“Who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. (…) The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless.”
Psalm 146:7-9
God is a God of mercy. Especially towards people who are vulnerable. In the Bible, we read about multiple commandments for society to take care of sojourners, widows and fatherless children – people who are in a difficult social situation. And God gets very angry with Israel when they do neglect these people groups or even take advantage of them.
For God, mercy is more praiseworthy than collecting wealth or gaining power. In Proverbs 31:8 we are called to “open your mouth, judge righteously; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” James 1:27 calls it part of pure and undefiled religion to “visit orphans and widows in their affliction”. This kind of behavior does not reflect our natural inclinations to put our own interests first, but it reflects God’s mercy towards vulnerable people. And it is exactly this mercy that saves our lives, since in the end we all are little helpless people that need God’s protection.
How can you stand up for the vulnerable and oppressed?