It can arguably be said that the biblical teaching of the Old Testament on distributive justice does not overlook the responsibility and effort of the poor, the widow and the orphans in working for their sustenance no matter how little. In other words, distributive justice in the Old Testament does not dwell solely on providing for the less privileged; or taking from government (community) or well-to-do in society and giving to less privileged. The Old Testament also takes into cognizance the efforts and the responsibilities of the poor for their own welfare. In the first case, the accounts of gleanings in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy allude to the fact that the poor, the alien, the orphans and widows also have their responsibilities …show more content…
Zaccheus was short, which implies that those who were taller than him would have constituted themselves as barriers or obstacles for him to have a glimpse of Jesus if not that he thought it wise to run ahead and climbed a tree in order to see Jesus (Luke 19: 1-4). In society today, these tall people may be compared or likened to the powerful individuals, establishment, and unjust structures that may stand as barriers in limiting or blocking one’s development. In such situation, there are two options: either one is sad and resign to fate and continue to blame others (barriers) for his/her predicament, or one looks at other legitimate and morally acceptable channels and opportunities through which one can achieve one’s goals and development in life. The example of Zaccheus in this story ought to be a source of enlightenment, inspiration and encouragement to people of Ekiti State on the need for initiative, and how to make effort to better one’s lot in a moral and legitimate way.
Since justice is defined as giving people their due, it can be arguably said that what the early Christians (in communion with the Apostles) did as found in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 6: 1-2) was purely fraternal charity engineered by the love of Christ. It was purely a fraternal charity, which can not be called distributive justice in a proper sense of the word. This is because people were neither forced nor obliged, in justice, to sell what they had for it to be distributed. The episode of Ananias and Sapphira confirmed this position (Acts 5:
Throughout The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver implements the nature of cruelty into her writing to underscore the themes of cultural arrogance and societal injustice. Additionally, the cruel actions taken place in this detailed novel highlight the four individual daughter’s unique and intriguing perspectives along their journey in the Congo. From the innocence of young Ruth May to the unbound recklessness of Reverend Price, the reader witnesses the compelling mindsets and thought processes in times of adversity and hardships as they reflect on how cruel the world can be. Cruelty functions both significantly in the connection between the reader and the characters view points as well as conveying the central theme of injustice in the work,
The actions of our ancestors precede us thus making it impossible to change the impact they imprint on our lives. Whether it be acts of heroics or conflict that lead to destruction, everyone is marked by their predecessors at birth. This is Leah Price’s burden. Leah, a character from the novel The Poisonwood Bible whose father seeks to revolutionize the Congo. From the first step off the plane his actions had already affected her reputation to the native people. At the beginning she accepts this status that is placed on her by her father and blindly follows his every step. She admires his ideal of justice of a white man civilizing the Congo and she steals from this. Her theory of justice ,the one of bringing the barbaric Congo on its knees
In the book the Republic, by Plato, revised by G.M.A. Grube, an argument is made over what Justice is. How is justice defined? Can it be defined? What incentivizes one to be a just person? The group, specifically Socrates and Thrasymachus have concluded that Justice must be defined and proven worthwhile. The argument lies within this task as Thrasymachus hastily makes the bold claim that what society knows as “just” is simply not desirable. He states that Justice is actually the advantage of the stronger and claims that injustice is a virtue. Socrates and Euthyphro have a similar argument where “Holy” acts are attempted to be defined and the controversy alludes to that of being “Just”. Euthyphro claims that it is a holy act to prosecute those
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, and to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.(Biblegateway)” Reading this passage, I have felt that this verse calls out to God’s people to be His hands and feet. In the book, “Good News About Injustice,” it states it well, “The great miracle and mystery of God is that he calls me and you to be a part of what he is doing in history. He could, of course, with no help from us proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with lifeless stones, feed the entire world with five loaves and two fish, heal the sick with the hem of his garment, and release
For instance, Leviticus 25:35 states, “’if your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you” (ESV). As a Christian, a person is called to help those who are struggling, and speaks of giving everything a person has to help those around him or her. According to the Jacob Riis film, citizens turned a blind eye to all those suffering, without a home or food. It also states in Proverbs 22:2, “…the rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all” (ESV). God created everyone on the Earth, and did not create one group to feel superior over another. The last passage that represents the other half is Proverbs 28:6, “ Better is poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways” (ESV). A man can be as poor as can be, but wealth does not make you better in the eyes of God.
