What other Bible verses address justice for laborers like in Job 24:11? Starting Point: Job 24:11—A Picture of Exploited Workers “[The poor] crush olives among the terraces; they tread the winepresses, yet go thirsty.” (Job 24:11) Job mourns laborers who do the hard work but never taste its benefits. Scripture echoes that concern in many places. Key Old-Testament Commands Protecting Laborers • Leviticus 19:13 — “You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold the wages of a hired man overnight.” • Deuteronomy 24:14-15 — “Do not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy…Pay his wages each day before sunset…otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.” • Exodus 22:21-27 — includes the command not to mistreat foreigners or the poor, reminding that God hears their cries. • Deuteronomy 25:4 — “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Paul later applies this principle to human workers (1 Timothy 5:18). Prophets Who Condemn Exploitation • Jeremiah 22:13 — “Woe to him…who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not pay his wages.” • Malachi 3:5 — “I will draw near…against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages.” • Isaiah 58:3-7 — God rejects fasting that is paired with “driving hard all your laborers,” calling instead for justice and generosity. Wisdom Literature Reinforcing Fair Treatment • Proverbs 14:31 — “Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.” • Proverbs 22:22-23 — “Do not rob a poor man because he is poor…for the LORD will take up their case.” • Job 31:13-15 — Job testifies that he always listened to the complaints of his servants, remembering they share the same Maker. Jesus and the Apostles on the Worth of Workers • Luke 10:7 — “The worker is worthy of his wages.” • Matthew 20:1-15 — Parable of the vineyard workers shows the Master’s commitment to just, agreed-upon pay. • 1 Timothy 5:18 — “The worker is worthy of his wages.” • James 5:4 — “Look, the wages you failed to pay the workmen…are crying out against you.” • Colossians 4:1 — “Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” • Ephesians 6:9 — Employers are warned not to threaten but to remember the impartial Master in heaven. Putting the Truth into Practice Today • Pay on time and in full; delayed wages equal theft in God’s eyes. • Refuse to profit from unfair labor, even indirectly through investments or purchases. • Advocate for vulnerable workers; Scripture calls silence “guilt” (Deuteronomy 24:15). • Examine business policies for impartiality, remembering the Lord shows no favoritism (Ephesians 6:9). • Treat every employee as a fellow image-bearer whose cries reach “the ears of the Lord of Hosts” (James 5:4). |
    |