Josephine Butler, a prominent minister’s wife, found herself campaigning for the rights of women accused (often unjustly) of being “ladies of the night,” those seen in society as the “least desirables.” Spurred on by her deep faith in God, she fought for years against the British Contagious Diseases Acts of the 1860s, which subjected women to cruel and invasive “medical” exams.
In 1883, during the parliamentary debate over a bill to repeal the Acts, she joined women in Westminster to pray. She was moved by the sight of the “most ragged and miserable women from the slums” alongside “ladies of high rank,” all weeping and asking God for protection of the vulnerable. To their joy, the bill passed.
Josephine’s call to act justly echoes the words of the prophet Jeremiah, who delivered God’s message to evil kings. Jeremiah said, “Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed.” And “do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow” (Jeremiah 22:3). God wanted to shield those who couldn’t defend themselves against the powerful.
God can spur us to action too, helping us to discern inequalities and to speak and take measures against them. He who hates abuse empowers us to uphold justice and defend the weak.
How does following God affect how you treat the weak and vulnerable? How might God use you to defend someone who's oppressed?
Gracious God, You love and care for the weak and the powerful. Please help me to share Your love and grace.
For further study, read Walk with Me: Traveling with Jesus and Others on Life’s Road.
Jeremiah is sometimes referred to as the “weeping prophet” because tears were so often a part of his ministry. For instance, in Jeremiah 13:17, we read: “If you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the Lord's flock will be taken captive.” In today’s reading (22:1-5), we see one of the primary causes of his tears. Jerusalem was going to be overrun and destroyed, and he was given the task of sounding the alarm regarding that coming destruction. Jeremiah wept because the warnings he issued would largely go unheeded. His great desire? For the evil kings to “do what is just and right” (v. 3) and care for the oppressed. He describes a future time when “the people of Israel and the people of Judah together [would] go in tears to seek the Lord their God” (50:4). Today, God calls and equips us to lovingly care for the oppressed.