The personal insight and experience Zaru brings to the article provides an insightful perspective into the subject of oppression and liberation. The author states her argument clearly, but with obvious presuppositions deriving from her life as a Quaker (Zaru 123), thus making her argument slightly confusing at times. For example, as a Quaker, Zaru calls for justice, peace, and nonviolence in all situations, but fails to account for how justice should be sought, and simply acknowledges that a tension exists between peace and justice (135). Additionally, Zaru paints a relatively bleak picture of Old Testament accounts, even claiming that “the God of that portion of the biblical account is the God of people’s consciousness and perception rather than the God who really is” (125). This claim proves incredibly bold and seems to suggest inconsistency between the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament, a claim quite abrasive to those who, like myself, view the Bible as authoritative. Additionally, throughout the article, the author read her own experience into several Biblical accounts (Zaru 127), a practice that can provide clarity into one’s own experience, but should carefully avoid presentism. Despite these few critiques, Zaru offer incredible insight and perspective into the life of someone often viewed as “unchosen” and oppressed due to such views. In her
The Old Testament law is seen as irrelevant by most modern Christians today. Christians are now under the blood of Jesus Christ which is said to abrogate the Law. Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” The law of Christ is to love God and your neighbor as yourself. This does not mean, however, that the Old Testament Law does not apply to Christians today. Author J. Daniel Hays expounds on this topic in his article, “Applying the Old Testament Law Today,” and focuses on the hermeneutical approach of Principlism. This approach allows the Old Testament Law to be viewed in light of the New Testament.
The Elizabeth Poor Law advocated and placed responsibility of the poor to the churches and government. If parishes could not meet the responsibilities, counties were required to assume relief-giving functions. The government became the chief enforcer of poor relief. However, the local parishes fulfilled their welfare responsibilities in several ways. They provided outdoor relief to persons in the homes; provided indoor relief to person in special institutions that came to be variously known as almshouse, poorhouses or workhouses; or required person to become indenture servants or apprentices. It also required relatives to care for their impoverished relatives. The poor were provided with unemployment relief, initiated works; regulated local prices to help poor persons; gave in-kind assistance such a as food, clothing, and wood, provided health care; and removed children from abusive households’ and gave legal protection . Many local jurisdictions possessed “laws of settlement” that entitled people to receive local poor law relief after a year’s residence.
Does the Book of Job strengthen your faith in God’s justice? Why does God allow Satan to cause such tragedy in Job’s life, a man whom God has already acknowledged as “my servant Job, that there is none like on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”(1.8) From the beginning, it is known that Job is in no way deserving of his injustices, so a reason must be given. God gives Job an opportunity to prove that under any circumstances Job will still have faith. This is simply a test for the job.
Systematically, the disabled citizens were excluded from religious affairs and functions by Jewish leaders and other religious leaders. Lepers were often required to separate themselves completely from the community at large . This is why so many parables and teachings of Christ focused on the sick and the poor; they were outcast by religion and the rich. Some believe that there are many parables that are like so many folktales and fables. Many fables, especially Greco-Roman Jewish fables are closely parallel with the gospel parables and that perhaps when Jesus spoke the parable he was pulling from the original Egyptian Fable about a rich man and a poor man . Fables typically have a moral to learn and usually end in irony. Mary Beavis states the ...
It is important to know the history of one’s past. Just where did we come from and why. By comparing and contrasting the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants, we can see a part of our history. These two covenants mark a grand time in the history of Christians. Both covenants can teach us a lesson in becoming a better Christian and to knowing God better if we pay attention to what God wants us to learn. The Abrahamic Covenant lays the foundation for how the Christian nation was formed. The Mosaic Covenant follows in later years as a reminder of what was promised in the Abrahamic Covenant to the Christian nation. Both covenants are important in understanding the Old and New Testaments as they give us the historical background of the Bible as well as set the stage for the coming of Christ.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the first Beatitude. It tells us that we should accept people for who they are and not the material things they have. You should not treat a person who lives in a nice house and drives a nice car any different then someone who lives in a less desirable house and drives an old car. You should treat everyone how you would like to be treated.
Studies of The Old Testament make it evident that kingship is the ruling principle of leadership for a kingdom. There were no presidents with a democracy like The United States has today or communists making everyone equal. There was simply one king, specifically a male, his subordinates, and the kingdom he governed over. Hebrew culture was no different. This is seen through the great kings of the Bible, one of the most well known of them being King YHWH also called Yahweh. Kingship played a vital role in the progression and development of the kingdom of Israel throughout history from the time they first were freed by the mercy of Yahweh. The presentation of ancient Hebrew culture from kingship in the Old Testament reveals the tradition in
Much of scripture speaks to the issues of money and taking up cause for the poor, who are among the most vulnerable in society. The Old Testament has a key theme of protecting the powerless. The powerless in biblical times were often the most financially vulnerable within society, yet God cares for them. Kyle Fedler explains that God’s favoritism seems to rest with the poor and oppressed, and to reject those members of the community, is to reject the God that so deeply loves them. Within our society we often show our favoritism not to the poor, but to the wealthy. Our society runs off of individualism. That individualism blinds us to the needs of
The meaning to justice is behaving and acting to what is consequently good or fair. The act of justice is based upon equality being that people should get what they deserve. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” We see here in this verse that God is merciful and in all He does he is just in his discipline. As sinners we fall short of Gods glory and because of this when we commit our wrong doings such as adultery, lying, coveting, thieving, murdering, and worshiping false idols, etc is when we are judged for our sins and according to what God finds just is how we will be persecuted. Justice is an attribute that is showed to us everyday because of His sanctity. Man cannot understand justice if they don’t understand sin, we can try and hide from God or prolong our recognition to our actions because we know Go...