III. CONCLUSION:

Although this study is by no means exhaustive, it is hoped that it can provide a deeper appreciation of the deep motivation that we Christians have in pursuing justice in our present world. The OT is so rich and full of the much-needed background that we need to support our stance, which is in favour of the poor-and-oppressed of today.

Relationship is the context:

First of all, it is clear that abstract terms such as righteousness and justice, compassion and salvation are used only in so far as they are qualities of a person, e.g. a righteous God, a righteous person. The OT is therefore very person-oriented and has an emphasis similar to that which we give to sin today, that is, it is actor-oriented rather than action-oriented. The relationships among men and between God and man are also foremost. Righteousness demands relationships as context for its fulfillment; it does not happen in a vacuum, nor does it encour-age individualism. Righteousness always needs two or more to implement it? and the relationship is at once vertical and horizontal because the basis of our righteous relation with our neighbour is the righteousness of our God. At the same time, it can also be said that our motivation for being righteous is primarily our faith in God.

Secondly, the presence of the poor-and-oppressed among us in the present world is a judgment on us. It is a sign that we have not done enough to do justice. The earth and its full- ness belong to God, who endows us so that we may know him and love him. Whatever may be acquired is for everyone to enjoy; but why the imbalance between the rich and the poor? Why is two-thirds of Asia suffering from malnutrition and hunger when the privileged elite can spend as much as they like? Is this not an indication that somewhere somehow there are those who have taken, whether consciously or unconsciously, that which should belong to the poor who do not have enough? "There will be no poor among you," Yahweh bids us (Dt. 15: 4). Possession of too many properties on the part of one is the cause of a lack of these properties on the part of another.

Thirdly, what does this say to us in the Church today?

It is clear that God wants us to be with the poor-and-oppressed in order to help them regain the right that is theirs, the right to many things that have been snatched from them. We do not need to justify our works with the poor because they are the afflicted and the afflicted in this sense are the righteous ones. We cannot pretend to fulfill our religious acts if we are so lacking in concern for Yahweh's little ones. Social justice is not a new concept; it is receiving new emphasis today because of the situations that remind us of Amos' times. There is no time to waver. There is only time to act and do justice! Only then can we truly worship and know God.