Jeremiah Chapter 21. MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY!
The king of Judah, King Zedekiah, is surrounded by the Babylonians so he asks the prophet Jeremiah if God will deliver the Babylonians into their hands. But instead, Jeremiah tells him that the people of Judah will either die by a disease or die by the sword of the Babylonians. He then tells Judah to start showing Justice to the people and rescuing the oppressed, or else face God's wrath. Judah had a problem with showing Justice and rescuing the oppressed. Why do people neglect to show Justice or neglect to rescue the oppressed?
Here's a couple reasons:
1) People want POWER! They want the ability to enforce their agenda onto others. Does that not sound like our political parties today? Wait a minute, perhaps we're more like them than we think. Think about your spouse: whose way is the right way? Whose agenda do we fight for? Are we selfish and want to rule what decisions are made so that we get our way and neglect the reasoning of our spouse? Such an attitude lacks humiliation and is filled with arrogance. It's my way or I'm putting my foot down or I'm raising my voice or I'm going to give the silent treatment or I'm going to make life miserable for you. Such an attitude can flow into relationships in general or into meetings or into our job place. You want to be recognized as the great one and neglect the mentor attitude that can help or encourage others to gain excellence. Being a team player means helping others succeed. It's not all about getting the recognition but rather about seeing a group of people helping each other and building a strong body or a strong family.
2) People want POPULARITY. They oppress certain people because it's the popular thing to do. To stop oppressing certain individuals means others oppressing them will look down on me. Again, maybe we're more like them than we think. Think about the unpopular person in your circle of friends at your workplace or your neighborhood. Do we also pick on those “annoying” or “stupid” individuals? Or are we more self-righteous than that? We don't pick on them but we don't rescue them when they are picked on. God didn't tell Judah to JUST STOP oppressing but also said to RESCUE them. To just stop oppressing means we walk away from the problem. But to RESCUE means we are putting ourselves in the middle of someone's life. To do nothing reinforces with the others that they're oppressive behavior is okay. But actually coming alongside the oppressed or rejected one means we help and encourage them and help them feel valuable and of worth. Yes, it may mean we are no longer considered popular but it's the right thing to do. We don't want to be treated as such, so let's not treat others that way.
I confess, it's not always easy to be different and to do what's right. It's not always easy to let go of my way so that my spouse, friend, coworker can have their way and feel good and look good. They should feel like they are an equal and a team player. God, help me to put others above myself versus trying to put others beneath me or trying to exalt myself. To put someone above me is humility. To put myself above others is arrogance. Lord, help me be humble!