I Don't Want to be an Oppressor

"Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous."  Proverbs 3:31, 32

It's easy to read this verse and to think to myself, "I'm not an oppressor."  God says, "...Choose none of his ways."  

What are the "ways" of an oppressor?  Well ...

An oppressor thinks about himself, not others.  He's covetous and discontented with what God provides.  An oppressor manipulates others to get his own way.

He can be a spiritual and emotional abuser, one who plays mind games with people in an effort to dominate them for some sinful satisfaction.  Ever know someone like this?  Have you ever done this?

I'll be honest; I have.  God says, such actions are the ways of an oppressor, and those actions and attitudes are an abomination in God's eyes.  They are a stench in His holy nostrils.

My point is, oppressors take on many shapes and sizes.  It's easy to spot the oppressor who physically harms people, the kid who beats up on the younger one and takes his lunch money ... so to speak.

But there are oppressors that aren't so easy to spot.  We all have the potential to oppress someone.

Maybe we do it by withholding something that we know another needs in order to "punish" them because we are mad at them.

Maybe we manipulate someone's emotions to get them to do what we want instead of what is best for them.

Perhaps it's as simple as being selfish, not willing to look past my own needs and wants in order to meet another's.

Yes, the oppressor comes in all forms.  His ways are carnal, selfish, and a stench in God's nose.

Let's not be oppressors.  Let's not choose any of his ways, and if you know someone who oppresses you through his or her emotions, then maybe it's time to find a new friend.