Do What Is Right

When life seems to throw you off balance with unpleasant surprises and disasters, it seems that many people will start looking to the One Who provides stability in life.

When the protective walls of security which we have constructed begin to crumble, it seems that many will start looking to the One Who provides complete, genuine security in life.

Unfortunately, even when things seem to be going smoothly, people can become quite smug in their supposed ability to avoid doing any blatant wrong. That person can think they’ve dotted all their spiritual “i’s” and crossed their righteous “t’s,” all while thinking that there is no way they could even be accused of any wrong.

Sadly, over the last several weeks and months, we have seen several Christians leaders who have fallen prey to participating in those things which are wrong. Today’s message might cause some to become uncomfortable with their comfort zones. It might even cause others to become a bit uncomfortable in our easy chairs of comfortable Christianity.

Brothers and sisters, I am convinced it is wrong to try and be neutral about sin. I believe it is also wrong to condone or even coddle those who are defiant against God. This does not just involve those other people; it may even involve someone who is listening to this message today. And I am not speaking to those who are unsaved, for they are doing what is normal for them. I am referring to those who are followers of Jesus Christ, or who claim to be. Remember Jeremiah is speaking to God’s chosen people, not to the pagan nations.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to be active in our doing right.

Being Right Does Not Mean We Are Doing Right. - 21.1-22.12

The king of Judah was not much different than many people today. Here we see that when King Zedekiah felt Nebuchadnezzar breathing down his neck, he became quite concerned. Knowing of Nebuchadnezzar’s ruthless activities, King Zedekiah began to call upon God. We read in verse 2 that the king also had a memory about how God in the past had rescued His people from their enemies. Jeremiah 21:2 ““Please inquire of the Lord on our behalf, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is warring against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all His wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us.””

However, it seemed that Zedekiah didn’t fully understand that he and the people of Judah had become God’s enemies as a result of the evil they had committed. All of his pleas seemed to be falling on deaf ears. It was as if Zedekiah and Judah had stuck their tongues out at God one too many times.

Yet, even yet, God shows how incredible his mercy and grace can be as He gives His people a chance for life. Read Jeremiah 21:8 ““You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.” The people deserved to be totally annihilated. They deserved to be wiped from the face of the earth for their mockery of God. Yet, God places before them the option to choose life or death. As always, the choice is ours to accept or reject life.

But what can provide life? Simply obeying God by doing what may seem illogical at the time. God was requiring the people of Judah to go to their enemy and surrender. That would have been an acknowledgement of their sin and their dependence on God being a God of mercy.

Now we need to read Jeremiah 21:12 “O house of David, thus says the Lord: “Administer justice every morning; And deliver the person who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor, That My wrath may not go forth like fire And burn with none to extinguish it, Because of the evil of their deeds.” We read of this directed at the king with painful pointedness. Every day, he needed to do what is right. He needed to be a person of justice. He needed to rescue the one who had been robbed from the person who was the oppressor. That was a basic expectation of the ruler of God’s people. Anything else would have been absolute sin. To turn a blind eye or to ignore the one who is suffering unjustly is blatant sin. He was the king of God’s chosen people. Yet that didn’t mean he was doing right.

It seems to me that the Bible states that we can do no less. We need to be actively involved in the lives of those who are being taken advantage of. We must be willing to vocally and boldly stand alongside the victim. We must defend their right to be treated fairly. We must be what the Holy Spirit is called, a “paraclete,” One who comes alongside. If we don’t, we stand just as guilty as King Zedekiah, who for love of money, pleasure, comfort, and convenience, ignored and overlooked the oppressed.

You might wonder who do we know that fits the category of being victimized by the oppressor. Let me say that it seems quite obvious that we could definitely be talking about the unborn child, who cannot defend itself.

This could also be translated into the realm of rescuing someone from Satan’s hand. This is quite practical and down to earth. It is far too easy to speak in spiritual terms for discussion, rather than deal with how the spiritual relates to the life on this earth right now. Yes, I know that God, the Holy Spirit, ultimately does the drawing and convicting. However, the Bible is very clear that we are to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To keep silent is simply wrong.

This must have been right at the heartbeat of our Lord, for we see God listing out a requirement in Jeremiah 22:3 “‘Thus says the Lord, “Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place.”

So, we see that we cannot be passive in our response to the oppressed. We cannot sit back and relax and believe that the government or someone else will rescue them and take care of them. We must be active in doing what is right. And if they don’t know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, that is where we need to start.

