When Faith Shapes How We Treat People

Exodus 22:21–22 (ESV)

“You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.”

Exodus 22 continues the laws God gives to shape Israel as His covenant people.

At first glance, this chapter may seem like a collection of very specific rules about property, restitution, theft, lending, responsibility, and worship. But underneath the details is a bigger picture. God is teaching His people that faith is not only about what happens at the mountain. It is about what happens in everyday life.

It is about how they handle someone else’s property. It is about whether they take responsibility when harm is done. It is about whether they tell the truth. It is about whether they protect the vulnerable. It is about whether their worship of God changes the way they treat people.

That matters.

Sometimes we are tempted to separate our spiritual life from our daily life. We can think faith is mostly about prayer, worship, church attendance, or knowing the right things. Those things matter deeply, but Exodus 22 reminds us that covenant faithfulness shows up in practical places. It shows up in honesty, responsibility, compassion, generosity, justice, and mercy.

One of the strongest parts of the chapter comes when God tells Israel not to wrong or oppress the sojourner because they were once sojourners in Egypt. Then He says not to mistreat the widow or the fatherless.

That is deeply important.

God is forming a people who remember where they came from. Israel knew what it was like to be vulnerable. They knew what it was like to live in a land that was not their own. They knew what it was like to be oppressed by people with more power. They knew what it was like to cry out under heavy burdens.

So God tells them not to become the very thing He delivered them from.

That is a word for us too.

When God brings us through something, it should make us more compassionate, not more calloused. When God delivers us, it should make us more tender toward others who are still hurting. When God shows us mercy, it should make us more merciful. We should not receive grace and then turn around and treat people harshly.

For years and years, I internally prided myself in being someone who could provide solutions when it came to manual labor. If a tire needed to be changed, a truck was stuck in the mud, or someone needed something hauled, I felt like I could figure it out. I had confidence that I could overcome just about any practical problem in front of me.

But several years ago, I remember getting up before the crack of dawn to help with a church project, and I got my truck stuck in the field in my front yard.

And I mean stuck.

I used all sorts of things I had. Tow straps. Winches. Other vehicles. Every idea I could think of. But the reality was, I was in above my head.

What is interesting is that when somebody else is in that spot, it is very easy for me to offer service. It is easy to jump in, help, solve the problem, and be the person who shows up. But when it happened to me, it was very difficult to accept help. It exposed something in me. I liked being the one who could help, but I did not like needing help.

And that experience made me more compassionate toward people who find themselves in that kind of moment.

Sometimes we forget that no one is Superman other than Jesus.

Every one of us has places where we are limited. Every one of us has moments where we are in above our head. Every one of us has seasons where we need help, mercy, patience, and support from someone else.

That is part of what Exodus 22 is teaching us. God tells His people to remember what it felt like to be vulnerable so that they would not become harsh toward the vulnerable. He tells them to remember what it felt like to need mercy so that they would show mercy. He tells them to remember where they came from so that their past would produce compassion instead of pride.

The Lord especially names the sojourner, the widow, and the fatherless because they were among the most vulnerable. They were the people most likely to be overlooked, mistreated, or taken advantage of. And God makes it clear that He sees them.

That reveals the heart of God.

He is not only concerned with the powerful. He is not only listening to the people with influence, money, status, or position. He hears the cry of the vulnerable. He cares about the person who feels displaced. He cares about the one who has lost support. He cares about the child without protection. He cares about the person who can easily be ignored.

And if God cares about them, His people must care about them too.

This is where faith becomes very practical.

The way we treat people matters to God. The way we handle money matters to God. The way we respond when someone is in need matters to God. The way we use our influence matters to God. The way we remember our own story matters to God.

God does not want His people to have worshipful lips and hard hearts.

He wants a people whose lives reflect His mercy.

For us, this points directly to Jesus. Jesus consistently moved toward people others overlooked. He welcomed the outsider. He touched the unclean. He honored children. He saw the poor. He defended the vulnerable. He brought mercy to people who had been pushed to the edges.

So when we follow Jesus, we cannot only care about being right. We must also care about being merciful. We cannot only care about personal holiness while ignoring practical compassion. We cannot only celebrate the grace we received while withholding grace from others.

So today, ask yourself who God may be calling you to notice.

Is there someone vulnerable around you who needs care? Is there someone easy to overlook who needs encouragement? Is there someone you have been treating as an interruption when God may be calling you to see them as a person made in His image?

The people of God should be different in the way we treat people.

Not because we are better.

But because we remember the mercy God has shown us.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for the mercy You have shown us. Help us remember what You have brought us through so that we do not become hard toward others. Teach us to treat people with honesty, compassion, responsibility, and grace. Give us eyes to see the vulnerable, the overlooked, and the hurting. Remind us that none of us are strong enough to carry life alone, and help us reflect the mercy of Jesus in the way we love and serve others. In Jesus’ name, amen.