There’s an old maxim that politicians use in deciding on policies that’ll win them the next election: if in doubt, back self-interest. In other words, pander to the self-interest of others and they’ll vote for you. Sadly, self-interest is used to justify all kinds of abuse and injustice as we collectively shift the boundary markers that separate right and wrong.
During the so-called Highland Clearances in 18th and 19th century Scotland, powerful landowners forced thousands of poor tenant farmers off their ancestral lands to make way for more profitable sheep farming.
Boundaries were literally redrawn, villages were destroyed, and people who’d lived there for generations were driven into poverty, exile, or emigration.
It was, in essence, the moving of “ancient boundary stones”—ignoring heritage, community, and justice for the sake of profit. The vulnerable—often widows, orphans, and the poor—were left without fields or homes.
Proverbs 23:10 Do not remove an ancient landmark or encroach on the fields of orphans, for their redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you. (NRSV)
Self-interest is a powerful motivator for each one of us – perhaps the most powerful of all. So long as we’re comfortable, who cares what happens to everyone else? Who cares about their suffering?
In this verse, God warns us against greed, exploitation, and taking advantage of the vulnerable by shifting boundaries for selfish gain. Greed that displaces the powerless corrodes both justice and society. And God will see that, in the end, His justice is done.
Don’t move the ancient landmarks. Don’t start calling that which is wrong, right. That’s God’s warning, and …
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
