Defend

He shall defend the needy among the people . . . 

 - From Psalm 72

Apparently, God does not believe that the poor are at fault for being poor. Or if they are somehow responsible for their condition, their ongoing poor treatment on the part of the well-off merits something be done about those wealthy people. 

The Psalmist does not name any conditions that must be in place, first, to justify God defending the needy. He defends them because they are needy. That is all. 

God promises justice as a comfort to the poor. Just the poor. That the poor require justice is evidence that something unjust has been done to them. 

If you dig deeply enough, you may find that almost anybody that has done well in this life, has probably gotten that way due to injustice. The wealthy person has had to look away from wrongdoing, tolerate unethical actions by people in authority, kept silent in the face of the poor treatment of the less fortunate. 

People are human. They love their families and don't want to lose their jobs. 

Scripture says "There are none that doeth good. No, not one."

If you're wondering where you fit into that characterization of humans as bad, look no further than the crimes and injustice with which you are complicit, by virtue of being employed by people, or organizations, that somewhere have committed wrong, in pursuit of profits. 

The needy . . . all needy . . . may rejoice this Advent season, and all year long. One of Christ's objectives as King is to put Himself between the poor and the wealthy, take the shots intended for them . . . but then set a table fit for royalty, and dine with the needy as guests of honor. 

But notice: The Psalm also says that the King's Son comes with righteousness as well as justice. 

Righteousness. That's another matter entirely. And another reason to rejoice!