So often, instead of using the Bible as a source of inspiration in the struggle for justice and peace, we affirmed the status quo and shackled the word of God. And more often, it was only when the cry from the margin and periphery had become so loud and clear that we began to see things in a new light and slowly changed. What was lacking was the inner freedom and spiritual acumen and courage that should have caused us to risk all in order to be faithful to God. We need, therefore, to give thanks to God for all those people, who whether from within the church or outside of it, have dared to dissent, to lift the voice of truth, and to take a stand for others even at the risk of persecution and death. It is important to point out that the dynamic tension between 'divine' and human rights is not yet over.
Many Israeli settlers show greater interest in what they call 'divine rights' than human rights.
In their tenacious hold on 'divine rights', they have no qualms about infringing upon the human rights of Palestinians. They look to certain passages in the Bible as divinely allotting the whole land of Palestine as an eternal inheritance to the Jewish people. For people of faith, human rights are at the center of God's concern and focus in the Bible, provided the central message of God's love is taken seriously. The Bible is, at one and the same time, the most wonderful and yet the most dangerous book in the world. On the one hand, we use it to praise God and proclaim the Good News of God's love in Christ for all people.