Bible studies
Text: Isaiah 41: 17-20
The poor and needy search for water,
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the Lord will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
Reflection
In several places around the world, we know that it is the poor who live in slums pay much more for water than the wealthy in their high-rise buildings. For example, in several European countries, water bills included in the house rent, while according to the OHCHR reports, in some countries and regions like in Gaza, families spend up to a third or even up to half of their income towards buying water for domestic use . As resources become scarcer, it is not only the wealthy who have greater access to them, but it is also true that in many cases these resources are also available more cheaply to the wealthy than they are to the poor. It is true, we are all in the same ocean, but we are not all in the same boat! While the poor will be devastated by the environmental crisis, the rich are building bunkers in mountainous regions, hoarding resources including water for themselves, in the hope that they will be saved from the extreme and irreversible ecological calamity we are about to face. While about one-third of the world’s population do not have access to safely managed clean water and about two-thirds lack safely managed and dignified sanitation facilities, several corporations including banks buying water bodies in countries where water is already a scarce resource, for future profiteering. The recent move of the futures market in water, inviting speculation from financiers who would trade it like other commodities such as gold and oil goes on to expose the greed of the corporations. This and several other attempts of water grabbing by the rich, proves detrimental to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 of “water and sanitation for all” by 2030.
The text in Isaiah is clear about the suffering of the poor in the midst of the ecological crisis and highlights their cries of thirst. Yet it speaks of a God of life who acts on the behalf of the poor to relieve their misery. The Biblical text is a criticism of economic systems that do not serve the interests of the poor and instead posits a God of life who acts on their behalf. This seems to be a refrain in the last two later parts of Isaiah (Deutro and Tretro Isaiah), of looking towards a God of life who will bring justice to those who are poor and suffering.
More often than not, the poor take the brunt of the global water crisis. The rich will always have their ways, in a world which is controlled by money and not by humanity, values and principles. However, the water crisis is increasingly affecting even rich countries. Flint, Michigan or Detroit in the USA have felt the impact of the water crisis. Several cities in the world including Cape Town, South Africa or Chennai in India have almost hit the “day zero” of running out of water in recent past. Nevertheless, in these cities and countries, it’s the poor and marginalized who suffer the most from the water crisis. That is why the water crisis is an issue of justice.
As we reflect on the question of water justice this lent, we invite you to look at the situation through the lens of the poor. Therefore, our attempts to address the ecological crisis must also address the economic system and inequality. The ecological crisis is a class issue! The promise of God is heard in the book of Isaiah that God will answer the quest for water justice of the poor, who thirsts. To that end let us work to usher water justice now to the poor and marginalized communities around us!
Questions
- In your community, who uses the most water? Who uses the least? What are the relations of power between these?
- Why do you think the Biblical text (Isaiah 41:17-20) says nothing about the rich?
Actions
- The WHO guideline for minimum requirement of 100 litres/ day /person. Account for how much water you use in a day.
- Do some research on how much water an average person living in a slum uses.
Further Resources
https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/water-week-sen-620669/
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26595&LangID=E
*Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock is an executive secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches as part of the “Collective General Secretariat,” based in Hanover, Germany. He is an ordained minister of the Church of North India.
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