By Pastor Bryan Clark
We live in a culture of labels, and labels divide. As long as we travel down this path there is
little chance for unity. God’s vision for the world was for it to be a place of mutual flourishing captured in the Hebrew term shalom. This requires that we remove all the artificial labels that divide us and recognize that each person is fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God (Ps. 139:14). Every person is someone Jesus died for. They matter greatly to God.
The Preacher, as he’s called in the book of Ecclesiastes, looked around and instead of seeing shalom he saw oppression and suffering. He wrote, “I have seen under the sun that in the places of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness” (3:16). The concept of flourishing requires true justice and righteousness. These are two very important Hebrew words. The first word translated justice is mishpat which means true justice for everyone regardless of age, gender, socio-economic status, skin color, or ethnic background. There is lots of talk about justice and equity today but in practice very little of it exists. Often today the loudest voices calling for justice and equity are in fact the oppressors.
Oppression was a way of life in the ancient world. Might made right and whoever was in charge defined the rules. The rich dominated the poor and disadvantaged them while the courts were highly corrupt and favored the powerful. Bribes were a way of life in the ancient judicial systems. But God called His people to represent a better way to live. Contrary to the nations around them, God’s people were to operate in a way that was fair to all (mishpat).
This required that leaders be counted among the righteous. The righteous translates another important Hebrew word Tzadik. The Tzadik was a person who had a passion for shalom and about God’s vision for the world. So much so, the Tzadik would even disadvantage himself in order to advantage the larger community. With the righteous in charge and justice as the true operating system, the people could truly flourish together.
But that wasn’t happening. The preacher saw wickedness where there should’ve been justice. The wicked were in places of power, not the righteous. When that happens, oppression is sure to follow. It’s important to understand that the term wicked is not limited to murderers and criminals and such. The wicked in poetical literature are those who are selfish to the core. They cheat and disadvantage others to advantage themselves. They create an “I” culture rather than a “we” culture. They do great violence to shalom. This is why the Proverbs states, “When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there is joyful shouting,” (Prov. 11:10).
God doesn’t divide people up into right and left, or conservative and liberal, or republican and democrat. He divides people up between the righteous and the wicked (see Psalm 1). This is a very helpful standard for us. We should be for the righteous and opposed to the wicked regardless of any other labels. As a Christian, my loyalty should not be to a political party but to the righteous. I should oppose the wicked regardless of party affiliation.
So, like the preacher, we look around and see injustice and oppression in places where there should be justice and righteousness. At so many levels the wicked are in charge and the people are suffering. What can we do? First, we need to remember God sorts it out in the end. The Preacher reminds us that God will judge both the righteous and the wicked (Eccl. 3:17). Nobody gets away with anything. No plea bargains, no technicalities, no bribes, no excuses. True justice will prevail, and the wicked will stand condemned.
In light of this, let’s trust God to do His part so we can focus on doing our part. Let’s make sure we are numbered among the righteous. It’s easy to get caught up in this “me first” culture where we care more about ourselves than the flourishing of the people around us. Let’s make sure we are not disadvantaging others to advantage ourselves. Let’s make sure we are not the roadblock to shalom.
I can’t change all the oppression and injustice we see in our culture, but I can be aware of the places where I have influence. I can seek to establish little pockets of flourishing around me creating platforms for sharing God’s vison for the world. I can give people even a slight glimpse of the world as God intended it to be. Like the Preacher, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the struggles and abuses around us. When that happens, we lock up and do nothing. We may complain or vent but that doesn’t change anything. That’s not a solution.
So, let’s view each day as a gift from God and a chance to pursue God’s vision for the world to the people around us. Let’s not add to the division and anger that is destroying our culture but rather, let’s give the people around us a glimpse of a better way to live. In the words of Jesus, let’s be salt and light to a dark and needy world. God will be faithful to do His part in His time. Let’s make sure we are doing our part.
Pastor Bryan Clark’s biblical wisdom and passion for God and His people is evident in his messages heard on Talk'N Truth (with Dan Whitney – Larry the Cable Guy) and his teachings at Lincoln Berean Church in Lincoln, NE. His Back to the Bible legacy dates back to when his father Eugene Clark served as Back to the Bible’s music director and his mom, Fern, served as
receptionist. We encourage you to check out Bryan’s books which you’ll find on our Back to the Bible web store!
PS: Be sure to check out all of the great Bible teaching content at www.backtothebible.org or, from your mobile device, click this link GOtandem.
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