How God Treats Oppressors

Introduction

This morning we looked at the tyranny of Herod and how Christ, and those in Christ, have nothing to fear of the world’s tyranny because of God’s supremacy and sovereignty.

Our text in Micah has a very similar theme, with the prophet addressing what had become one of Israel’s most common sins in this time period: oppression. In this warning to the rich and powerful, Micah reveals the nature of oppression, where it comes from in the human heart, why the entire nation is judged for this sin, and what God will do about it.

What is an Oppressor?

Micah’s words are specifically directed at those in Israel who are oppressive. Last week we saw that the sin they are guilty of, that they meditated on in their beds, was theft. However they are not robbers in the night. These are the rich and powerful of Israel who are able to use their position and prosperity to get what they want. When David had his affair with Bathsheba and was confronted by the prophet Nathan, he was likened to a rich man who oppressively took the one sheep when he himself had flocks and herds. David was at that time being an oppressor, and being oppressive is incongruent to what it means to be a godly king.

What makes someone oppressive? This is important to define, especially today. According to many today, you can be oppressive simply by being part of a certain class, race, or group. This is not how Micah, and Scripture in general, defines an oppressive person

They Have Wicked Plans from Wicked Hearts

Last week we saw that sin is a road that begins in the mind. But we also saw that it is concieved in an unholy union between our mind and our desires. You could say that you mind is meant to be married to truth, and our desires led by that union. But instead, the sinner’s mind cheats on truth with the desires and so sin is concieved. The desires are followed, rather than led, and are thus worshipped as god rather than the God of truth. The righteous mans desires are led by a mind pursuing truth, the sinful man’s desires lead the mind and distort truth.

The oppressive person has an oppressive heart that follows his desires rather than truth. Whenevere you see someone who oppresses others, you can be sure that they are oppressed by desire. Rather than having control over those desires to lead them after what is true and worthy, the desires have free reign over them. While they may have a measure of control over their impulses, it is only as far as to accomplish self-serving desires. They lead their impulses to maximize their desires, not to pursue the truth and love of God.

These are those who are called by the Apostle Paul, “Slaves of sin” and in our unconverted state we are all slaves of sin. To be a slave to desires is to be a slave to sin, since sin is nothing more than an allegience to ourselves rather than to God, and therefore to desires rather than to truth.

These also have no faith in God in their hearts, nor love for him. Their hearts are set on wicked desires because they do not believe that God will satisfy them. They’re hearts are the opposite of David’s

Psalm 17:15 ESV

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

They do not submit their desires to truth because they do not believe that God can satisfy those desires.

It is impossible for someone who is walking in faith to be an oppressor, since they are not ruled by desires of the flesh but rather by truth in the love of God. They trust God’s provision and emulate God’s character. They meditate on truth and delight to imagine the ways they could display that truth in their lives, because they believe that God’s truth and love will satisfy every desire if they submit those desire to God.

They have the power to carry out those wicked plans

The second quality that makes someone an oppressor is that they are in possession of the power to carry out their desires. These two work together and one cannot be an oppressor without both. Someone may have power, but if they are submitted to God’s truth and love for him, they will use that power for his good and glorious purposes.

But when mixed with a heart led by desires, power simply becomes a tool to that end. Power is ability, and although God possesses all ability ultimately, he designates some to us as stewards to further his will. God gave power to the Assyrians in order to bring his purposes about, and he held Assyria accountable when they boasted of their power selfishly rather than glorifying God.

They Use their Power to fulfill whatever their hearts desire, despite how it hurts others or displeases God.

While it is possible for a sinner whose heart is set on desires to use power responsibly, the oppressor does not. While sinners are given gracious restraint from God and may desire something that abuse of power does not bring, every sinner with power is susceptible to fall into being an oppresor. Here I think it would be helpful for us to actually define what oppression is from a Biblical standpoint.

Oppression is the abuse of power to get what you want. That is, it is using any kind of power or influence in a way that is not right in order to get what you want. Notice that in this definition the human victims are not the main focus. Oppression is not wrong primarily because people get hurt, it is wrong because it is a rebellious afront to God. It is taking what is his and using it against his rule and character.

Oppression naturally hurts people. Power is made to display the goodness and love of God, and so when abused it instead shows the wickedness and hatred of man. It is an oppression of power itself and hurts people, it hurts creation, it hurts people’s knowledge and truth, and it is also hurts the oppressor because they cannot satisfy themselves with power.

Because of the nature of power over people, the people under the power of an oppressor are inevitably going to be hurt. This means little to the oppressor, because they care only for their desires.

How does God Treat Them?

In verse 3 we finally see how God is going to act towards these oppressors. God’s response begins with a word, reminded abusers of power who is truly powerful. God’s word will be their undoing. He speaks and they have nothing left.

God schemes against the schemers

God pits himself against these schemers and the whole family of God’s people. He doesn’t seperate the corrupt from the people because the whole people have become corrupt.

These oppressors seem to take for granted that their scheming has somehow found away around God’s justice. They imagine that, as they scheme, that God is not also scheming. They believe God is impotent and that he will not affect their plans to get what they want.

Oppressors must either deny the good justice of God or the power of God if they think that God will not exact retribution on them.

God Enslaves the powerful

The nation of tyrants will be under another tyranny. Their slavery to the oppressions of their own desires, evident in the way they oppress one another, is displayed in their slavery under gentile tyrants.

The judgement matches the crime. There is a lot of irony here, somethat we’ve already touched on. The oppressors are oppressed, the land thiefs have their land stolen, the powerful are now under yoke like a beast of burden, the rich now are in a time of disaster ect.

Conclusion

Every sinner is an oppressor by nature in some capacity, although in some it is more clear than others. However weak we are, God has given us some amount of power or ability that we choose to use for our own desires and not in God’s holiness.

Every oppressed person is thus an oppressor, and the irony expressed in this text can easily apply to us in our sin. This should not have us pointed as the suffering as being deserving of it, but rather recognizing that when we are oppressed we are recieving no less than our sins deserve.

God rules with an iron first, oppressing the oppressors. Yet he, unlike them, is loving and compassionate and uses his power to promote love and Justice.

Jesus Christ was willingly oppressed by human oppressors so that we might be freed from the oppression of our sins.

Since that’s the case, Christ has freed us both from the law, which both contained and awakened sinful flesh, and from the power of that sinful flesh itself.

Galatians 5:1; 13

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (to the law of sin)… For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Romans 6:6–8 ESV

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

The Christian life is one of proclaiming victory over the injustice of oppression. This victory is found, not in social change, political ideology and philosophy, or moral education. Oppression orginates in the insubordinate commitment to follow passions instead of God’s truth. This practically means three things for the Christian.

Christians are committed to righteous living. Christians should not be hypocrites, decrying oppression while still bound to fleshly desires. The oppression that bothers a Christian the most is the oppression of their own desires.

Christians are committed to helping the oppressed. This can take many forms, but it is never done with self-righteousness or a struggle for power cloaked in moral activism. Christians don’t simply go along with the latest social justice movement, they are dedicated to personally helping the oppressed rooted in their commitment against the oppression in their own flesh.

Christian’s are committed to a Gospel-centred solution to oppression.

Jesus came to help the oppressed, not by dismantling the oppressive Roman government, but by dismantling the true oppression that exists in the sinner’s heart.

Jesus endured oppression in order to save the oppressed.

Trusting in Christ, his death and resurrection, and the only effective solution to oppression, both within and without. This is where our social action and theology must stick together. If they ever get seperated on this point, we will end up denying the Gospel in practice. The battle against oppression is the battle against the human heart and the only victory is found in the Gospel.