“Yahweh does not respect persons … It is because of His own character and their responsibility to bring about His justice that the judges of Israel are forbidden to take bribes or show favoritism (Deut 10:19). This is not to say…the Scriptures present Yahweh as non-partisan. God associates Himself…with some persons and opposes others. The condemnation of favoritism in the Hebrew Scriptures takes the particular form of the condemnation of taking bribes…It seems obvious that it is not the poor and destitute who offer bribes. What is condemned is not a judge taking a side in the administration of justice. What is condemned is a judge taking the side of the wealthy and powerful for the purpose of gain, which compounds the injustice. This condemnation of favoritism toward the wealthy is continued directly in the Church (Jam 2:1-9). Establishing justice or restoring justice once it has been violated requires taking a side or, perhaps, more appropriately, taking up a cause…it requires taking up the cause of the victims of injustice… setting one’s self against the perpetrators of that injustice. Action taken on this basis will naturally be action in favor of victims and action against oppressors.” (Fr. Stephen De Young)
“When God judges, it is not like judges in our time, whose purpose is to interpret and apply the law in a court, often handing out punishments such as fines or imprisonment. It is also not like the “street justice” we see between violent people and nations, which is mainly about revenge. God’s justice is to put things right. So if someone is being oppressed, He releases him from that oppression and exalts him. If someone is an oppressor, He takes that one down as many notches as is needed to end that oppression…This justice will be fully realized in the Kingdom of God in the life to come, though God is also acting now to bring justice.” (Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick)
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” (Luke 4:18-19) Christ says He is anointed by God to minister to ‘the poor,’ ‘the brokenhearted,’ ‘the captives,’ ‘the blind,’ and the ‘oppressed.’ Many Christians today are so influenced by the prosperity gospel that they cannot recognize that Jesus did not come to claim the affluent, the prosperous, the contented, those who have everything they want, the satisfied or those lacking nothing. Christ comes into the world because there are poor people, oppressed people, needy people, the downtrodden, the powerless, the meek and the hungry. These are the very people who bring Christ into the world, and so we owe them thanks, support, love and kindness as they bring Christ close to us.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“The concern for the poor and oppressed goes back to the very foundations of Israel. As the story of the people’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt begins, the Almighty reveals Himself as the God of mercy. From the Burning Bush, the Almighty tells Moses that He has seen the sufferings of His people and has heard their cry (Exodus 3:7, 9)…from the beginning, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob manifested Himself as a God of compassion for those in need…in the Law of Moses, we find frequent warnings that the People of God should not “pervert justice due the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow” (Deuteronomy 24:17). The reason is often stated: as the Lord had mercy on His people and delivered them from slavery in Egypt, they should now have compassion for the needy and oppressed (Deuteronomy 24:18).” (Fr. Basil)
“Oppression is a fool’s game because God is love. He will not allow an oppressor to oppress others forever for both for their sakes.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)
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