Theme: CHRISTIANITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Text: “The rich and the poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.” – Proverbs 22:2
Comment: Material/financial success attracts many people to the rich in every community but poverty repels. Scripture says: “The poor is hated even of his own neighbor: but the rich hath many friends.” (Proverbs 14:20) In this imperfect world that we live in, this is the case most of the time. As many as are ordained to eternal life, should be guided properly that God Almighty is the Maker of the rich and the poor, and both have the grace of life to be called into His Kingdom now in the making, so as to imbibe His doctrines, learn to do well, cease to do evil, relieve the oppressed, and practice His righteousness for their own good – in order to receive His manifold blessings in this world and life everlasting in the world without end. – Isaiah 1:16-20; Luke 18:28-30; Isaiah 45:17.
God Almighty had through Moses the prophet instructed the Jews thus: “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.” – Deuteronomy 15:7,8,10,11. In our sojourn here on earth therefore, we should strive to see to it that we do not discriminate against the poor. Scripture says: “Then said he also…When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” – Luke 14:12-14.