Being Rich Does Not Mean We Are Doing Right. - 22.13-17

There seems to be an increase in false teaching among several that promotes the idea that God wants you to be wealthy. Of course, it seems to start with the audiences needing to send in loads of money to the preacher so he can get wealthy in the hopes that they will be blessed financially in return.

The idea that being rich means that God is blessing as a result of our doing right is completely false. It was very well known that Zedekiah used and abused workers to build a ridiculously oversized house or palace. Read Jeremiah 22:13–17 ““Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness And his upper rooms without justice, Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay And does not give him his wages, Who says, ‘I will build myself a roomy house With spacious upper rooms, And cut out its windows, Paneling it with cedar and painting it bright red.’ “Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. “He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” Declares the Lord. “But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, And on shedding innocent blood And on practicing oppression and extortion.””

Doing what is right and just is better than having a mind-boggling palace at the expense of the laborers. Zedekiah was even given an example about his own father as to what he should have been doing in Jeremiah 22:16 ““He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” Declares the Lord.”

Even in our culture, it is often reasoned that having more stuff equates to doing what is right. You’ve heard the phrase, “they must be doing something right.” To say that we know the Lord strongly suggests that we’ll be obedient to the Lord and His commands. Pursuing riches can be an incredible distraction from doing what the Lord wants. I have heard it said that someone felt it would be wrong to give a large amount to the local church, for it would be too much. Even though they could have well afforded it, they chose to withhold it. Those funds could have been so beneficial to the church and its many ministries.

Lest anyone think this is isolated teaching, Let’s take a bit of time and look at a very practical book in the New Testament.

James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

James 2:14–17 “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

James 2:8–9 “If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

Those verses sound like they’re in complete agreement with what Jeremiah is writing from God.

Conclusion

It is far too easy to go through life as a Christian not wanting to get involved in the lives of others. After all, you can keep your spiritual fingernails from becoming dirty. You can keep every righteous hair on your head combed perfectly.

However, it would seem that if followers of Christ keep silent and safe, we have sided with the enemy.

I am not encouraging us to become so radical that we become obnoxious in our zeal for Jesus. What I am suggesting first of all, is that we not participate in any way with the evils of this world, even while thinking we’re just trying to get along. Many churches in Germany had actually given Hitler encouragement and affirmation along the way, as people were hoping for an economic rebound. We know how that went, to the detriment of many people, especially the Jews.

Secondly, let me share a few ways in which Christians can be involved in helping the oppressed. Consider the individual who is addicted to gambling, or a plethora of other addictions. The family also ends up being the oppressed. In order for gambling, in particular, to work, there must be individuals who are hooked to the point of causing economic suffering to the family. It requires individuals who are willing to sacrifice their families, their abilities on the jobs, their integrity, etc. So what can we do? We can speak up on behalf of the oppressed and do what is right and just. We must do all we can to rescue them.

What about the individual who has become oppressed because of marital infidelity? This person is in an adulterous relationship. Most people prefer to keep quiet and not get involved in that mess. However, we need to share the love of Christ by getting our hands dirty and showing that we care. We must do all that we can to keep families intact. We must speak out against those who dare to portray extramarital activity as normal, acceptable, and even healthy.

Another victim of oppression is the young person who is told that they can participate in safe sex with others. Or they’re being told that they need to be exposed to homosexuality in order to “understand” and not be prejudiced. Or they’re encouraged to be a participant in an alternative lifestyle, so as to identify and understand. As followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot quietly accept this thinking as acceptable. We must vocally speak out against this and boldly present what the Bible states is the only right perspective on sexuality.

I will finish with one last example of victims of oppression. This would be the unborn child, as well as the child’s mother. The world is stating quite brazenly that the mother has a right over her own body and should feel free to terminate the life within her. Society suggests that an unwanted child is going to automatically be a great burden on society. Brothers and sisters, those are lies. You and I cannot afford to be silent. If we are quiet, then we are complicit in the shedding of innocent blood.

First of all, the child is a separate body with a separate DNA. Secondly, the “unwanted” child has a waiting list of parents wanting to adopt this child. Not speaking out against murder is wrong.

My friends, just as Jeremiah was proclaiming, so does Christ today—do what is just and right. One might think that being a believer in Jesus Christ should automatically cause us to do what is right. But as we’ve seen with the nation of Judah and their king, as well as many in churches today, being chosen of God does not guarantee that we will do what is just and right.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to be active in our doing right.