The Check Is In The Mail

“You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him.”   Leviticus 19:13

Oppress – Today’s Standard Operating Procedure in business is to stall payments as long as possible.  Making promises substitutes for sending a check.  With more than 16 million child support cases in the United States alone, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that delaying payment has serious consequences.  Maybe that’s why a God Who is connected to the welfare of the family and the health of the community issues a command like this one.

‘Ashaq is the Hebrew verb used here.  We usually think of oppression in terms of political dictators or government failures.  But that is not what God has in mind.  God is telling us about the natural human tendency to withhold or delay what we rightfully owe another.  Synonyms for this word are “exploit, extort and take economic advantage.”  The bigger picture drags us in.

Have you received goods or services from someone but withheld funds until you are forced to pay?  Have you entered into an agreement but delayed fulfilling your part of the bargain?  Do you owe someone money and promise to pay it back later, knowing that you could pay it now?  And what about God?  Do you pay Him last?  Have you taken advantage of His mercy and patience?

God promises to protect at least three classes of people who are vulnerable to this kind of sin.  They are the widows, the orphans and those who are subject to economic injustice.  And guess who God holds accountable for this travesty?  Almost always, He lays the blame at the feet of the religiously correct and comfortable.  When God commands us to love our neighbors, He does not mean to smile at them and give them a cheerful hello.  He means to step forward with assistance when they are in need.  He means to fight injustice on their behalf.  He means to act as He would act.  Love is a verb, not a noun.

Perhaps you need to reconsider the accountability you have under this command?  Perhaps you need to ask yourself, “Who has served me, provided for me, blessed me and protected me that I have not been economically faithful to?”  Maybe you need to make the list of those you have taken advantage of, and make it right.  Right now!

You might need to start with God Himself.  While I am quite sure that He will be delighted with our efforts to show economic faithfulness to those in need, and to those whom we have oppressed, I know that He will be pleased when we begin the restoration process with Him.    God comes first, especially when it comes to my money.

You know when your actions are oppression and when they are faithful.  So does God.  You wouldn’t tell Him, “The check is in the mail,” would you?