08/20/2007
Proverbs 24:11-12 (NIV)
Rescue those being
led away to death;
Hold back those staggering towards
slaughter.
If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
Does not He who weighs the heart
perceive it?
Does not He who guards your life know it?
Will He not repay each person
according to what he has done?
As I read these verses, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the concentration camps of Germany in World War II; how the prisoners were being herded into livestock train cars and shipped to camps in view of the German people. It is easy for us to point a finger at them and shake our heads at their complaisance. But let us examine ourselves.
These verses do not only speak about catastrophic events, like genocide, but they appeal to each of us to uphold justice on behalf of those incapable of doing so. In these verses, “those led away to death” does not refer to persons convicted of heinous crimes that are sentence to death. This passage is specifically about protecting those who cannot, for whatever reason protect themselves.
We may be able to say to ourselves and others: “I didn’t know what was going on,” but God knows, and He will judge your actions and your intentions.
Who should we protect? Children, the unborn, the mentally handicapped, the elderly, and, in fact, anyone who is being treated unfairly.
Why should we care? We should care because God cares, and He desires that we be like Him. If we love what God loves, and hate what God hates, then we will love those who need to be protected, and hate the injustices we see.
Let me challenge you even further, failing to assist in any situation (a person with a flat tire, a businessman who drops some papers in the street, etc.), failing to assist is failing to love people as God loves them.
What will you do today to show God’s love to someone? After all, God knows the intent of your heart.
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
©2007 Cleff Publishing, all rights reserved.
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