Justice for the Oppressed (Psalm 146)
By Paul Eaton
Like many other Psalms, 146 starts in praise. The Psalmist begins by declaring that he will praise God all the days he lives. The writer encourages us to not put our trust in the leaders of his world as they will return to the dust. Instead, we get to put our trust in the God of Jacob, the one who made the heavens and the earth. As we come then to consider Jesus as a Judge, let’s remember that he is worthy to be praised, all of our idols and false Gods fade away when we see the risen king.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
Psalm 146:5-9
Here our creator God is described, the one who formed the entire cosmos, the birds, the seas, and the stars. Strikingly, our creator God, the one beyond our imagination, is said to execute justice for the oppressed. What an extraordinary God. The one who formed us and all we see is the same one who gives food to the hungry and lifts up the downcast. There is no other God like him!
We go on to read that Jesus is a judge who deeply cares for the prisoners, the blind, the ones who are bowed down, the widow and the fatherless. Jesus our judge is drawn to the outcast and lowest of society, he longs to bring justice to their situation, to the systems of injustice that bind his people as prisoners. We have great hope as we intercede for all kinds of injustices in our city, nation and the nations because he will come as judge to set the prisoners free and open the eyes of the blind. Jesus our judge brings justice to the poor, the marginalised and the hurting.
When we see so much injustice and need around us locally and globally, it can be hard to keep on praying that Jesus will intervene. Let’s take this passage as a comfort and a promise that Jesus’s heart is truly for the poor. He is the one ‘who keeps faith forever’. When we are struggling to find faith for God to breakthrough into desperate situations, let us remember he is the one who gives faith (Romans 12:3) and he ‘keeps faith forever’.
As we encounter God’s heart afresh, I believe he will give us new faith to tarry in prayer to see the promises of this psalm outworked in real life, practical situations in our families, local community, nation and all over the world. God, help us encounter your heart of justice for the poor and needy, let our prayers be powerful and effective as we contend for your justice across the earth!