Deuteronomy 24:14-22********

14 You shall not oppress a
hired servant who is poor and
needy, whether one of your
brethren or one of the aliens
who is in our land within
your gates. 15 Each day you
shall give him his wages, and
not let the sun go down on it,
for he is poor and has set his
heart on it; lest he cry out
against you to the LORD, and
it be sin to you.

16 Fathers shall not be put to
death for their chidren, nor
shall children be put to death
for their fathers; a person
shall be put to death for his
own sin.

17 You shall not pervert
justice due the stranger or the
fatherless, nor take a widow's
garment as a pledge. 18 But
you shall rmemeber that you
were a slave in Egypt, and
the LORD your God
redeemed you from there;
therefore I command you to
do this thing.

19 When you reap your
harvest in your field, and
forget a sheaf in the field,
you shall not go back to get
it; it shall be for the stranger,
the fatherless, and the widow,
that the LORD your God may
bless you in all the work of
your hands. 20 When you beat
your olive trees, you shall not
go over the boughs again; it
shall be for the stranger, the
fatherless, and the widow.

21 When you gather the
grpaes of your vineyard, you
shall not glean it afterward; it
shall be for the stranger, the
fatherless, and the widow.

22 And you shall remember
that you were a slave in the
land of Egypt; therefore I
command you to do this
thing.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

God gave various harvest laws (Lev. 19:9-10; 23:22; Deut. 23:24-25;
24:19-22) to enable the poor and needy to work with dignity for food
without having to resort to begging or stealing. The story of Ruth (Ruth
2:2-23) illustrates this law of gleanings. __Sim Kay Tee