God's Restoration
Human trafficking strikes at the very heart of what it means for humanity to be created in God’s Image. It dehumanises individuals who are trafficked denying them their God-given value and worth and robbing them of their dignity and autonomy. Motivated by profit and greed, trafficking turns human beings into commodities
Traffickers prey on people in vulnerable situations, such as poverty and desperation, and trafficked people are oppressed and enslaved, losing their freedom through coercion, fear, false promises, or deception. Body, mind, and spirit are also affected.
But trafficking of fellow-human beings is not new. The Bible tells the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his own brothers (Genesis 37:28.) Joel 3:3 records how the defeated nation of Israel was scattered and its people traded people for their own gain.
In the book of Amos Chapter 2 verses 6-7 it is described how poor people were being sold, trampled upon, denied justice, and oppressed by their own people.
Yet God’s concern for justice is also made abundantly clear in the Bible. Set free from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites were called to live differently from surrounding nations as they were God’s Covenant people. In Leviticus 19:33-34 they were called never to forget what it was like to be exploited and oppressed. And God set out in Leviticus 19:9-18 His instructions to ensure protection and provision for the disadvantaged, the poor, and vulnerable people such as strangers, widows, and people living with a disability.
The Psalmist testifies in Psalm 146: 7-9, that God upholds the cause of those who are oppressed, people who are hungry, prisoners, individuals who are bent down, strangers, orphaned children, widows. The Prophet Isaiah in chapter 61:8 declares that God loves justice and in Amos chapter 5:24 God calls for it to “run down like water.” The obligation in Micah 6:8 is clear: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
These passages in scripture serve to evidence the restoration which God offers to the exploited, the freedom Jesus wants for the oppressed, and how new life is possible for those who are broken.