Essay about Mishpat: Social Ethics in Jeremiah

He preached of a coming judgment against Israel for (among other things) oppressing their people. The Old Testament had charged the Israelites to take care of the disadvantaged and the poor, but there was a great disparity between the rich and the poor as Israel continued to reject God’s commands[5]. Amos compared the wealthy women of Samaria to well fed cattle because they oppressed the poor while being consumed by selfish pleasures[6]. Amos 5:14-15 states: “Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good;  maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.” The goal of Amos was to show that Israel was not keeping their charge to care for one another despite God’s command. This was due, in large part, to the people focusing on self interests. This sentiment is echoed in Micah where the wealthy conspired to steal the land of the needy[7]. The world today mirrors Israel during the time of Amos. History has shown time and time again that wealth and personal selfishness blinds man to the plight of the needy. In the United States, there is a huge disparity between the rich and the poor that requires personal conviction to change. Man must stay focused on God and care for one another to bring blessing upon them. Man’s

Social injustice is what led Israel into demise and captivity. It was God’s judgment for their sins of not being socially just according to Mosaic Law. Ezekiel gives an excellent account of God’s judgment of those of wealth and greed: “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it" (Ezekiel 16:49-50). According to the Law of Moses, the wealthy were to take special care of those less fortunate. There were numerous traditions, throughout the Old Testament, that Israel was to accomplish. Nevertheless, they failed miserably and paid the price of God’s justice. In today’s technological world and all of its communication devices, it seems that we are falling further apart instead of coming closer together. People today will text a friend they see enter a room instead of getting up and walking over to them. People fall in love over the internet without truly meeting or getting to know one another. Society has become anonymous. We think we know what is going on by reading whatever someone may write on an internet blog. We lack

The Lord God is filled with many emotions and one of those is Love. The Lord God loves his people so much and is willing to do anything for them. The Lord God made many promises to the nation and they were promises that he wanted to keep. He is someone of his word and would not want to disappoint or go against his people. The Lord our God wanted to be loved by the nation of Israel. The book of deuteronomy shows that the Lord God loved and cared for the Israelites as a father would his own children because they were the children of Israel. The book states that the Lord would be kind to

The foundation of the debate originates from the Biblical passages found in the book of Romans, chapters nine through eleven. However, for the purposes of this paper, the focus will be primarily on Romans chapter nine. In this section of his epistle, the Apostle Paul wrote of his deep concern for Israel, the seven privileges God gave to Israel, the difference between Jews who naturally descended from Abraham and Jews who are his spiritual seed, the fact that God’s mercy is controlled by his sovereign will, that the Old Testament prophets predicted the spiritual blindness of Israel, and God’s mercy being extended to the Gentiles. (King James Version Bible, Romans 9:1-33)

“Oh why, why does this have to be? I thought we were more important than this disgusting breed. They are greedy, self absorbing, dirty, and worst of all stupid. But God told us to love them with all our hearts, as an angel of the lord we have to help them when in need, and save them from their sinful acts.”

The book of Deuteronomy was written while Israel was in a time of wandering the wilderness due to disobedience. The 40 years of wandering were almost up and God was re-affirming the covenant and giving them the law that covered all areas of their lives. Right near the end of this massive book of covenant law God promises in Deuteronomy 28 to bless the Israelites if they obeyed whole-heartedly.

From the book of Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 9-10 states, “Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant”.” The Lord gave Jeremiah to spread the

By being the chosen people, to the Hebrews it meant that they had reasons to serve God. When God first appeared before them and annihilated the Egyptian army, Moses explained that god “put the fear of him” (Exodus 20, line 20) upon the Hebrews so that they would not sin. The Hebrews out of fear would then serve God. God then made a contract-like condition, where if they obeyed his rules “blessings shall come upon you and overtake you” (Deuteronomy 28, line 2). On the other hand, if they disobeyed his rules, “curses shall come upon you and overtake you” (Deuteronomy 28, line 15). Knowing his true might through the destruction of the Egyptian army, they had reason to believe punishment was absolute. Thus they would obey this simple merit system,

First, one must look at the setting the Law is bestowed upon the people. Exodus 1-15 depicts the deliverance of the Israelite nation who were enslaved under the Egyptian rule. God heard their cries and called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. In this, God claimed the Israelites as His people. “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians” (Exodus 6:7). After many obstacles had been conquered the people were “free”, but their journey was far from over.

The omnipotent and omniscient sovereign rule of Yahweh over all His creation demonstrates how He fulfills His divine purposes even through the lives of sinful mankind. Regardless of mankind’s disobedience to Yahweh, He has never lost control of the universe, His knowledge of what will come, or the fulfillment of His Will. The establishment of the covenant with Abraham to multiple his offspring and give them the promise land is accomplished in Joshua as the Israelites enter into the land

Social injustice was rampant during Amos’s time. Not only within Israel/Judah, but also in the foreign kingdoms around them. We are first introduced to the sins of Israel’s neighbors in Amos chapters 1 and 2, which the Lord has found unfavorable which include; crushing Gilead in a cruel manner ( Amos,1:3 New International Version), selling communities into slavery (Amos 1:6, 1:9), murdering their brothers, killing women and their babies (Amos 1:11, 1:13), and burning the bones of others (Amos 2:1). Then we are introduced to the sins of Israel and Judah which include; forgetting the law (Amos 2:4), worshipping other gods (Amos 2:4), selling people into slavery (Amos 2:6), treat those under them cruelly (Amos 2:7), and women being shared between father and son (Amos 2:7) When you look at these two lists it is painfully evident to see that God 's people were very similar to those around them. Already they were becoming a lot like those around them, failing to keep themselves pure and separate. When we look at these things that the Lord is finding issue with, we can see just how many have to do with how they are treating those around them. By showing his disapproval of these actions, God is showing us His heart on these matters.

The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor

In Amos prophecy, he says that true life in Israel can only flourish when God’s concern for the vulnerable finds embodiment in its social life. He notes that such embodiment requires that the justice has to truly be justice aimed at correcting wrongs done. Indeed those who have been involved in committing injustices are to be

“‘For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is his name…The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—a wife who married young, only to be rejected,’ says your God. For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.” (Isaiah 54:5-6 New International Version 1984)

What caused Yahweh to become so distressed with His children? They were, after all, still practicing all the ritual sacrifices that were required by covenant. It was the hypocrisy of their lives and their heart attitudes that was the problem. (vs 2-14) Specifically, the people were worshiping God in the Temple, and then sneaking out at night to worship pagan gods. The women neglected their families to go out and sleep around. The priests and prophets had become drunks, and were more interested in pleasing their peers than in pleasing God. On top of all this, the wealthy people were murderers, and were oppressing the poor. (vs4, 15, 21) Yahweh was so