Justice and the Marginalized

January 30, 2022 Background Scripture: Deuteronomy 24:10 - 21 Lesson Passage: Deuteronomy 24:10 - 21 "Don't forget where you came from." That's the warning that is repeated along with the instructions given in our Lesson's text. One way to assess the moral decency of a society is to see how the least among them is treated. This should be important to each of us because our circumstances do change throughout our lifetime. Perhaps nothing shows one's character as much as how we treat individuals who we believe we will never need in this life. It is worth noting that any of us could eventually become the least in our society. To be the least is to be marginalized or pushed to the side and ignored. There are many ways to be classified as marginalized by a society: financial wellbeing, family structure, marital status, gender, age, nationality, culture, physical size, physical limitations, mental acuity, and so many more. The longer we live, the more likely we will move from one such group to another. "Equal Rights for All" is a good political rallying point, but it is rarely achieved through the efforts of human beings, God did not overlook the marginalized that would be part of Israel's society. God gave Israel specific instructions on how to take care of the marginalized within their society. They were to make provisions for the marginalized without taking away their right to maintain self-esteem by working for themselves. God did not establish Israel as a welfare state; nor did He suggest that Israel should become a welfare state. God's instructions told Israel how to create opportunities for the marginalized to work for what they needed without them being overburdened because of their social status. God warned Israel to not allow people to increase their status in life by taking advantage of the marginalized. This could plague a society that values wealth over people. God included a warning as to the outcome of mistreating one who was the least in their society. If they cry out to God because of the mistreatment, then the action of the perpetrator would be seen as sin by God. Then the perpetrators would answer to God for their actions and not to those they mistreated nor to the leaders of their society. They might not be punished by the civic leaders for their many harsh actions because of their political status or wealth. However, God sees all things and He holds perpetrators accountable for their actions towards the least among them. God commanded Israel to extend a hand up to the poor, or socially neglected. God did not instruct them to give handouts. This is not to suggest that they didn't need to be charitable towards the poor. Charity is an individual's response to the needy and/or disabled. However, a civilized society should make provisions for every citizen to obtain the necessities of life. Farms, orchards, and vineyards were perfect opportunities for making provisions for others during the time of harvest. If the owners harvested their crops, they would have plenty without having to return later to glean the leftovers. There would be leftovers because everything does not ripen at the same time. The harvest takes place when most of the crop has ripen. The leftovers would ripen later. God's provision for the marginalized was to allow them to harvest the leftovers. Please note: It would not be harvested and given to an able-bodied person. Although they could not afford to own property, they could work to harvest the leftovers for themselves. These opportunities allowed the marginalized to be treated justly in God's eyes, and God would see the benefactor's actions as righteousness. Robert C. Hudson December 20, 2021