Psalm 35:1-2

O LORD, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me. Put on your armour and take up your shield. Prepare for battle and come to my aid.

This is an agonising psalm, written when David was in a deep hole. He had been the victim of cruel injustice and appealed to God to help him. We feel his deep anguish and pain not least because, sadly, injustice happens in every generation. Every newspaper and news report gives us evidence of the injustice that is happening in our world today. You may not feel that is not your own personal experience, but you don’t need to look far to hear stories that resonate with David’s.

David was sure that God could help. He knew that God is a God of justice, and that he would be deeply concerned about the injustice that David was experiencing. I spent two years living in India and had the incredible privilege of living in a village with an outcaste family (Dalit). There are more than 200 million Dalits living in India, about 16 per cent of the population. They are outcastes in the sense that they are regarded as being below the bottom rung of the caste system, and have traditionally been given the most unpleasant jobs. It was painful to see the way in which they were treated day by day simply because they were outcastes – and there was nothing they could do to change it.

When we face injustice we need to remember that God is on our side. We are not alone. He burns with anger at the monster of injustice and longs to recruit us to fight with him to overcome it.

Question

Where do you see injustice in your own community, and what could you do to respond with God’s love?

Prayer

Gracious Father, I thank you that you love justice. As I get to know you better show me the ways in which I can fight with you for the justice that you love. Amen