The Needy Unforgotten

But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

Psalm 9:18

My wife and I are involved in not only serving as pastor and wife of a wonderful church in Southern Germany, but we are also involved in addressing the terrible scourge of human trafficking. The plight of the poor is demonstrated in the growth of prostitution and brothels in the world — it is the poor and the fatherless that become prostitutes. The statistics of those trapped in the trade reveal that more often than not, they did not choose prostitution, but prostitution chose them.

For example, prostitutes come from lower classes, from the poor of the world. Over 90% of prostitutes in the West were sexually molested below the age of 8 years of age. Over 90% of them were first prostituted at age 14 or younger. There is a reason why young women go into prostitution and poverty, family dysfunction, and the manipulation of cruel, uncaring people, mostly men but also some women. The pimps, the “lover boys” who lure young, vulnerable women (girls really) into the trade, the johns who pay for prostitution and make it a profitable business, and the common people who sit by and do nothing and allow it to happen — all of these, through their actions, or in their inaction, are part of the forces that trap these young girls into the business. Eventually these girls will leave the business, broke and broken, too old to attract clients.

Reading Psalms 9 and 10 the other morning I was touched by the words of God. The Lord promises retribution for the oppression of the poor, not only retribution against the individual but even against nations that condone or support the oppression. Psalm 10 in particular describes the thinking of the pimp and the “lover boys” who bring these girls into slavery.

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. He boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord…He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.”… He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims …he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. (Psalm 10:2–10)

These words describe accurately what is happening in many parts of the world — young girls captured from villages, or manipulated by those grooming them for the business, those who know well how to recognize the vulnerable, the children of sexual molesters, the insecure and emotionally vulnerable.

Where is God in this? Has He forgotten their plight? Has He turned a deaf ear to their cries and a blind eye to their pain? The answer is No. He sees and will bring justice — either in this life or in the next. No man or nation can escape the retribution of God who judges those who oppress the poor. Reading on in Psalm 10,

But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out… You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more. (Psalm 10:14–18)

God is merciful and gracious and He forgives all who repent and turn to Him in true faith. Thank God for His grace through Jesus Christ, without which none of us could stand before Him. But the oppression of the poor — not just through prostitution but in other means of human trafficking — is a moral blight to our world. God will bring justice, and any part we have played in the world’s injustices, we should repent of, stop the behavior, and seek to help the needy. When God’s judgment falls, and it will one day, we will want to be as far away from those who perpetuate the injustice as possible — far from them in attitude, in our hearts, in our secret lives, in our spending, in our conversations, in our activities, in everything about us. We may call them to repent, invite them to come to Christ, but in no way should we be involved in helping to prop up these injustices.

We need to be careful that we do not have a Christianity that is purely cerebral, that is purely idea and concept focused, for this is clearly not the Christianity of the Bible. Biblical Christianity was compassionate Christianity that brought truth, love, and hope to people, in the name of Christ through the gospel and in the name of Christ through physical and material help. Christ commanded help to the poor (Matt 19:21) and commended those who did it (Matt. 25:37–40). The apostles insisted that this was part of the character of Christians, to give to the poor and needy (Gal. 2:10). James went so far as to describe this as “pure religion” that is undefiled before God the Father, or acceptable to Him, was “to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction” and to keep himself unspotted by the world (James 1:27). John asked, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:17)

How are you helping the poor in today’s world? How are you speaking up for those who cannot speak up for themselves?