Wisdom in Seeking Justice

The Road of the Wise

Imasdov;ivn` Artarov;ivnu “nd-ylov Me]

Imasdovnin Jampan

Proverbs 31:1-9

It is a special Sunday when we celebrate the 4^th of July, our Nation’s Independence Day. I am not a politician, and my words are not a political lecture. I am your pastor and my words are the interpretation of the Word of God. Today we move on to the 9^th sermon from the Book of Proverbs and my title is about seeking justice.

In the Declaration of Independence we read:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (Thomas Jefferson, July 4, 1776).

From the early days of independence, America believed in justice and equality.

Let me tell you that these concepts are not new; the Word of God taught them 3000 years ago. And today I will concentrate on seeking justice in our daily life.

Our first passage is about a mother who is advising her son King Lemuel.

Verses 3-7 are warning King Lemeul from the temptations of adultery, drunken life, in one word the life of a Don Juan. He is to watch out from an extravagant life!

On the other hand:

“Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.
Open your mouth, judge righteously; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

Let us remember how God sees us. We are all equal in the sight of God. God does not differentiate between the one who has PhDs and a simple peasant, between a president of a country and a simple day-by-day worker. All creatures are God’s children.

The mother is advising her son: “Be a king; a genuine king is one who knows how to protect the weak. Defend the rights of the poor and speak up for them.”

Last week we were discussing the character of a genuine king. A king, like a lion and not like a rooster. A king who faces the jungle, a king who does not turn his back on his people, a king who is confident, and brave.

Today we add more: a king who speaks up for those who do not have a voice.

By the way, we are all called to live the life of a king. We are the children of the King of Kings.

Today is the 4^th of July. We are joyful that God gave us a land and freedom. People came to this land so they will have the freedom to worship God. Freedom to practice whatever Christ entrusted us. One of those instructions is to speak up for those who do not have a voice.

Think about today’s injustices. Let us be the voice of:

Innocent children who are abused by “someone”;

The widow or the poor who cannot make their daily bread;

The people who are victims of drug and alcohol abuse;

The people who are victims of natural disasters, hurricanes, earthquakes;

The unemployed who is a victim of our economic injustice;

The persecuted Christians in the places where there is no freedom of religion;

For the Armenians who are seeking recognition of the Genocide and for any nation who is seeking justice.

You can add to the list of those who do not have a voice. We as Christians have the responsibility of acting in defense of the weak one. We live in an unjust world. Being “quiet” and “blind” is not acceptable.

Whose voice are you going to be in your community?

Let us continue in English.