Compassion in the Heart of God

Jul 26 2024 - Eric Buresh

I’ve been reading through Exodus this past week, and one of the character traits of our Father that jumped off the pages for me is the simple recognition that God has deep compassion for the most vulnerable among us. This reminder of God’s character toward the vulnerable brought me to repent of certain careless and wayward thoughts that have crept into my own mind of late. Perhaps you may need a course-correction as well? 

Exodus 22:21-27 is representative of many passages that proclaims God’s heart toward several categories or vulnerable people. I will emphasize two of those categories: 

“You shall neither mistreat a sojourner nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. [] If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest. If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.” 

First, the sojourner. These are individuals who, in the ancient world, were among the most vulnerable. They had no social standing, no safety net, no advocate to plead their cause. God, revealing His compassion, declares Himself to be their protector. “You shall neither mistreat a sojourner nor oppress him,” He commands, reminding the Israelites of their own experience of oppression in Egypt. Here we see the principle of empathy; having known suffering themselves, the Israelites are to extend compassion to others in their midst. How relevant this is for us today! We live in a world where many are displaced (for a variety of reasons) from their homelands. The Lord hears their cry. We must ask ourselves: are we attentive to the needs of sojourners among us? Do we extend them the hand of kindness? 

Second, the poor. "You shall not be like a moneylender to him, you shall not charge him interest." The people of God are to be marked by their willingness to generously support those in need without seeking personal gain. Charging interest to the impoverished would only serve to deepen their plight, whereas God seeks to lift them out of their distress. And then, there is the command regarding the pledge of a cloak. God’s concern extends to even the smallest details of daily life, desiring that a person’s basic safety and dignity is upheld. A cloak was not merely a garment but a vital possession, especially for the poor. To deprive a man of his cloak overnight would be to expose him to the cold and rob him of his dignity. Thus, the Lord commands its return before sunset, highlighting our Father’s deep compassion for the needs of the vulnerable individual. 

The heart of the matter is that our Father is compassionate. His compassion is not a passive sentiment but an active force that moves Him to defend the oppressed, to provide for the needy, and to call His people to do the same. "When he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate," says the Lord. What a profound assurance that the cries of the vulnerable do not fall on deaf ears but are heard by the Almighty God of the universe who is moved to action by His compassionate nature. May we, by the power and work of the Spirit, align our thoughts and our actions with those of our Father to the glory of His great and compassionate name.