Caring for the oppressed

https://odb.org/2025/08/08/caring-for-the-oppressed

Jeremiah 22:1–5 (NIV): 22 This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2 ‘Hear the word 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. 3 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. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5 But if you do not obey these commands, declares the LORD, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’ ”

The Malaysian Christian is believed to be largely middle-class, whether Chinese or Indian or Kadazan, or Dayak, although we do actually span a wider band of the socio-economic spectrum in both East and West Malaysia. The tendency is self-preservation, and thus, we are less vocal publicly as much as we may be well versed with the social and political issues plaguing our country lately. For example, the government boasts of high foreign investments, yet at ground zero, we find more taxes are introduced or increased, and things are getting more expensive while the average daily wage has remained mostly stagnant.

The call to the believer, however, is to “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.” Jeremiah 22:3.

There is a call to social activism, although most of us are just busy working to put food on the table, pay bills, and save for the rainy day. For the younger ones among us, our wages may just be enough month to month. In other words, we will likely be living from paycheck to paycheck for a considerable period before we may see a healthy bank balance in savings. It is tough for an average Christian to work hard, attend church, and serve God while also devoting time to social causes. However, I just found out yesterday of someone who is now working for an NGO helping Orang Asli build simple homes, hence combining work with socialism.

God’s heart, however, is always for the oppressed – the foreigner, the orphans (fatherless), and the widow (this is perhaps more “single parent” in our present context). We must always remember that. We may not be directly involved in social activism, but we should help in whatever way we can, based on our affordability, to lend our voice to their cause or extend financial support. Even a donation of RM10 each by crowd funding could go a long way to help these marginalised or oppressed people in society.

Have a good weekend ahead to break from work, rest, and worship God this Sunday! This post concludes my posts for the week – you would have noticed by now that I only usually post during weekdays nowadays.

Take care, everyone, and God protect you and your loved ones, and bless the work of your hands!