The book of Isaiah reveals the trustworthiness of God and the Prophet Isaiah does an eloquent job of articulating it by comparing and contrasting King Ahaz’s downfall for failing to trust the Lord and the faithfulness of Hezekiah who trusted the Lord. In this week’s devotional, we read a portion of the Prophet Isaiah’s vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In the text, the Prophet shares a directive with God’s children about taking specific actions. In summarizing these actions, Isaiah is telling the people to look out for the wellbeing of the outcast of society or the “least of these brothers or sisters of Mine” as Jesus describes in Matthew 25:40. It was an opportunity to fight for justice and to ensure that people were not being abused and taken advantage of by the oppressors attempting to fulfill their own agenda.
In today’s society, we continue to have the “least of these brothers and sisters” who dwell in our communities. They are, but not limited to, the homeless citizens, citizens making below a living wage, people wrongfully incarcerated, the orphan, the widows, and human trafficking victims. In the same way that this verse has relevance in the Old Testament, it remains a charge that we should continue to follow today. There are opportunities for us to seek justice for the voiceless in our communities. Whether it is a chance to ensure that an elderly woman is not displaced due to gentrification. It could be an opportunity to report a case in which an adult is abusing a young child. In other instances, we can help the citizens who feel hopeless because of medical issues, the lack of money to pay rent, and poor living conditions.
For this week, we will learn about populations, samples, and surveys. The population is the entire group of people that we plan to study; however, because we may not get to 100% of the population due to size, cost, and geography, we at least want to sample or obtain a smaller representation of the population for our study. There are various ways you can study a sample of people such as observing them, but for this week, we will focus our attention on collecting data through surveys. Such information could help you to do good in your community. For example, you could take a survey and administer it to a homeless population to learn about their needs. By collecting the completed surveys, you have an opportunity to analyze the data and make a case to City Council about shaping policy that could improve the conditions for the homeless citizens such as job training opportunities, better wages to sustain a household, and affordable housing. In other words, it is one thing to offer anecdotal evidence and it is another when you can substantiate your claim with real data. It is your opportunity to do good and to seek justice for the least of these brothers and sisters in your community.
In reflecting on this week’s Scripture, you are challenged to consider these questions:
- Who are the oppressed citizens in your community?
- What type of survey instrument could you administer to collect data on a disenfranchised group in your community?
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