BULLYING
Definition: The use of strength or power to force or pressure others by fear; persecuting or oppressing others by force or threat of force.
1. Bullying, or “oppression” as it is commonly termed in the Bible, is expressly forbidden.
Deuteronomy 24:14 Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates.
Leviticus 25:17 Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the Lord your God.
Proverbs 3:30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
Proverbs 3:31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
2. Bullying is ungodly; meekness should be our sample.
2 Timothy 2:24,25 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves [who are in opposition]; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.
Galatians 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.
Philippians 2:3a Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory.
Titus 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
James 3:14-18 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
3. Bullies are motivated by pride, selfishness and lack of love.
Proverbs 13:10a Only by pride cometh contention.
Proverbs 26:21 As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.
Matthew 18:28 But the same servant [one who’d just been forgiven his debts] went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest
1 Corinthians 13:4,5 Charity [Love] suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.
4. Bullying is an offense to the Lord.
Psalm 73:8-20 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. 9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. … 11 And they say, How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the most High? … 20 As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when Thou awakest, Thou shalt despise their image.
Proverbs 14:31a He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker.
Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.
5. The bully’s “victory” is short lived.
Job 20:4,5 Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, 5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
Psalm 37:35,36 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. 36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
6. The bully is “asking for trouble” because the Lord is watching and sides with the oppressed.
Exodus 3:9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
Psalm 10:17,18 Lord, Thou hast heard the desire of the humble: Thou wilt prepare their heart, Thou wilt cause Thine ear to hear: 18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.
Psalm 12:5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
Ezekiel 34:17-31 [Here’s what the Lord thinks about the fat shepherds who bully and take advantage of their sheep:] And as for you, O My flock, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats. 18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? And to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? 19 And as for My flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet. 20 Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. 21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; 22 Therefore will I save My flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. 23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even My servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. 24 And I the Lord will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it. 25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods…. 27 They shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. 28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. 30 Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are My people, saith the Lord God. 31 And ye My flock, the flock of My pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.
Luke 12:45,46 But and if that servant say in his heart, My Lord delayeth His coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for Him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
7. Sooner or later, bullies will reap what they sow.
Proverbs 11:17 The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
Jeremiah 17:10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8. Consider how you would feel if bullied by others.
Exodus 23:9 also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
9. Join the Lord’s side; go to the aid of the underdog.
Psalm 82:3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Isaiah 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Jeremiah 22:16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know Me? Saith the Lord.
Romans 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
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