What is the meaning of Isaiah 10:2? to deprive the poor of fair treatment “to deprive the poor of fair treatment” (Isaiah 10:2) Isaiah pictures rulers who write “unjust statutes” (10:1) so the disadvantaged never get a fair hearing. God’s word consistently warns against this: • Exodus 23:6 says, “You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.” • Proverbs 22:22-23 reminds us, “Do not rob a poor man because he is poor… for the LORD will take up their case.” The plain sense is that when leaders tilt the system against the needy, they stand in direct opposition to the Lord who defends them. and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people “and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people” (Isaiah 10:2) The phrase “My people” shows the covenant depth of the offense. God’s own nation is mistreating its weakest members. Compare: • Isaiah 1:17, “Learn to do right; seek justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless; plead the cause of the widow.” • Jeremiah 22:3, “This is what the LORD says: Do justice and righteousness. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed.” When oppression replaces justice, the very purpose of God-appointed authority is betrayed. to make widows their prey “to make widows their prey” (Isaiah 10:2) Widows were economically powerless, easy targets for greedy officials. Scripture repeatedly singles them out for protection: • Psalm 68:5 calls the Lord “a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows.” • Deuteronomy 27:19 warns, “Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.” Turning widows into “prey” shows predatory intent—treating people as a resource to exploit rather than as image-bearers to cherish. and orphans their plunder “and orphans their plunder” (Isaiah 10:2) Orphans, like widows, lacked protectors. The powerful not only ignored them; they actively seized what little they had. God’s heart is the opposite: • James 1:27 affirms that “pure and undefiled religion… is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress.” • Psalm 10:14 says, “You are the helper of the fatherless.” Plundering orphans invites divine judgment, because the Lord personally takes up their cause. summary Isaiah 10:2 exposes leaders who twist the legal system to enrich themselves at the expense of society’s most vulnerable—poor, oppressed, widows, and orphans. Scripture speaks with one voice: when justice is denied to the defenseless, God Himself rises to defend them and to judge those who harm them. |
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