The tears of the oppressed
“Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them.”
– Ecclesiastes 4:1
I recently read this verse and it hit me hard. Very hard. In this post I want to ask 3 questions that this verse has forced me to ask myself:
1. DO I STILL SEE THE TEARS?
The phrase that particularly struck me was “behold, the tears of the oppressed…” An increasingly large slice of my life and ministry over the last 10 years has revolved around the related issues of human trafficking and modern slavery. When God first opened my eyes to the horror and injustice of these evil industries I was burdened and broken to such an extent that inaction was not an option. I had to respond. So I did, and continue to do so, hence Red Community and Manumit Coffee Roasters. But reading this verse challenged me afresh.
Do I still see the tears of the oppressed? I mean really see them. Or put another way – am I still cut to the heart and moved with compassion like I used to be? Or have I got numb and indifferent to it all?
Please God, don’t let my heart grow calloused and cold to the injustice and suffering that I ‘see’ all around me. Please help me to continue to sing these lyrics with soft-hearted sincerity and integrity:
“Break my heart for what breaks Yours,
Everything I am for Your Kingdom’s cause.”
– Brooke Ligertwood
2. AM I WILLING TO BE A COMFORTER?
One of the things that most disturbed the Teacher who wrote this verse was that despite the presence of tears shed by those suffering oppression, there was clearly no one to offer comfort to them. He states this twice in the verse. The ministry of comfort is one of the most beautiful ministries that we can be involved in, not least because it showcases something of the heart of our God, referred to by the Apostle Paul as “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3). One of the most significant projects I have ever been involved with is the Embrace project that trains and supports Christians to offer the precious gift friendship to survivors of modern slavery. Furthermore, I am privileged to know many survivors personally – some as a friend, some as a pastor and some as an employer.
But is there a chance that somewhere down the line compassionate care has given way to pragmatic responsibility? Am I willing to stop and listen for long enough to hear the (sometimes silent) cry of the crushed? To slow my pace down enough to walk with those injured by injustice? To open my eyes wide enough to once again behold the tears of the oppressed and to then be willing to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15)? To be the flesh-and-blood means by which “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18)?
Please God, use my life – all that I am and have – to be a means of comfort and grace to those who suffer.
3. HOW DO I FIGHT THE OPPRESSOR?
The final (and perhaps most challenging) question I want to ask is this – in light of the fact the the teacher (rightly) acknowledges that the oppressor has power on his side – what can / should we do about it? For many years I have defined modern slavery / human trafficking as the exploitation of the vulnerable by the powerful for illegitimate gain.
Exploitation always involves a power imbalance. Always! Whether it is physical, emotional, financial, circumstantial, developmental (or a combination of all of the above) exploitation occurs when wicked people leverage power over those in a weaker position in order to extort something from them. This has been the story of every survivor I have ever worked with. Girls looking for love…forced into prostitution. Men fleeing from poverty…tricked into forced labour. Orphans without protection...trafficked into criminal drug gangs. I have met and befriended each of these people – and they represent MILLIONS of others just like them. The question is what can we do about this?
As I see it there are 2 things that are needed…
Firstly, we need to break the power of the oppressor. That means we pray that God would literally “Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer” (Psalm 10:15) and “break the teeth of the wicked.” (Psalm 3:7) Those are seriously legit prayers to pray! It means that we no longer turn an eye to injustice but rather pray and support the work of those on frontline seeking to bring the oppressor to justice – police, lawyers and the criminal justice system. It means supporting phenomenal ministries like International Justice Mission who work all over the world to bring the oppressor to justice. And it means that we should celebrate whenever we see that justice is done because “When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.” (Proverbs 21:15)
However, secondly, we must also do what we can to empower the oppressed / those at risk of oppression. One of the things that most encourages me through my work with survivors at Manumit is when staff start to find their voice. To speak up, push back and hold their ground. To discover / recover their personal agency and take control over the decisions and direction of their lives. To make the subtle, gradual but beautiful shift away from being driven by fear to being free to dream dreams and start chasing them.
So what can I do to redress the power imbalance? How can I better stand against the oppressor? And how can I better stand with the oppressed?
Please God, help me to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. May my life and my prayers terrorise the oppressor and liberate the oppressed. Amen.