WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
NOVEMBER 06, 2024
TOPIC: RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS
BY T. O. BANSO
“The Lord says: Be fair-minded. Do what is right! Help those in need of justice! Quit your evil deeds! Protect the rights of aliens and immigrants, orphans and widows; stop murdering the innocent! (Jeremiah 22:3 Living Bible).
One thing that causes problems among human beings is a lack of respect for the rights of others. Some people violate the rights of others in the course of enjoying their rights. But nobody should trample on the rights of others. Just as someone would not tolerate his rights being trampled upon; he shouldn’t do the same to others.
God has given us rights to enjoy, and even though the word “rights” may not be used to describe them in most Bible translations, they must not become idols – things that come before God in our lives. For instance, the rights to life, freedom, or property must not become more important to us than God. We must use God’s gifts to glorify Him; they must not be more important than the Giver.
God recognizes the rights He has given human beings and most governments do, too, and protect them. Citizens have their rights enshrined in their countries’ constitutions and regional and international treaties stating people’s rights, most of which align with the Word of God. God frowns at the violations of rights He has given humans. Lamentation 3:34-36 says, “The Lord knows when our spirits are crushed in prison; He knows when we are denied the rights he gave us; when justice is perverted in court, he knows” (Good News Translation). Note the phrase “denied the rights he gave us.” God gave human beings rights and nobody should deny another person the enjoyment of the rights within the confines of the Word of God. When people break the law or violate others’ rights, they may forfeit enjoyment of certain rights. That’s why criminals lose their right to freedom and are in prison for crimes against others that violate their rights.
Proverbs 29:7 says, “The righteous man cares for the rights of the poor, but the wicked man has no interest in such knowledge” (Amplified Bible). Care for the rights of others. Don’t violate their rights, especially the rights of the underprivileged: the widows, the fatherless and orphans, the poor and the needy, and strangers. Nobody should take advantage of these people.
God says of the wicked men found among His people, “They are fat and they are sleek (prosperous), they excel in acts of wickedness; they do not plead the cause, the cause of the orphan, so that they [the wicked] may prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the poor” (Jeremiah 5:28 Amplified Bible). Note the expression “They do not defend the rights of the poor.” God wants us to respect, protect, and defend the rights of the poor. We must not ignore the rights of the vulnerable being trampled on.
In Exodus 22:21-25, the Bible warns “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest” (New King James Version).
God is the Father to the fatherless, the defender of widows (Psalm 68:5). He, therefore, cautions in Psalm 82:3, “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute” (English Standard Version). Note the expression “the right of the afflicted and destitute.” Everybody has some rights despite the condition he may be in.
See what the Lord says He will do to those who oppress the underprivileged whom He is so much concerned about: “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches?” (Isaiah 10:1-3 New International Version).
Protect and defend the rights of others; don’t trample or infringe on them. Proverbs 31:8 says, “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are unfortunate and defenseless” (Amplified Bible). Respect the rights of everyone, particularly the vulnerable. Deuteronomy 10:18 says, “The Lord defends the rights of orphans and widows. He cares for foreigners and gives them food and clothing” (Contemporary English Version). Note the phrase “the rights of orphans and widows.” You must defend these. In verse 19, God told the Israelites to love foreigners, for they were foreigners in Egypt. Love foreigners also. Respect their rights. They are human beings like you. You will also be a foreigner someday, you have been in the past, or you are currently. Respect foreigners’ rights.
Just as you have your rights, others have theirs. Therefore, don’t violate anyone’s rights because of his disadvantaged position. God hates it. “The Lord says: Be fair-minded. Do what is right! Help those in need of justice! Quit your evil deeds! Protect the rights of aliens and immigrants, orphans and widows; stop murdering the innocent! (Jeremiah 22:3 Living Bible). Respect the rights of people, including their rights to fair hearing (justice) and life. God says not to murder the innocent.
Not only does the law in societies provide for and protect the rights of individuals, but God also hates violations of people’s rights and will punish the oppressors and exploiters. Amos 4:1-2 says, “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who’ crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring wine, let us drink!’ The Lord God has sworn by His holiness: ‘Behold, the days shall come upon you when He will take you away with fishhooks, and your posterity with fishhooks’” (New King James Version).
The last commandment in the Ten Commandments says, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17 New King James Version). When Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard and took possession of it after his wife, Jezebel, had killed him, God defended Naboth’s right to his property and sent the Prophet Elijah to pronounce judgment on Ahab’s house (1 Kings 21:16-24). Ahab’s house did not escape God’s judgment for the unjust killing of Naboth. God hates trampling on others’ rights; He hates oppression and exploitation. Respect the rights of others.
Someone may say all these scriptures are in the Old Testament. Yes, understand that Jesus summarized the laws in the Old Testament into two: love God and love fellow human beings (Mark 12:28-31; Matthew 22:34-40). He even said you should love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27, 35). Love is the fulfilment of the law (Romans 13:10). If you love other human beings you won’t violate their rights, especially the right of the underprivileged.
Even in the New Testament, Paul clearly states God’s concern for the widows: “Honor widows who are really widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God” (1 Timothy 5:3-4 New King James Version). In verse 16, Paul adds: “If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows” (New King James Version).
Have you been violating people’s rights, especially the disadvantaged I have mentioned? Repent and make amends. Are you an employer? Don’t violate the rights of your employees just as they should fulfil their responsibilities. Quoting from the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 25:4; Leviticus 19:13), Paul says in 1 Timothy 5:18, “For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain [to keep it from eating],’ and, ‘The worker is worthy of his wages [he deserves fair compensation]’” (Amplified Bible).
Workers’ rights must be respected, including the right to receive wages for their work. Deuteronomy 24:14-15 says, “Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin” (New International Version). How can God bless employers who oppress and exploit their workers?
Do to others what you would like them to do to you (Matthew 7:12). Respect everyone’s rights just as you want others to respect your rights too. Don’t deny anyone his rights through abuse of power.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. Take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, help me to relate to others in love and respect their rights. With Your help, Holy Spirit, let me do to others what I would like them to do to me. I shall not violate the rights of others or take advantage of them, especially the under-privileged or vulnerable.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
