SALT & LIGHT God versus Oppression: God calls out extravagance and pride

13 The Lord has taken his place to contend;

he stands to judge peoples.

John Gill

The Lord has taken his place to contend—His own cause, or the cause of his Son against the Jews that rejected him, and the scribes and Pharisees that led them to an ill opinion of him:

He stands to judge peoples—Both expressions show indignation and resentment; he rises up out of his place, and stands up in defence of his cause, and avenges himself on a wicked and ungrateful people: it seems to have reference to the judgments of God on the people of the Jews, the tribes of Israel.

14 The Lord will enter into judgment

with the elders and princes of his people:

“It is you who have devoured the vineyard,

the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

John Gill

The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders and princes of his people—Both civil and ecclesiastical; the princes, chief priests, and elders of the people, who set themselves and took counsel together against the Lord and his Christ; would not suffer the people to be gathered to him; sought his life, and at last took it away.

It is you who have devoured the vineyard—Or burnt it; the house of Israel, and of Judah compared to a vineyard, in a following chapter; and so the Targum, “you have oppressed my people;” these are the husbandmen our Lord speaks of, that beat the servants that were sent for the fruits of the vineyard, and at last killed the heir (Mat 21:34-41).

The spoil of the poor is in your houses—The Pharisees devoured widows’ houses, and filled their own, with the spoil of them (Mat 23:14).

15 What do you mean by crushing my people,

by grinding the face of the poor?”

declares the Lord God of hosts. ISA 3:13-15

John Gill

What do you mean by crushing my people—Reduce them to the utmost poverty; so the Targum,

“wherefore do you impoverish my people?”

as they did by exacting tithes of all that they possessed; by requiring large sums for their long prayers; and by various traditions they enjoined them to observe:

By grinding the face of the poor?—Either by smiting them on the cheek, as Christ, who became poor for our sakes, was smitten by them; or by bringing them into such low circumstances, by their exorbitant demands, that they had not sufficiency of food to eat; by which means their faces became pale, thin, and meagre:

Declares the Lord God of hosts—Who saw all their actions, and was able to plead his people’s cause, and take vengeance on their oppressors.

God sits in judgment on those who are proud and whose wealth comes from oppressing the poor. Because of their actions, God says he would take away all their accessories and fine clothing, leaving them empty. While we may think that having more finery and accumulating wealth and property is a good goal in life, God actually calls his people out on extravagance and neglecting the poor. How is this also happening today? What is an area of extravagance or pride that God is asking you to examine?

And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?” EXO 5:14

John Gill

And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them—This makes it clear, not only that the taskmasters and officers were different persons, but that the one were Egyptians appointed by Pharaoh, and the other were Israelites, of the better sort of them, who were set over the poorer sort by the taskmasters, to look after them, and take an account of their work, and the tale of their bricks, and give it in to the taskmasters; now these

Were beaten—By the taskmasters, either with a cane, stick, or cudgel, or with whips and scourges, because there was a deficiency in their accounts, and the full tale of bricks was not given in:

And were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”—The first day they were deficient they took no notice of it, did not call them to an account for it, but this being the case the second day, they not only expostulated with them about it, but beat them for it, which was hard usage. They had no need to ask them the reason of it, which they knew very well, and must be sensible that the men could not do the same work, and be obliged to spend part of their time in going about for straw or stubble; or the same number of men make the same tale of bricks, when some of them were employed to get straw for the rest, and to beat those officers for a deficiency through such means was cruel.

“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,

I will now arise,” says the Lord;

“I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” PSA 12:6

John Gill

Because the poor are plundered—The servants and people of God, who, for the most part, are poor in a temporal sense, and are all of them, and always, so in a spiritual sense, standing continually in need of fresh supplies of grace; and being often afflicted, as the word signifies, are mean and despicable in the eyes of the men of this world, and so oppressed by them, as the poor generally are by the rich; and as the people of Israel were oppressed by the Egyptians, so are the people of God by antichrist, and by his tyrannical laws and edicts, and by such haughty and insolent persons as before described;

Because the needy groan—Who groan under their oppressions; being stripped of all good things, their friends, and worldly substance, they sigh inwardly, and cry unto the Lord, who sees their oppressions, hears their groans; and though he cannot be moved, as men are, by anything without himself, yet, according to his abundant mercy and sovereign will, he appears and exerts himself on the behalf of his people, and for their relief and assistance;

