Oppression
/əˈprɛʃ(ə)n/
Noun
According to Oxford languages ‘oppression’ can be defined as ‘prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or exercise of authority’, ‘the state of being subject to oppressive treatment’ or even ‘mental pressure or distress’.
As a Christian I believe that Jesus intends to work against oppression in every way possible. God is the liberator – where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty – freedom!
From the Exodus of the Israelites and their liberation from slavery in Egypt to our liberation from sin and death through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, liberation and justice, freedom from oppression is a central thread throughout the Bible.
In the book of Isaiah 1:16-17: we read the following powerful statement:
“16 Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
17 Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.”
Jesus teaches us much the same when He tells His disciples the parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25), instructing us to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, be a friend to the friendless, care for the sick, visit the prisoner – show compassion.
He says: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
In Isaiah 1:10-15: God complains about the nation of Israel and their piety He speaks out against the emptiness of their offerings, and festivals and sabbaths – calling them meaningless. Religion is meaningless. He likens their religious institutions and authorities to the leaders of Sodom and Gomorrah – associating the leaders of Judah with two cities synonymous with sin and judgement, unrighteousness.
11“The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?” says theLord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bullsand lambs and goats.
12When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
13Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
These words seem so harsh – even harsher the words in verses 14 and 15 where God calls these offerings a burden, detestable, going as far as saying that He hides His eyes from them when they stretch out their hands, that He isn’t listening when they pray.
Why so harsh? Sometimes the truth isn’t very pleasant…
The sacrifices, offerings, Sabbaths, festivals and ceremonial pomp that surrounded it all had become nothing more than empty rites and ritual – a vain repetition of words – no action.
But in this vision in which God speaks to Isaiah, a solution is offered, a way forward is discussed – stop doing wrong! Start doing right!
As a worship leader over the last 2 decades I’ve seen many faces, many people pouring out their souls before God – on their knees, hands lifted high, voices raised in choir – only to leave the service and live the same selfish lives they had always lived. I’ve been stunned by my own capacity for self-seeking and gratification.
As I’ve said before and will say again, I did not find God in church, even though I had been a worship leader, a youth minister, an evangelist, a Sunday school teacher – you name it, I was involved – I found God in a Sunday morning Cocaine Anonymous meeting here in Johannesburg, when I was at my most broken. When I was a stranger, when I was hungry, thirsty and naked – God came to my rescue in a room full of chainsmoking, tattoed, addicts and alcoholics – because that’s where the Spirit of God was moving. Not in our hallowed halls, or precious pews with the leatherbound Bibles – but in a room full of broken people who had given up and ultimately given over to love.
We can sing the most beautiful songs on a Sunday mornings, pray fervently, devote our time to studying the Bible – memorizing and committing scripture to heart – we can do all these things, we can go to every church meeting, every service, post the most precious little quotes on social media, and it will still amount to absolute nothing if we are not changed to the degree where we want to be a force of change in the lives of others.
God makes Himself very clear:
“16 Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
17 Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.”
John makes it clear, that if we say we LOVE God, but we hate our brother – if we fail to treat our neighbor as someone created in and bearing the image of God, we are lying.
What is important to God, way more important than showing OUR love to Him by having huge services and mega churches and putting loads of money into a collection basket, is us showing HIS love to the world.
Many Christians want to avoid discussions around this topic because our views on justice have been distorted by the more ‘woke’ definitions which apply to social justice.
This should not however keep us from engaging with these social issues and what the Word has to say about it. Justice is defined as promoting a fair society, where everyone – regardless of who they are – have the same opportunities and privilege. Justice means fighting against oppression in whichever form it may appear. God’s justice is righteous and leads to a healthier, happier society where Godly principles are practiced and Jesus is enthroned in all our coming and our going.
My friend T.M. Moore from the Fellowship of Ailbe noted the following as I shared this post with him (in discussing the term ‘social justice’) :
“This is not a Biblical term, and it tends to promote not a just heart but an activist lifestyle. Scripture speaks of justice – which it equates with righteousness – under five categories:
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Obligatory justice: What we owe every human being as an image-bearer of God.
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Preventive justice: What we do to prevent injustice from occurring (fence in your animals).
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Restorative justice: If we do damage or harm, we must make amends (think: Zacchaeus)
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Retributive justice: Punishment for wrongdoing
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Distributive justice: Alms, offerings, helping the poor (think: gleaning)”
In writing this I do not aim to call Christians to a lifestyle of activism, but to call us, rather, to a higher standard of living. Striving for justice, in this sense, is not ‘activism’ but a form of worship which is Spirit led and enlightened by the Word of God.
It is about seeing God’s love and mercy righting wrongs and lifting the weight of oppression, caring for neighbour and nature – God’s creation – and being faithful stewards of the grace that God has so freely given.
God commands His people to seek justice – even for the stranger in our midst (eg. Someone who isn’t part of our congregation, church or even someone who doesn’t share our religious leanings or political views).
God calls us to be a force of liberation – to help others find freedom from oppression. Oppression takes many forms – from basic human rights violations, to issues of equality, to mental, financial and physical distress. We are called to be a force of change.
How do we accomplish this?
How do we move forward and start worshiping God in spirit and in truth?
As we prepare ourselves to think more on this topic and meditate on God’s Word, let’s look at small ways in which we can make a difference daily – how can we seek justice, break the yoke of oppression, and help others out of the slow of despondency – and who exactly is God asking us to seek justice for?