Word In Life Study Bible
INSTITUTIONALIZED OPPRESSION OF THE POOR
Is.10:1-4
This does not remove individual responsibility, but it does create social and corporate responsibility for how communities treat the poor. It speaks to a host of social issues and institutions: housing, lending practices, zoning laws, education, jobs, crime prevention, the courts, the prisons, the creation of political districts, voting, and many more.
Two principles in particular emerge from Isaiah’s warning:
(1) God pays attention to what societies do to the poor. The Lord does not look the other way when policy makers “decree unrighteous decrees” that “rob the needy of justice” (10:1–2). He sees how their system operates and calls it what it is: robbery.
(2) God promises to bring justice to the poor, and to judge those who mistreat the poor. God is a God of justice, and He promises a day of punishment for the unjust (10:3–4). Isaiah describes a reversal in which the poor are raised up and the powerful are brought low.
In light of who God is, those who fear the Lord today do well to study the legal, regulatory, and social systems of their community or country. In what ways do systems promote institutionalized injustice against the poor? Furthermore, what should be done about them? What changes could God’s people help to implement?
Study notes from the Word In Life Study Bible, copyright 1993,1996, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. The study notes from the Word In Life Study Bible appearing at this web site are for personal use only.
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