God’s Heart For The PoorSample

The Day of Reckoning

Have you noticed that God values people for who they are, not for what they can contribute to someone else’s bank statement? Isaiah is dealing with that theme here in this passage. We’re not sure if he’s referring to rulers or judges, but his point is very clear!

Isaiah says that these officials are charged with making unjust laws and oppressive decrees that were designed to deprive rights of the poor and withhold justice. They were taking advantage of widows and robbing the orphans. His question is daunting: “What will you do on the day of reckoning?” What will you do when God rises up?

We may think that we will never give account of our actions, but God thinks differently.

We may not be creating unjust laws that oppress others. We may not be running a widow out of her house or making an orphan work for no pay, so how do these verses apply to us? We can think through our encounters. Do we bully people or take advantage of them? Do we make others feel less significant by lording our power over them? Are we paying fair wages to our employees and those who help at our home? Do we support organizations or businesses who oppress their workers?

Or do we do our part to advocate for justice?