Reading the Bible with the Poor

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Isaiah 58:6

I participated in a Bible study called “Reading the Bible with the Poor”.  We looked at Old and New Testament scripture and compared and contrasted them against some of the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  We talked about when Dr. King came out against the Vietnam War.

King said that good number of people questioned the wisdom of him speaking out against the war.  His answer was that the people who questioned his judgment did not understand the times they were living in.  We also watched a video about some poor people who were organizing themselves in Kensington, PA.  One of the more poignant scenes was when a social worker removed the children from a homeless woman because she couldn’t provide them with a safe environment to live in.  The mom couldn’t afford an apartment; and shortly after her children were removed, the mother herself got on drugs – and disappeared.  Her friends speculated that she just couldn’t handle the loss of her children.

Since I’m a social worker, that scene struck home.  I’ve often wondered if I was one of the “chains” that need loosening, because for every social service agency has rules on how to help people and who should get help.  Sometimes it’s hard to know where the rules are just or not.  Some sound just on paper, but in real life, they can be unjust.  The dilemma is then to figure out how to bring justice to an unjust situation.

We’re supposed to obey our bosses do our work for the glory of God, with a sense of excellence; but I’m not clear that God calls us to be mindless drones.  We should all be aware of how we impact on other people.  We should be aware of the times we’re living in.

My word of wisdom for today is justice.  Our God is a God of justice.

Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the Lord that man gets justice.

Proverbs 29:26