BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS

FOR JUSTICE ADVOCACY

Speak out for those who cannot
speak, for the rights of all the
destitute. Defend the rights of
the poor and needy. Proverbs
31:8-9
How terrible it will be for those
who make unfair laws, and those
who write laws that make life
hard for people. They are not
fair to the poor, and they rob my
people of their rights. They
allow people to steal from
widows and to take from
orphans what really belongs to
them. Isaiah 10:1-2
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice, to
undo the thongs of the yoke, to
let the oppressed go free,and to
break every yoke? If you offer
your food to the hungry and
satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the
darkness and your gloom be like
the noonday. Isaiah 58:6&10
Two central themes run through
the Bible concerning justice. The
first is God's all-encompassing
love, concern, and mercy for all
human beings. The second is our
responsibility to love Gods
earth and to care for Gods
people.
God placed Adam and Eve in the
garden and instructed them to
care for it. In the story of Cain
and Abel, God sent the clear
message that we are, indeed, our
brothers and sisters keeper. In
the tradition of the exodus from
Egypt, we learn of Gods
compassionate response to
misery, oppression, and slavery.
Gods law not only calls for
individual piety but also
communal responsibility for the
well-being of all.

God never asks us to love only

those with whom we are
intimately acquainted, but
instead a more difficult love is
required. Over and over, the law
instructs Israelites to remember
the stranger, the foreigner, the
orphan and the widowthose
most vulnerable to hunger and
povertyand ties this instruction
to the exodus. Look at
Deuteronomy:
When you gather your crops and
fail to bring in some of the grain
that you have cut, do not go
back for it; it is to be left for the
foreigners, orphans, and
widows. . . . When you have
gathered your grapes once, do
not go back over the vines a
second time; the grapes that are
left are for the foreigners,
orphans and widows. Never
forget that you were slaves in
Egypt; that is why I have given
you this command. (24:19-22)
Other laws provided for sharing
one-tenth of the harvest with
immigrants, orphans and widows
(Deuteronomy 14:28-29), for
lending at no interest to those in
need (Exodus 22:25), and for the
cancellation of debts every
seventh year (Deuteronomy
15:1-2, 7-11). Every fiftieth year
was to be a Year of Jubilee
during which property was to be
returned to the family of the
original owner. The intent of this
law, which may never have been
carried out, was to prevent the
concentration of wealth and
make sure that each family had
the means to feed itself.
The prophets, too, insisted on
justice for everyone. Amos, for
example, denounced those who
trampled on the needy and
destroyed the poor in order to
gain wealth. He railed against
those who lived in luxury while

the poor were being crushed.

The prophets' main judgments
were leveled against idolatry and
social injustice. The living God
insists on personal morality and
social justice, while idols offer
prosperity without social
responsibility.
The Psalms invite us to celebrate
God's justice.
God always keeps promises;
God judges in favor of the
oppressed and gives food to the
hungry. (146:6-7) Happy are
those who are concerned for the
poor; the Lord will help them
when they are in trouble. (41:1
TEV)
The wisdom literature in the Old
Testament expresses the same
theme, as these texts from
Proverbs indicate:
If you refuse to listen to the cry
of the poor, your own cry will
not be heard. (21:13) Speak out
for those who cannot speak,for
the rights of all the destitute.
Defend the rights of the poor
and needy. (31:8-9)
Concern for poor, hungry and
vulnerable people is pervasive in
the Hebrew Scriptures. It flows
directly from the revelation of
God through the rescue of an
enslaved people.
Jesus: Our model of love,
peace, and justice
The justice ethic of Jesus is built
upon the foundation of Hebrew
Scriptures. Yet, as Christians,
our understanding of liberation
emerges from the divine act of
salvationthe life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Because "the lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world"

conquered sin and death for us,

we are forgiven, reconciled to
God, born anew to be imitators
of God, called to sacrificial love
for others. Through the gift of
eternal life, Jesus sets us free to
make the doing of good our
purpose in life (Ephesians 2:810).
The example of Jesus is our
guide and inspiration. He had a
special sense of mission to poor
and oppressed peopleevidence
that, in him, the messianic
promises were being fulfilled. At
the outset of his ministry, Jesus
stood up in the synagogue at
Nazareth and read from the
prophet Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon
me, because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim
release to the captives and
recovery of sight to the blind, to
let the oppressed go free, to
proclaim the year of the Lord's
favor. (Luke 4:18-19)
The gospels depict Jesus
repeatedly reaching out to those
at the bottom of the social
pyramid--poor people, women,
Samaritans, lepers, children,
prostitutes and tax collectors.
Jesus was also eager to accept
people who were well-placed,
but he made clear that all,
regardless of social position,
needed to repent. For this reason,
he invited the rich young lawyer
to sell all of his possessions and
give the proceeds to the poor.
Jesus expanded the traditional
meaning of the word
"neighbor"defining our
neighbor as anyone who is in
need including social outcasts.
(Luke 10:25-37) Moreover,
Jesus calls us to love not only

our neighbors but also our

enemies. (Matthew 5:44)
In his portrayal of the day of
judgment, Jesus pictured people
from all nations gathered before
him. To the "sheep" he says,
"Come you blessed of my
Father, for I was hungry and you
fed me. . . ." In their
astonishment they ask, "When
did we do that?" And he
answers, "When you did it to the
lowliest of my brothers (and
sisters)." Conversely, to the
"goats" he says, "Out of my
sight, you who are condemned,
for I was hungry and you did not
feed me. . . ." (Matthew 25:3146, paraphrased)
Clearly, in both Old and New
Testaments the intention of God
that all people find a place at the
table is combined with a
responsibility on our part for
those who are most vulnerable,
those most often kept from the
table. This intention flows from
the heart of God, who reaches
out in love to all of us--rich,
poor and in between.
Advocating for justice
Churches are already doing a lot
to take care of needy people
directly through charity work.
By one estimate, religious
congregations give $7 billion
each year (about one-seventh of
their total revenue) to people in
need (New York Times, 1995).
But Christians devote much less
effort to influencing what
governments do.
God, however, requires both
charity and justice, and justice
can often be achieved only
through the mechanism of
government. The view that
nations, as well as individuals,
will be judged by the way they

treat the weakest and most

vulnerable among them is deeply
embedded in the witness of
prophets such as Isaiah, who
said:
How terrible it will be for those
who make unfair laws,and those
who write laws that make life
hard for people. They are not
fair to the poor, and they rob my
people of their rights. They
allow people to steal from
widows and to take from
orphans what really belongs to
them. (Isaiah 10:1-2)
Jesus criticized and disobeyed
laws when they got in the way of
helping people. He healed
people on the sabbath, for
example, even though all work
was prohibited on the sabbath.
Religion and government were
intermixed, so Jesus was
challenging the law of the land.
The threat Jesus posed to both
religious and political authorities
led to his crucifixion.
Government is not the only or
always the best instrument to
deal with injustice. But it is one
of the institutions created by
Godpart of God's
providencefor the welfare of
people. Because we live in a
democracy, a nation with a
government "of the people," we
have a special privilege and
responsibility to use the power
of our citizenship to promote
public justice and reduce hunger.
Compiled and edited by the Rev.
J. Bennett Guess, UCC Justice
and Witness Ministries, with
adapted selections from Grace
At the Table: Ending Hunger in
God's World, written by David
Beckmann and Art Simon for
Bread for the World (1999:
Paulist Press and Intervarsity
Press) Used with permission.