If there is any doubt in your mind that we weren’t created by God, then how is it that most of us have an innate understanding and anger when we see people abuse their power and oppress those that are weaker than themselves?  We are all interconnected because the love of God is within all of us because He has created us in His image.  When a certain few persons choose to go against the nature of who they are created to be, it really pisses people off because it often leads to injustice.S

Zec 7:9 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:

Zec 7:10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor, and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

— Zechariah 7: 9-10

Let’s break down what God says we should do in this passage, and is the opposite of what the Israelites did, thus, bringing upon themselves God’s fury.

“Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:” Ladies and gentlemen, HAVE A HEART! When we rely on God who shows us love, that love shines through us and it allows us to 1^st execute true judgment. (Remember our previous post about how the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom?)  When we fear God, we are able to discern a situation and the people involved to properly judge a situation.  It is important that we first execute true judgment and then we know how to show mercy and to whom. The ‘whom’ part should not be glossed over because verse 9 clearly states to ‘shew mercy and compassions every an to his brother.” (Emphasis my own)  We show mercy and compassion to certain people and not to everyone all the time because that would make it almost impossible to provide a proper judgment.

Secondly, verse 10 states explicitly that we should “oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor;…” How many times have we seen this in our lives through the news and the people that we know and stories that we hear? Lots of times.  How many times does it make your blood boil when you see this type of injustice? If you have any sort of empathy, probably a lot.  One way that we can start to alleviate this oppression, or at the very least help the oppressed heal, is to show love and to help organizations that are built to support the oppressed and get them back on their feet.  After all, a large pile of sand is built 1 little grain at a time, so we should do our part through volunteering and/or financially supporting organizations that help.

Third, the last part of verse 10 tells us not even to imagine evil against brothers in our heart.  Doesn’t that sound familiar to the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 7.  If we get at the root of our actions, the desires of our heart, than we can change the fruit of our actions.  These passages are written with great potency and accuracy because if you reflect on your life, you will see that these teachings are as relevant today as ever.