Together in Christ: 'Their Redeemer Is Strong' — Proverbs 23:10

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

A Year with Jesus - Holy Week

Spend some time with Jesus this week preparing for Resurrection Sunday.

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Don't cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers; don't take the land of defenseless orphans. For their Redeemer is strong; he himself will bring their charges against you.

— Proverbs 23:10 NLT

Key Thought

Greedy, unscrupulous bullies try to leverage any opportunity to take advantage of the absent and the weak. They don't think anyone sees or cares about their malicious but under-the-radar thievery and abuse. God, however, cares deeply about honesty, justice, fairness, and family property. [1] God also watches over His people, especially the vulnerable — the widows, orphans, foreigners, and poor. [2] YHWH, the Lord God, is their Savior and Redeemer. [3] He watches and cares about them and holds accountable any who abuse and mistreat His "little ones," as Jesus called them in His ministry. [4]

God wants us to be His people who value and care for the widows, orphans, foreigners, and poor among us. [5] He wants us to speak up for those who are forgotten and ignored, to defend and support them. [6] God wants us to ensure that justice is done in the courts and fairness is practiced with the handling of the powerless and family property. [7] This means that we cannot isolate ourselves from the public square, the courts, and the marketplace. God has put us here to ensure that our neighbors and the vulnerable are treated fairly. When we work for His values in our society, we will hopefully find that when the time comes, we and those we love are more likely to be treated with justice and fairness. Whether we are treated fairly in this life or not, God will reward our faithfulness when Jesus returns!

[1] Deuteronomy 19:13-14, 27:17; Job 24:2; Isaiah 61:8.
[2] Deuteronomy 10:18, 14:29, 16:10-14, 24:17-21, 27:19; Malachi 3:5.
[3] Psalm 40:17, 70:5.
[4] Matthew 18:6-10.
[5] 1 Timothy 5:3, 14-16; James 1:27, 4:17; Psalm 146:9.
[6] Isaiah 1:17, 23; Psalm 68:5.
[7] Deuteronomy 24:17, 19; Jeremiah 7:5-6, 22:3; Zechariah 7:10.

Today's Prayer

Holy God, I ask that You give me a heart like Yours as I seek justice, fairness, and goodness in my life, my neighborhood, and the values of my community. Please use me to care for the vulnerable and protect the rights of the oppressed. Dear Father, I want to be Your representative in my world, reflecting Your values to my neighbors. I want to do this with gentleness, kindness, and respect. Yet, dear Father, I also want to be bold when I need to speak up for righteousness, justice, and mercy for those who have no power to speak up for themselves. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • Jeremiah 7:1-11
  • Romans 12:9-21

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Illustration

Illustration of Proverbs 23:10 NLT — Don't cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers; don't take the land of defenseless orphans. For their Redeemer is strong; he himself will bring their charges against you.

About This Devotional

Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.

'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.