Thus says the Lord:
“You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.” (Ex 22:20)
One thing, I believe, is for certain. We all know what it feels like to be the underdog. We have all been in positions where we did not have a lot of power, where we had little influence, where what we said or felt or believed did not really matter to others.
Being underdogs, you would think, would put us more in touch with others who are downtrodden.
Sadly, the reverse is often true.
When an underdog finally gets to have some kind of power and/or control, that person often does not care about others who are experiencing the same things. The only person that former underdog cares about is himself. That person will do everything that he can to make sure he never experiences powerlessness again — even if it means making other people powerless.
The people of the Old Testament heard a strong message from Moses reminding them that they were an oppressed people once upon a time. Being an oppressed people, they were called to look out for the rights of others so that they would not oppress anyone the way that they had been oppressed through the years.
That is a hard message to hear.
Our natural inclination is to protect ourselves and make sure that we never suffer no matter the cost to another.
That is the way of the world in which we live.
However, we are not a part of this world. We are a people who are longing for God’s world. We are pilgrims in this world but we must make a mark in the world that helps people to be better.
We are called to holiness, to faithfulness, to trust.
FAITH ACTION: Do all that you can to set an example today that inspires other people to want to help others rather than to use others.