DON’T HOLD BACK THE WAGES

TEXT: LEVITICUS 19:1-13.

🔑KEY VERSE “Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning” (LEVITICUS 19:13).

The story was told of a notable business tycoon in the habit of hiring contractors to work for him. At the onset, he paid 80% of the contract sum, with a promise to pay up the balance on satisfactory completion. Since the profit margin was always less than 20%, the contractor usually would have to borrow additional funds to complete the work. On satisfactory completion, paying that balance became a problem. To assuage the contractor, more and more jobs were given to him. So the 20% kept accumulating into millions of unpaid debts. Attempts to get the money were usually rebuffed with the threats that the contractor should go to court. And since the judicial process was usually slow in that country and the “big man,” was “well connected,” the helpless contractors would leave the money with huge debts hanging on their necks.

The Lord commanded Israel to be holy because He is holy. And how should that holiness be seen? By honouring one’s parents who are God’s representatives on earth; by faithful observance of the Sabbath; by not worshiping idols; by bringing peace and fellowship offerings to God, by providing for the poor and having regard for the truth and by prompt payment of wages of hired workers.

In a world where “might is right,” the rights of the less privileged are often trampled upon by the rich who are getting richer and richer at the expense of the poor. For this, Apostle James, inspired by the Spirit of God, warned the greedy rich men, “Your riches are corrupted… Your gold and silver is cankered… behold the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries… are entered into the ears of the Lord…” (James 5:2-4). God hates when the poor is maltreated. He abhors injustice. Let everyone whom God has blessed use their wealth wisely.

✍THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Don’t punish the poor. Pay him his dues.

BIBLE IN A YEAR 1 TIMOTHY 1-6.

MEDITATION

Some essentials of holiness

1. The nature and degree of the holiness demanded is the same as that of God Himself v2. God is the yard stick.
2. The same demand on all believers is made in the New Testament and at times it is called Christian perfection v2, Matthew 5:28. “Be ye perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
3. Holy people will give honour and assistance to their parents and reverence the Lord’s day v3.
4. An holy person will not have any allegiance, love and affection for anything or anybody above God v4.
5. There is no command of God that is negligible to a holy person. For example, eating the sacrifice that should be burnt attracts eternal punishment vv5-8.
6. Holy people have love and regard for the poor and make provision for the needy according to what they have vv9,10.
7. Lying of any form and stealing of any form are totally absent from an holy person. Holy people are trusted by others that they don’t have to swear before people believe them vv11,12.
8. A holy person does not deceive, dupe, embezzle or cheat others methodically or “smartly”.
   Q Are you sincerely holy?
   Lord, I know it is impossible for the natural man to live a holy life without grace. Give me grace and power to live a holy life🙏
   Lord, I present my heart to you afresh, let the blood of Jesus do a deeper work of cleansing in me🙏
   Lord, by the help of your Spirit, let holiness be my watchword at all times🙏
   Lord, bring revival of hunger and practice of true holiness back to the Church🙏

HYMN Holiness unto the Lord.