Who Is He?
They do not plead the cause, the cause of the orphan, that they may prosper; and they do not defend the rights of the poor. Jeremiah 5:28b NASB
They do not defend – Jeremiah rails against the wickedness of Israel in the days before the Babylonian captivity. He charges them with idolatry, insolence, and a lack of compassion. In particular, he accuses them of failing to uphold God’s standard when it comes to orphans and the poor. You will notice that the poor have rights. They are not simply trash to be swept away from the streets. They are important.
The Hebrew verb translated “they do not defend” comes from the root šāpaṭ. It means “to judge, govern.” The most interesting thing about this verb is that it is primarily about the exercise of government. But a note of caution is needed when it comes to understanding the proper context of this verb:
Since, however, the ancients did not always divide the functions of government, as most modern governments do, between legislative, executive, and judicial functions (and departments) the common translation, “to judge,” misleads us. For, the word, judge, as šāpaṭ is usually translated, in modern English, means to exercise only the judicial function of government. Unless one wishes in a context of government—civil, religious, or otherwise—consistently to translate as “to govern or rule,” the interpreter must seek more specialized words to translate a word of such broad meaning in the modern world scene.[1]
It’s not just about applying the law. It’s about the whole process of interacting with the poor and the fatherless, from the moment we recognize them to the time we restore them to the community.
The local grocery store is 85 steps from my front door. That makes it very convenient for last-minute shopping. In front of the store, on the street, are two men who have become a regular part of life here. The first is Aziz. Every day he stands in front of the store with bunches of flowers to sell. Cold or hot, rain or shine, Aziz is there, offering a friendly smile, a greeting, and his flowers. Rosanne buys flowers from him several times a week. He knows us. In fact, one time when I was struggling with a bag of groceries while using crutches, Aziz left his flowers and carried my bag to my front door. We brought him cookies at Christmas. He is a familiar face.
There is another man who stands in front of the store. He is black. He stands with his hat turned up and extended, hoping for someone to give him money. Just like Aziz, he is there regardless of the weather. For months I ignored him. I even thought of challenging him with a less-than-pleasant phrase to get a job. I know that Italy is suffering because of the large number of immigrants from Africa and I thought he was just one more example of someone who just wanted a handout. Since the government already provides food and housing for these immigrants, his presence irked me, especially because we have tried and tried to get a legal residence visa and have been so-far refused while lines of Africans stand at the windows for “Humanitarian Visas” and are accepted. But today I decided to talk to him.
I discovered he is Nigerian. He fled to Italy eleven years ago with his wife and children. He said that he believes God opened the way for them because there was so much killing in his town. He has worked off and on in Italy. His wife has a job. But work is hard to find in Italy these days, for everyone, especially non-Italians, so while he is not working, he begs in front of the Conad grocery store. He told me that he refuses to sell drugs (which a lot of Nigerians do here in Italy) because he will not harm anyone. So he begs. Pride must be removed. As we finished our conversation, he said that he knew God would provide for him and his family because God has taken them this far.
I was secretly ashamed of my prior assumptions and attitude. It took only a short conversation to acknowledge him and recognize that he is just like me—struggling to understand what God is doing and why. I gave him some coins. I am sure I will see him tomorrow and every day until he finds work again. Now he is becoming a friend, a person, a man in God’s world.
And so am I.
Topical Index: defend, šāpaṭ, govern, judge, Jeremiah 5:28b
[1] Culver, R. D. (1999). 2443 שָׁפַט. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 947). Chicago: Moody Press.
