It is good to be oppressed than to be the oppressor !!?!! (1)

 

In these articles we will talk about issues that concern our spiritual lives.  It will make you stop and think about the past and reflect on the present; As for the future it will be a different matter.

We have learned wrong teaching from the culture and from others. Sadly some of  it we learned them from the church and one of these teaching is: “It is good to be oppressed than to be the oppressor.” This will be the first article from three, which will talk about oppression. Do we accept oppression and say this is a blessing to be oppressed and not to oppress others. Do we accept it as way of life and at the same time feel bitter? Do we shed tears out of bitterness and with every tear comes a deep wound in our hearts, that may or may not heal with time.

The above saying is a common saying in the Egyptian culture and it is right and wrong. It is right not to oppress anyone in anything, but it is wrong to accept to be oppressed unjustly in anything. In these articles about oppression we will know what the word of God says about oppression. Any views that goes against the will of God for us is wrong. The bible says (He permitted no one to do them wrong [the word wrong means also oppress in the Hebrew text]; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes. Saying, "Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.") {Ps105: 14,15} God does not want us to be oppressed from anyone, no matter who they are.

Before you disagree with this view, I would like to ask you this question; if you are a parent, do you allow anyone to oppress your child? Do you take joy when anyone oppresses you or a dear person to you? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, I can assure you that the heavenly Father will not accept the oppression from anyone to one of His children, but the opposite is true. It will sadden His heart when He sees His children being oppressed. Some may say that Jesus was oppressed and (He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth;) {Isa 53:7}

1-He was oppressed and afflicted that you and I may not be oppressed and afflicted.

It is true that our Lord Jesus was oppressed to the ultimate in the most savage ways and from a brutal people, the religious leaders of His time. He did not only accept to be oppressed but He was also afflicted. He did not accept the oppression and the affliction because He was weak and intimidated by them, but He accepted the oppression and the affliction so His Salvation is fulfilled on the cross. For the undeserved exchange on the cross to be completed, it is undeserved exchange because the righteous died for the ungodly (For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.) {Ro 5:6} Our beloved Jesus accepted to die a shameful death to give us His forgiveness and His righteousness free, without any cost. Believe me, Jesus Christ gave us His righteous free of charge (But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God––and righteousness and sanctification and redemption) {1Co 1:30} you are righteous if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Redeemer and Savior, accepted Him as Lord over your life so you live for Him completely.

Some may say this is hard to do in this age. This is not hard at all for the word of God says (for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.) {Php 2:14} God will work in you and through you so you may live in His holiness and righteousness. Believe that Jesus Christ gave you His righteousness, free if you receive Him as Savior and Lord for this is His will.

2-With His strips you were healed: our Lord Jesus Christ accepted to suffer, and His blood to be shed from many wounds that we may be healed with His stripes (by whose stripes you were healed.) {1Pe 2:24} the word healed means physical and mental healing. Our Lord Jesus accepted to be oppressed, that we could have acceptance before the throne of the heavenly Father and not be oppressed. He was oppressed that no one should oppress us, for (Surely He has borne our grief’s And carried our sorrows;) {Isa53: 4} the word our sorrows means our physical and emotional sorrows that you may not suffer that kind of sorrows. God will not take joy when His children go through suffering without benefit. I say this because some times the sufferings we face can beneficial to us. It is your rights as a child of God to know what are the reasons for the suffering you are going though. You will not benefit from suffering unless you know the reasons.

Every believer has to believe that the loving God is true in all His promises to us, and one of them is that He does not want any one to oppress His children. We should not accept the oppression of others to us no matter whom he is, having said that, this does mean that we get into battle with others, even with just heated words. Absolutely not, but you have to carry the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The bible says (Put on the whole armor of God) {Eph6:11} read this chapter, you will find that the sword is the only weapon that is used for offensive.

3-Promises of Justice and Swords of the Spirit: Now we will roam the pages of the bible, the greatest book written since the beginning of times, so we may learn that there are promises of justice for us and swords of the Spirit which is the Word of God (the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God) {Eph6:17}.  You have to learn how to use the promises and the sword with the your oppressor and the unjust. You must know that when you believe the promises of God, His justice will come upon the person whom you think wronged you; I say “you think” because you may be the oppressor and not the oppressed; be careful because the justice of God will also come upon you if you are wrong. This means that God will judge between you and the other person. The justice of God will be executed upon you whether you are the oppressor or the oppressed. Therefore, you must pray diligently and search your heart in the presence of God so the faithful God may guide you to the truth, as He Himself is the Truth.

As for the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, no one can carry a sword before he or she trains well on how to use it, so they can master using it without harming themselves.

Please pray so the Holy Sprit may guide you on how to apply God’s promises of justice and the swords of the Spirit for God hears our prayers.

Pray diligently before you apply the verses mentioned in this series, as you may wrongly think that someone has wronged you.

What do we do if someone oppresses us?

The answer is: we should do what our Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to do (if your brother sins against you go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.) {Mt 18:15-17} first try to talk to the person who wronged you. If he does not listen, then take someone with you. And if he does not listen, as Jesus Christ said, you have to tell the church, for this is one of the roles of the church. The church has to honor the word of God without partiality to anyone regardless of the person’s contribution from his money or his time to the church. We now value the person according to his financial status and not according to the bible. And if the person who is at fault does not listen to the church, let him be like a heathen and a tax collector. The heathen is the one who worship a heathen god or Satan. The tax collector is the one who used to collect the taxes by whatever it takes, he was hated for he was a greedy, deceiver and a harsh person. This was our Lord’s instruction for anyone who does not obey the bible, that is to avoid and stay away from him until he knows his fault, accept him only if he repents (Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.) {Lu 17:3,4}. We see form the words of Jesus Christ that the person who wronged you has to repent for his wrongdoings. If he repents for his wrongdoing and apologize to you, then you have to accept his apology and forgive him no matter how many times he has wronged you (Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven) {Mt 18:21,22} I want to mention that it is your obligation to forgive the person who wronged you if he repents, but if you feel that this person has wronged you over and over and this is causing you a problem then it is your right to avoid him (But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.) {2Th3:6} this means that the person who does not live according to the teachings of the bible, we should withdraw from him and avoid him for the sake of our peace, and for him to realize his mistakes and to follow the teachings of the bible. What if the person does not realize his wrongdoings? What if he is not one of God’s children, whom I can reason with according to the Word of God? What is the solution?

The best solution is prayer, it is the most powerful and effective solution. The Word of God is full of the promises of justice and the swords of the Spirit which is powerful and sharper than any two–edged sword, (For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two–edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.) {Heb 4:12}

Beloved: believe me God will protect the repentant person from his enemies, the person who appreciates and understands the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives in the fear of God, and honor the bible’s commandments. (When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him) {Pr16:7} I can assure every one who reads this article that if we are pleasing to our good God no one can oppresses us. This is the promise of God to us. As long as we obey the commandments with joy and gladness of heart {De 28:47} if anyone harmed one of God’s children who serves Him or honors His Word faithfully, this person will never escape God’s punishment , whoever he is. My life and the lives of many of us are full of many examples of this truth. Some may ask this question: Why do I suffer many oppressions and unjustness?      Why God does not intervene to justify me?               To be continued