Friday, April 27, 2012

Oppression of the Poor

James 5:1-6

 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you

What was the actual issue here? The rich oppressing the poor? The wicked oppressing the righteous?
Bosses being unfair to their workers? Injustice? Imagined-enemy? Abuse of authority? Take note of this:"the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty".What exactly was happening here? Absence of the fear of God? Playing God? Think again: "You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you" What does it say here? Taking law into your own hands? Cheating? Greed? Selfishness? No one to be accountable to? Think and think deeply again. What do you think God is going to do next? Think and think again! You are going to pay heavily for your own actions.

The wealth in your hands are going to be of no use to you when God acts against your actions. It will not save you. It will be your turn to weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you just as you brought misery to the poor with no fear for God whatsoever. God views the oppression of the poor seriously. He takes into account every unfairness practiced in favour of the rich so that you could make yourself rich too. How do you hoard wealth? By stealing and robbing from the poor. God hates this and you would have to give account of this to Him. You can get away with men, but you cannot get away with this from God, no matter how you justify your actions now.