He Hears Their Cry
“You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt. You must not mistreat any widow or orphan. If you do mistreat them and they cry out to Me, I will surely hear their cry. My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword; then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.”
— Exodus 22:21-24
God’s command in this passage is not merely a directive from a bygone era—it is a window into His compassionate heart and unyielding commitment to justice. Foreigners, widows, and orphans are named here as emblematic of the vulnerable and the voiceless—those who are often overlooked or exploited by society. God does not leave their care to chance; He takes their suffering personally. When they cry out, He hears. When they are mistreated, He responds. His justice is swift, and His warning is serious. The command to protect them is not a suggestion but a moral imperative grounded in divine empathy.
The call to remember—“you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt”—is central. God wants His people to recall their own experience of helplessness and let that memory shape their response to others. We are to treat the marginalized not with superiority or pity, but with the dignity born of shared humanity and sacred responsibility. Think back on a time when you felt like an outsider or lacked protection. How did that shape you? How might it shape the way you engage with others today who find themselves in similar circumstances?
Consider the modern equivalents of those mentioned in Exodus—refugees and immigrants, single parents, foster children, the bereaved, and those whose voices are often drowned out by society’s noise. Who are these people in your community? Do you hear their cry? God does. And He calls us to listen, to care, and to act. One way to begin is to adopt a simple practice: pray daily for a marginalized group, and ask God to open your eyes to someone near you who needs encouragement or support. Then, follow through with a small act of kindness—a conversation, a gesture of hospitality, a shared meal, or advocacy on their behalf.
Loving God,
You are the defender of the weak, the protector of the vulnerable, and the One who hears the cries of the forgotten. Help me not to turn away from the pain of others. Remind me of my own need for mercy and teach me to walk in humility and compassion. Open my eyes to those around me who need an advocate, a helper, a friend. May I never exploit or ignore those in need but instead reflect Your justice and kindness in all I do.
I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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