Hope For The Oppressed (Job 36:15)

There are different types of oppression: physical and mental.  Physical oppression is when a person uses physical force to manipulate individuals to do what they want or to cause physical duress so as to suppress people's actions.  Mental oppression is when thoughts are communicated causing fear, anxiety, worry, depression or hopelessness.  To some degree, each of us have experienced these types of oppression.  An older sibling or playground bully could have physically oppressed or manipulated you when you were young or an angry parent could have done the same throughout your life.  Sometime in your life you, as a prisoner, may have lived under the fear tactics of another: fear of failure because it was conveyed that you are stupid, fear of acceptance because you were told that you didn't measure up in looks or abilities, or fear of deserving love because you were treated as a useless sex object.  Even today, you may still find yourself living within the confines of the oppressive messages that were conveyed to you over the years.  There are many who continue to experience this in their day to day lives and are longing to be free.  The question is, how?

Elihu's discourse reveals part of the answer.  In Job 36:15 he says, "He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression."  Mentally oppressed people have received negative damaging messages from their oppressors.  More than likely, these messages have been delivered over a long course of time.  So long that now even without the oppressor present, their damaging message in prisons the heart and mind of the oppressed.  

This passage tells us that The Lord opens the ears of the oppressed.  It appears that in order for deliverance to come, the oppressed will need to hear and listen to another message other than that of the oppressor.  The Lord will perform a work of grace and open the ears of the oppressed or enable them to hear another message. This message will be truth which will destroy the lies of the oppressor.  What is equally important as the message is the messenger.  This truth message must come from God's word and be conveyed by God's people.  Satan has been drowning out God's word to the oppressed for many years: even when they read the truth that they need, the oppressor couples it with lies and negates the truth's effects.  However when the truth comes audibly by believers in Christ, it resounds like church bells announcing victory.  The affect of truth will only last for a short time before the oppressive lies from their memory drown out the jubilant sounds.  This process will need to continue and repeat many times before victory is won.  It is called, discipleship.  Sadly to say, this is where the church is failing terribly.  Today, the church wants to quick fix everything.  The method is give them a verse, get them active and clean up the outside of the cup.  No wonder there are so many tragedies.

If you know somebody who lives under the dominance of oppression, be patient with them, go the extra miles with them, wait for them...love them.

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