Zechariah 7
70 years of religious activity but all worthless because God’s people were not merciful to the 4 categories of people that mean so much to God:
The widow
The fatherless
The immigrant
The poor.
Any neglect shown to the needs of such people is not called merely a lack of mercy or charity, but a violation of justice. God loves and defends those with the least economic and social power and so should we. That is what it means to ‘do justice’.
Most people who are downtrodden by abusive power are those who had little power to begin with, God gives them particular attention and has a special place in his heart for them.
If God’s character includes zeal for justice that leads him to have the tenderest love and closet involvement with the socially weak then what should God’s people be like? They must be people who are likewise passionately concerned for the weak and vulnerable.
Missions Paul 