Daily Word: Get Involved

Proverbs 24:10-12 says: If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, "Behold, we did not know this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not requite man according to his work? (RSV) The JPS Study Bible comments: "The obligation to fight injustice: It is not enough to refrain from committing injustices; you must actively try to prevent them. Rescuing may refer to standing up for an unjustly accused defendant in a capital case." Hebraic thought has consistently focused on preventing injustice to those that cannot help themselves.

How do we approach the cause of injustice? There is a tendency to focus on just a few issues like abortion and homosexual marriage. However, there is far more injustice in the world than just those two. How about the plight of the poor or the sick (even if they brought the sickness on themselves, e.g. cancer from smoking or HIV). This verse is calling us to compassionate action. It is not a call to just have pity; it is a call to get involved in the lives of those that are suffering some type of injustice and do something about it.

Today, look around you. Be proactive and look for incidences of injustice. When you find it, do something about it. Get involved. You might volunteer to work with the homeless or feed the poor. Yes, you might make a public stand against abortion and seek to protect the lives of the unborn. Regardless of the injustice, make a decision to get involved.