In our 21st century western society with all its busyness and distractions, it’s easy to lose sight of a greater reality concerning God’s care for the vulnerable, the cast-outs, the weak, the neglected, the abused, the manipulated, and the needy. However, there is within each person a desire to belong, as well as to have their needs met. The desire to belong stems from a communal dimension of what it means to be human. God said in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for the man to be alone…” The point of this was to satisfy man’s longing for a mate, but its principle extends beyond marriage. The reality is, mankind flourishes alongside his or her companions and friends. As this reality exists—the living within community—there is a reciprocal meeting of needs that moves the group along. This meeting of needs should extend to all persons within that community, and its reach should be sufficient for the wellbeing of each person. The sad reality is that sin has riddled each human, and where there should be acceptance there is often rejection, and where there should be supplied provision for each person there is often greed, hoarding, theft, and murder. These misapplications of living within community—where ostracizing and isolation exist—was not the intent of God for His people. In fact, God, from the beginning has accepted man, as well as made provision for all his needs. Therefore, in fulfilling the Great Commission—through provision seen in compassion and standing for those who cannot stand for themselves seen in justice—one is living in accordance with God’s design for all of humanity. We see this beautifully in the book of Ruth. Compassion and justice. The particular dimensions evidenced in a life bent on fulfilling the Great Commission while living in community.
COMPASSION AND JUSTICE
As the Christian embarks upon the endeavor of fulfilling the Great Commission while living in community, he is going to be faced with the opportunities to extend compassion and justice to those who are currently not experiencing such realities, while at the same time being challenged to his or her specific vocation or focus. However, one issue with such focus can become complicated by the society of intrinsic castes that often dictate the extension of such compassion and justice. For instance, the person located in the heart of New York City might find himself fulfilling his or her vision of reaching the leaders of that city with the good news of Christ to the neglect of the homeless and abandoned he encounters on his way to his Bible studies or classes with those leaders. The homeless and abandoned on the street don’t preoccupy his time simply because they are not enveloped in the vision of this particular initiative. This sad reality is often the case with many who are burdened with specific Great Commission initiatives. The Christian, instead needs a holistic view of his or her Great Commission responsibility in community in order to cultivate not only the character of God—extending compassion and justice—but also the endeavor of providing for and standing in for those within their community who cannot provide or stand up for themselves. The biblical basis for this holistic view is found in the book of Ruth.
The book of Ruth opens with a statement that sets the tone for the reader, “…there was a famine in the land.” The land was Israel, and the people were struggling. This community was not just any community, but rather the chosen people of God. Previously, Moses was given the task of liberating these Jewish people from subjugation of Pharaoh in Egypt, but now they found themselves among the pagan people accepting their pagan practices. God had warned the Jews before they settled in this land of Canaan—now Israel—that they were to obey and not accept pagan practices. If they were not to obey, then God would judge them through their natural provision. In Deuteronomy 28:23 God warns that in their disobedience to His laws, “The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron.” This was the case in Ruth’s time—there was famine. Therefore, a family fled to Moab—a neighboring pagan people—to find refuge. While this family didn’t find refuge—actually more heartache through the loss of two sons and a husband—they did find a faithful Moabite woman named Ruth.
This Ruth became a widow at a young age when her husband, the son of a Jewish mother, Namoi, passed away. However, Ruth told Naomi that no matter what she was going to stay by her side. A Moabite committed her life to this Jewish mother, as well as accepted her God and came under His wings of care. As the book continues to unfold the drama of heartache and loss, one quickly sees the character of God through a Jewish man named Boaz. Ruth followed Naomi back to Israel from the land of Moab, and faithfully cared for Naomi as though she was her family. This Ruth, in the land of Israel, was an alien, a widow, an orphan, and poor. The very representation of one who is rejected and needy, but also faithful and submitted to God.
In time, however, God’s characteristics of compassion and justice were found to be demonstrated in a conduit who knew the heart of God and His care for the alien, the widow, the orphan, and the poor who come under God’s wings for protection. Boaz looked beyond his specific purview, and not only accepted Ruth as his wife—becoming her kinsman redeemer—but also provided for her needs materially. Ruth had come under God’s wings of care, and God through Boaz cared for her. Compassion was expressed through providing for not only her needs, but the needs of Naomi as well, and justice was demonstrated through standing for her rights by accepting her as his wife by becoming her kinsman redeemer. Therefore, Boaz was a conduit of the characteristics of God showing compassion and justice to those within his community.
There are, however, varying views on this topic. When one begins to break down the word justice it’s easy to find myriad understandings. For instance, one understanding of justice is commutative justice, which says, “commutative justice has a commercial sense, and is specially concerned with business transactions. The rendering or requiring an exact due or equivalent, and whether in money or other commodity, is commutative justice. It has no admitted place in the atonement, except in the now generally discarded sense of identical or equal penalty. Whether that of equivalent penalty is logically clear of the principle we may yet inquire.”* In other words, as one applies this understanding to the case of Ruth, there would be no room for offering help to her because she couldn’t provide an exact due amount or payment. This type of view typically sees those who are most vulnerable as unable to contribute to society, and are therefore not deserving of such compassion and justice.
Another view pertains to how one should consider offering compassion. For instance, “Oiktirmos is another of the eight Greek terms translated “compassion” in the New Testament. It is normally related to mourning the dead, expressing sympathetic participation in grief. In the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament, translated approximately 250 B.C., this Greek term is used to translate the Hebrew words chen and racham. Such compassion stands ready to help the one who is sorrowing.”** In other words, this type of compassion is expressed for those who care for anyone in grief. While this is certainly part of a Christian’s task it doesn’t encompass the full orbed view that Boaz offered to Ruth.
A more full view, then, is to take compassion and justice and consider not only Boaz as an example, but Christ foremost. He became the just and justifier (Romans 3:26) for all mankind, which was motivated out of His compassion and love for mankind (John 3:16). This is how the Christian should go about his task of fulfilling the Great Commission—extending justice and compassion—while living in community: by laying down his desires, demands, and life for those within his or her community who are not accepted and who are not experiencing compassion and justice for whatever reason.
How Does This Apply To Us Today?
- Christ is the Christian’s primary model for compassion and justice.
- Compassion by giving us a physical promise to defeat sin and death on our behalf.
- Justice by dying in our place and taking the penalty of our sin.
- God provides other people, such as Boaz to Ruth, as models for compassion and justice. Boaz was well positioned financially and relationally within the community, and Ruth was an alien, orphan, widow, and poor person within the community coming under God’s wings of care.
- Compassion by Boaz providing for Ruth’s physical food needs.
- Justice by Boaz standing in for Ruth’s rights–taking her as his wife.
- The Christian, thus walks in the Great Commission by living in community as a conduit of God’s justice and compassion.
- Logic: “…if I have received compassion and justice from God, then I can extend to anyone in my community who stands in need.
- Compassion by moving toward anyone within my community who has needs.
- Justice by standing for the rights of all those who cannot stand for their own rights themselves.
End Notes
*Miley, John. Systematic Theology, Volume 2. New York: Hunt & Eaton. 1893.
**Stewart, Don H. “Compassion,” ed. Chad Brand et al., Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers. 2003.
— June 12, 2020