Contempt for the Lowly

Contempt for the Lowly

“He who oppresses the needy reproaches his Maker, but he who has compassion on the poor, honors the Creator.” Prov. 14:31 [Norw.].

In the flesh there is a desire to assert oneself and to be honored. The urge to assert oneself is usually so strong that as long as a person receives honor, it doesn’t matter if it is at someone else’s expense.

Usually it is the defenseless and the needy who feel the pressure; it is easy to drive them into a corner. As a rule, they do not have many defenders either, because most people admire greatness. But the needy person has not created himself. To oppress him, therefore, is to reproach his Maker. However: “Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is His name. He will thoroughly plead their case . . . .” Jer. 50:34.

God avenges all injustice. It is therefore vital to tread carefully. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Jas. 2:13. Paul writes, “We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have defrauded no one.” 2 Cor. 7:2. He walked in fear, lest he should cause offense to one for whom Christ had died.

“And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty . . . .” 1 Cor. 12:23. By joking or being funny at another’s expense, you can easily expose a person whom, according to God’s Word, you should have covered, and thus you also reproach the Creator. “Behold, God is mighty in strength of understanding.” Job 36:5. Who can compare himself to God? Who has an understanding like His? Who knows all our frailties like He does? Yet, He despises no one.

If we let the mind of Christ be in us, and humbly esteem others better than ourselves, we will be able to help and bless people. God has a special care for the weak and the lowly, and He says, “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? . . . ‘I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,’ says the Lord God.” Ezek. 34:2, 15.

God was angry with the shepherds of Israel because they had not strengthened the weak, nor healed the sick, nor brought back the one who had drifted away, and the lost. Let us put on love, which is the bond of perfection, and become God’s wo-workers so that the lowly and the weak can thrive and flourish in God’s garden. In so doing, we also honor the Creator.