“BERTHA looks very young. Where did you get her from?” I asked a friend, deeply disturbed that a girl so young was not in school but working as a house help.
“Oh, her parents are our neighbours back in the village. They are too poor to take her to school. We did them a favour by taking her in. She was probably going to be married off to someone equally poor.”
I had never seen this side of my friend—a side without compassion. She teaches the new believers’ class at her church.
“Do you pay her a salary?” I asked carefully.
“We give her a free room, free food, and a job. That is her pay. Her parents are fine with it. And when she becomes stubborn, I threaten to send her back. That keeps her quiet.”
Her words unsettled me.
And then Scripture came to mind.
The Wages Cry Out
In James five verse four, the Bible gives a terrifying warning:
“Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.”
The cries of unpaid workers reach heaven.
Not the labour union.
Not the courts.
Not public opinion.
The Lord Almighty hears.
This passage is not symbolic language meant to exaggerate. It reveals God’s heart for justice. When wages are withheld, heaven takes notice.
The Worker Deserves His Wages
Scripture is clear in 1 Timothy five verse eighteen:
“The worker deserves his wages.”
This is not optional. It is not cultural. It is not economic convenience.
It is biblical justice.
Whether the worker is:
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A house help
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A farm labourer
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An office employee
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A casual worker
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A domestic worker
The principle remains the same.
Fair pay is not generosity.
It is righteousness.
God Defends Workers
Many assume labour rights are modern inventions.
But long before unions, governments, and contracts, God established protection for workers.
In Deuteronomy twenty four verse fifteen, He commands:
“Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.”
Notice the seriousness.
Failure to pay is not merely unfair—it is sin.
And when workers cry out, God listens.
A Warning to Employers
The Bible does not ignore those in authority.
In Ephesians six verse nine, employers are warned:
“And masters, treat your workers in the same way. Do not threaten them… since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.”
God shows no favoritism.
He is Master of both employer and employee.
Threatening workers.
Manipulating them.
Underpaying them.
Using their poverty against them.
All of it is seen by heaven.
Building with Injustice Brings Woe
Listen to the strong words of Jeremiah twenty two verse thirteen:
“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his own people work for nothing, not paying them for their labour.”
Woe.
That is not mild language.
God warns that wealth built on injustice carries consequences.
Some believers pray, fast, and tithe—yet struggle financially. Could it be that injustice toward workers has blocked blessing?
Prosperity without righteousness is fragile.
Encouragement for the Underpaid
If you are a worker who has been:
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Underpaid
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Delayed in salary
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Exploited
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Threatened
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Treated unfairly
Take heart.
God hears you.
The cries of the harvesters reach the ears of the Lord Almighty.
In Romans two verse eleven, Scripture reminds us:
“For God does not show favoritism.”
He does not side with wealth.
He does not side with status.
He sides with justice.
Cry to the Lord.
He fights for you.
A Matter of the Fear of God
If these Scriptures do not put the fear of God in us, what will?
As believers, we cannot worship passionately on Sunday and exploit workers on Monday.
We cannot teach Bible classes while denying fair wages.
We cannot pray for blessing while withholding justice.
Faith without righteousness is hypocrisy.
Wages Cry Out
Let us examine our hearts.
Let us review how we treat those who work under us.
Let us build our homes, businesses, and ministries on righteousness—not exploitation.
Because the wages cry out.
And the Lord Almighty is listening.
Prayer Points
One
Ask the Lord to forgive you where you have shown contempt toward a worker. Repent for withholding rightful wages, delaying payment unnecessarily, or taking advantage of someone’s vulnerability.
Two
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be faithful and obedient to the Word of God in all your dealings—whether as an employer, business owner, or supervisor.
Three
Thank the Lord who fights for the rights of mistreated workers and hears the cries of the oppressed.