Injustice Plagues the World
The world is full of injustice—both personal and systemic. I’m not telling you anything you don’t know; you can see injustice all around you every day, unless you close your eyes to it.
And perhaps that is the problem for some (many?) of us. We are able to turn a blind eye to many injustices in the world today. Many of us have the privilege of stepping in and out of injustices at a whim. I know I can easily do this.
As a man, I can choose to disengage from the injustice of sexism in our culture. As a white man, I can choose to disengage from the injustice of racism in our culture. As a middle class white man, I can choose to disengage from economic injustices in our culture. As an American, I can choose to disengage from the litany of injustices in other nations of the world.
When it is trendy to engage in speaking against injustices, I can engage, and then I can step right back out just as easily. What I need to do, though, is fight agains this and develop a consistent awareness of and anger toward injustices in the world. And I do not believe I am alone in this.
As Christians, We Are not Immune
I want to be careful not to make it sound like believers are immune to injustices—that they are all outside of us and we are shielded from them. While many are, not all are. We are not immune to injustice; we experience injustice either directly or indirectly.
This is at the heart of Obadiah’s question. Why do God’s people suffer when it seems that people of the world prosper?
The second half of that question is flawed because it comes from a biased lens. Sure it may look like the wicked prosper—and they might in some ways—but they surely do not in the one way that matters—being right with God. Our standard is not the car an unbeliever drives, or how successful he or she is at work, or how many vacations are posted on social media. The true standard to evaluate “prospering” is a person’s relationship with God. And in this area, an unbeliever is not prospering at all.
This is why my pouting and bitterness were so off that day. I was looking at the situation through a cracked lens. I was looking past the goodness of God to me and measuring goodness in terms of cars (most of which are by now, over 20 years later, scrap metal).
I was also equally wrong to assume that I deserved “better” from God. First, it was pretty spoiled of me to complain about having a possession most of the world lacks—a car—as I lived in far greater wealth than the majority of humans alive. God had provided that car—quirks and all—and I should have been grateful to have it and steward it for Him. (Which, by the way, I came to recognize after this. I look back fondly on that car today. God used it to teach me important truths.)
My adversity then (I hesitate to call it that today) was so minor and yet I threw a tantrum. I had to learn that I am not exempt from adversity and injustice. Why should I be shielded from that which the Father willed for the Son? It pleased God for Jesus to be crucified, the greatest injustice ever. As believers we should not expect a privilege Jesus lacked.
As Christians, We Endure Injustice with Joy as We Fight Injustice with Conviction
So how should we respond to injustice then? Two ways.
First, we should seek to endure injustice with joy, not with pouting. That might sound odd to be joyful as we experience injustice, but it is what we are commanded to do (see Philippians). We are not to find joy in the injustice itself, of course, but rather our God who is sovereign over it. This is what God taught Obadiah and it is what we need to understand too.
Second, we are to fight injustice with conviction. This begins with us choosing to engage with injustice more than we might be prone to do. It means developing greater sympathy and empathy for others and what they endure every day. It means living with greater humility and seeing every other person as an image bearer of God. And then it means stepping into what is going on around us. Is that risky? Sure is. Is that uncomfortable? Without a doubt. Might we say and do the wrong things out of ignorance at times. We probably will. But this is what we have been called to do. We’ve been called on to love people and to be salt and light in the world. We take a stand against injustice with conviction that such injustice is not of God and that God is sovereign over all and one day Jesus will return and end all such injustice.
Preschool Tip: Injustice is an abstract concept that preschoolers will not grasp, so be careful not to speak in generalities or use words that are too advanced for your little ones. Instead, focus on what preschoolers do get—that sometimes people aren’t kind to others and that is wrong because God wants us to be kind to all people. But be sure to help your preschoolers understand that they are the ones who can be unkind at times (such as when they refuse to share a toy), but forgiveness is found in Jesus.
Kids Tip: Be sensitive to the injustices that your kids may experience every day. Remember that many of us can be blind to injustices around us, that are very real to others, including the kids you teach. If you wade into the waters of injustices in the world (and I encourage you to follow God’s leading in that direction), remember that what is abstract to you may not be abstract to a kid.
*Devo from Pastor Brian, from The Gospel Project.
#JesusJams for today!
---> And here's this week's story!!
Christ Connection: Like God’s people were mistreated by the people of Edom, Jesus was mistreated by His own people. God will punish sin. Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment we deserve for our sin. We can trust Jesus to make wrong things right.
If you have a bible at your house, turn to the book of Obadiah. Read it with your family this week! If you don't have one, that's okay! CLICK HERE.
OPTION 1: Cotton ball roundup Give each kid a small handful of cotton balls and instruct the kids to stand in a circle. When you say “go,” everyone must throw the cotton balls in the air. When you say “round up,” everyone must race to collect as many cotton balls as possible. Count how many cotton balls kids collected. The kid with the most cotton balls is the winner. Play additional rounds as time allows. SAY • It was fun to run around grabbing as many cotton balls as you could. But what if you were the only one doing it? It is a big job to clean up such a mess! It’s not always easy to put things back the way they should be. Our story today is about restoration— putting things back how they should be. We’ll hear how God promised to restore His people to where they needed to be.
OPTION 2: Wooden block tower tumble Invite the kids to help you build a tower using wooden blocks. See how tall you can make it before it tumbles. Give the kids a few chances to build the tallest tower they can. When kids complete their tower, walk over to it and, using only your pinkie finger, knock it down. SAY •The taller those towers got, the easier it was to knock them down. Pride is like that too. The more we think we can handle life without God’s help, the more likely we are to come crashing down. We’ll hear more about that in our story today.
OPTION 3: Hopscotch the Story Point
Use painter’s tape or pieces of construction paper to make a hopscotch court on the floor. Show children how to hop in and out of the boxes. Say the story point as they hop from square to square. Encourage them to say the story point with you. SAY • Great hopping! What did we say as you hopped? [Wait for a response from the children.] God promised to take care of His people. God does promise to take care of His people. The people of Edom mistreated God’s people, and God punished Edom for what they did. Later, God’s people mistreated His Son, Jesus, but God did not punish people for their sin, Jesus was punished instead. Jesus died on the cross so we can be saved from sin.