“Among my people are the wicked who lie in wait like those who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch people.  Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek.  Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not seek justice.  They do not promote the case of the fatherless; they do not promote the case of the fatherless; they do not defend the just cause of the poor.  Should I not punish them for this?” declares Yahewh.  ”Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this.” -Jeremiah 5:26-29

It is a weird time in the western Christian church.  There is continuing debate about the priorities of God.  What is it that God really cares about?  What is our purpose as believers and ambassadors of God?  What is our role in this present age while we wait in hope for the new heaven and new earth?

These questions cannot and shouldn’t be answered in one setting let alone one blog.  But as a believer in God’s revelation through the scriptures, I argue they should be a main avenue to answer these questions.

One way to discern what a person cares about is to see what makes them mad.  This is no different with God.  When God is mad, it is for a reason.  God is mad because his people are not living the way they are supposed to.  In the verses above, God is angry that people are oppressing others.  Some are becoming rich and the rich are keeping the poor trapped in systems of poverty.

Sound familiar?

In the States, we have the same problem.  The problem is not that some people become rich.  Money can be a good thing is used properly.  The problem is that when a person becomes rich, there is a temptation to become even more rich.  Again, not necessarily a bad thing.  But it becomes bad when material wealth is made at the expense of the poor.  The ways people make their money rarely heed thought to the poor or promote the cause of the most vulnerable in society.

I pray that we as a society begin to question if how we make our money is ethical.  I also pray that we begin to seek if the companies we give our money to are performing in ethical ways.

Because, as we see in Jeremiah, God calls these people, the people not defending the poor and the vulnerable wicked.  Let us not be a people that participates in such wickedness.

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