“I will now arise,” says the Lord—To have mercy on the poor and needy, and to avenge them on their oppressors, and free them from them. And this the Lord promises to do “now,” speedily, immediately; God arises in the most seasonable time, when his people are in the greatest straits, and in the utmost distress and herein displays his wisdom, power, and goodness. This is an answer to the petition of the psalmist in (Psa 12:1);

I will place him in the safety for which he longs—Or “in salvation;” in Christ the Saviour. All God’s people are put into the hands of Christ, and are preserved in him; there they are in safety, for out of his hands none can pluck them; and being built on him, the Rock, they are safe, notwithstanding the waves and winds of temptation, persecution come with ever so much force upon them. Here it seems to signify, that God would deliver his poor and needy from their oppressions, and put them into a comfortable, prosperous, safe, and happy situation, in which they will be out of the reach of their enemies; as will be the witnesses, when they shall ascend to heaven (Rev 11:11-12); “in the safety for which he longs,” even out of the reach of him that despises them, and treats them with the utmost scorn and contempt; see Psa 10:5. Or that “breathes,” or “let him breathe” threatenings and slaughters; as Saul did against the disciples of Christ (Act 9:1); or that “lays snares for him,” as the wicked do for the righteous; or that “speaks unto him” in such haughty and insolent language as before expressed. Some make this clause a proposition of itself, “for which he longs;” meaning either that he that is secure, safety puffs at his enemy, despises him, as he has been despised by him; or God, who breathes upon him, and whose breath is as a stream of brimstone, which kindles in him a fire of divine wrath, which is unquenchable; or else the sense is, God will “speak to himself,” or “to him;” in which sense the word is used (Hab 2:4); that is, good and comfortable words to the poor; or “he will give him refreshment,” or “rest:” which he will determine in himself to speak to him: or “he shall have breathing,” or “let him breathe:” he shall have times of refreshing from the Lord, and rest from adversity, from the oppositions and persecutions of his enemies.

22 Do not rob the poor, because he is poor,

or crush the afflicted at the gate,

23 for the Lord will plead their cause

and rob of life those who rob them. PRO 22:22-23

10 Do not move an ancient landmark

or enter the fields of the fatherless,

11 for their Redeemer is strong;

he will plead their cause against you. PRO 23:10-11

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts

is the house of Israel,

and the men of Judah

are his pleasant planting;

and he looked for justice,

but behold, bloodshed;

for righteousness,

but behold, an outcry! ISA 5:7

John Gill

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel—This is the explication of the parable, or the accommodation and application of it to the people of Israel, by whom are meant the ten tribes; they are signified by the vineyard, which belonged to the Lord of hosts, who had chosen them to be a peculiar people to him, and had separated them from all others:

And the men of Judah are his pleasant planting—They were so when first planted by the Lord; they were plants of delight, in whom he took great delight and pleasure (Deu 10:15), these design the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, in distinction from Israel:

And he looked for justice—That the poor, and the fatherless, and the widow, would have their causes judged in a righteous manner, and that justice and judgment would be executed in the land in all respects; for which such provision was made by the good and righteous laws that were given them:

But behold, bloodshed—Or a “scab,” such as was in the plague of leprosy; corruption, perverting of justice, and oppressing of the poor: Jarchi interprets it a gathering of sin to sin, a heaping up iniquities:

For righteousness, but behold, an outcry—Of the poor and oppressed, for want of justice done, and by reason of their oppressions. Here ends the song; what has been parabolically said is literally expressed in the following part of the chapter.

6 Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Israel,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because they sell the righteous for silver,

and the needy for a pair of sandals—

7 those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth

and turn aside the way of the afflicted;

a man and his father go in to the same girl,

so that my holy name is profaned; AMO 2:6-7

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, that we may drink!” AMO 4:1

4 Hear this, you who trample on the needy

and bring the poor of the land to an end,

5 saying, “When will the new moon be over,

that we may sell grain?

And the Sabbath,

that we may offer wheat for sale,

that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great

and deal deceitfully with false balances,

6 that we may buy the poor for silver

and the needy for a pair of sandals

and sell the chaff of the wheat?” AMO 8:4-6

They covet fields and seize them,

and houses, and take them away;

they oppress a man and his house,

a man and his inheritance. MIC 2:2