Which other scriptures emphasize God's concern for the oppressed and exploited workers? The Cry of Unpaid Wages — James 5:4 “Look, the wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.” Echoes from the Law of Moses • Exodus 3:7, 9 — God “heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters.” • Leviticus 19:13 — “You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold until morning the wages due a hired hand.” • Deuteronomy 24:14-15 — “Do not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy… You are to pay his wages each day before the sun sets… otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.” Wisdom Literature Reminds Us • Job 31:13-15 — Job refuses to “deny justice” to his servants, knowing God made master and servant alike. • Proverbs 14:31 — “Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker.” • Proverbs 22:22-23 — “Do not rob a poor man… for the LORD will take up their case.” Voices of the Prophets • Isaiah 58:3-6 — Fasting while “you do as you please and exploit all your workers” is condemned. • Jeremiah 22:13 — “Woe to him… who makes his neighbor serve without pay and will not give him his wages.” • Amos 5:11-12 — Judgment falls because “you trample on the poor and exact a tax of grain.” • Amos 8:4-6 — Buying “the needy for a pair of sandals” draws divine wrath. • Micah 2:1-2 — Plotting at night, they “seize fields… and oppress a man and his house.” • Malachi 3:5 — The LORD is a “swift witness… against those who defraud laborers of their wages.” Jesus Affirms the Worker’s Worth • Luke 10:7 — “The worker is worthy of his wages.” • Matthew 20:1-15 — Parable of the vineyard laborers highlights the master’s obligation to pay what is right. Apostolic Instruction for Just Treatment • 1 Timothy 5:18 — “The worker is worthy of his wages.” • Colossians 4:1 — “Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” • Ephesians 6:9 — Masters must show no favoritism, recognizing the same Master in heaven. A Consistent Thread From the Law through the Prophets, from Wisdom writings to the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, Scripture repeatedly declares that God hears the cry of exploited workers, condemns those who withhold wages, and calls His people to act with justice, compassion, and prompt generosity. |
    |