HUMAN COMPASSION COMMANDED

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

From the book of Micah God commanded His people through His prophet Micah what He required from them (Mic. 6:8) “He has shown you O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?”  Here prophet Micah gives a summation of the law, which shows his remarkable insight into the law. And keeping that law consists of doing what is right, having that deposition from which obedience to the law flows, and maintaining a humility which leads one to God’s will.  The final words, “walk humbly with your God” are the key to the others. Fear of God and a humble spirit before Him create the desire to be just in one’s dealing with others. These virtues elicit kindness, compassion and goodwill toward others. Good works and ritual observance do not matter before God until one comes as a sinner before Him and humbly asks for forgiveness. Only then can a person express his nature, a changed nature, in away pleasing to God. A humble outward life before God results only when there is full submission to Him in their inner life as well.

GOD STEPPED ASIDE FOR A WHILE

But contrary to what the Lord required from His people; they were too wicked that they could not listen to the prophet’s plea  so they were left on their own to suffer and to struggle (7:11-13) “In that day when your walls are to be built, in that day the decree shall go far and wide. In that day they shall come to you from Assyria and the fortified cities, from the fortress to the River, from sea to sea, and mountain to mountain. Yet the land shall be desolate because of those who dwell in it, and for the fruit of their deed.”  And because of God’s compassion nature, He did have mercy on them, commanded His servant to take good care of them and reminded them the works which he did with their fore fathers. The wicked and abomination ways of the people makes God of course to be angry with His people but that does not qualify Him to be angry forever but just awhile. (V. 14- 20) “Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwell solitarily in a woodland, in the midst of Carmel; Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. “As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them wonders.” Those who had despised and looked down upon the children of Israel shall be ashamed (V. 16-20) “The nation’s shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall put their hands over their mouth; their ears shall be deaf. They shall lick the dust like a serpent; they shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth. They shall be afraid of the Lord their God, and shall fear because of You. Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old.” Zachariah the servant of the Most High God also testified of the goodness of the Lord thus (Zech. 7:9) “Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, foal of a donkey.”

NEHEMIAH’S GREAT CONCERN FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE WALL OF JERUSALEM

Nehemiah the great wall builder was in great distress when he heard about the welfare of the remnant in Jerusalem and how the walls are broken down and the gates burned with fire (Neh. 1:3-4) “And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” So it was when I heard these words that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” Nehemiah’s concern for the plight of God’s people in the Promised Land stands out in his book. Nehemiah’s facial expression troubled the king (2:2-5) “Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad? Since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my father’s tombs, lays waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, if it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” When he heard about the sad situation in Jerusalem, he intensely desired to organize the people into rebuilding of the city wall. His heart went to the people who were exploited through the charging excessive interest, and he became their champion. He even refuses the government salary because of the burden it was placing on the people. He also showed concern about obeying the law of God; the last chapter records several reforms to make sure the people would honor the law of God. Nehemiah is a model of one who has genuine concerns for God and his people.

 GOD’S COMMAND FOR SOCIAL CONCERN

God’s compassion to His people by His servant Moses was (Duet. 26:12) “When  you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your  increase in the third year- the year of tithing- and has given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled.” See also (24:10-15) “When you lend your brother anything, you shall not go into his house to get his pledge. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you lend shall bring the pledge out to you. And if the man is poor, you shall not keep his pledge overnight. You shall in any case return the pledge to him again when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his own garment and bless you; and it shall be righteousness to you before the Lord your God.”  And also (V. 14-15) “You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who sits in your land within your gates. Each day you shall give him his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cries out against you to the Lord, and it is sin to you.” One prominent feature of the laws in Deuteronomy deserves special mention- the laws of social concern i. e (10:18) “For the Lord your God is God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great God and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing.” See also (V. 14:29) “And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.” And there was a curse to those who did not do according to the commandment (27:19) “Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless and widow.”  God gave many commandments to His people in order to protect those whom the powerful might otherwise exploit; widows, orphans, aliens, the poor and needy. People are more important than money or possessions; consequently God commanded judges to show no favoritism when they sat in judgment. Not to show partiality but to show love for all (1:16-17) “Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or a stranger who is with him. You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.” See also (16:18-20) “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the Lord your God gives to you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgment. You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.” The basis of this concern required of the Israelites for the poor and weak was God’s love for His own oppressed people in Egypt. God wants us to show the same sort of love to needy persons.

COMPASSION COMMANDED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

In the New Testament Apostle Paul in his epistle to Galatians commanded us to keep the law by bearing our brother’s burden (Gal. 6:1-2) “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restores such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” And in his letter to the Ephesians He wrote thus (Eph. 4:31-32) “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” And to the Colossae he wrote (Col. 3:12) “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.”  And Apostle Peter has this to add (1 Pet. 3:8) “Finally all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”

“Grace to you and Favor from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all. Amen and Amen and Amen.