“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.”
Deuteronomy 15:7-8
It’s no surprise that taking care of the poor is one of God’s priorities. By some counts, there are up to 2000 verses in the Bible that talk about poverty. It’s a big deal. In case you don’t have time to read all 2000 of those verses, the verse above from Deuteronomy pretty much sums it up. It’s actually very simple. If someone is poor and in need, help them.
I suppose I could end the thought there, but I’m not sure that everyone will have understood the point. For clarity, let me repeat it.
If someone is poor and in need, help them.
There are no qualifications to that statement. There is no test that one must pass in order to qualify for care. There is no background check required. There is no interview process, no application to fill out, no height or weight or age requirement.
If someone is poor and in need, help them.
The Lord warns the Israelites, “You shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother.” It’s very clear what our response to poverty should not be. It is not an option to ignore it. It’s not an option to avoid eye contact and keep walking. It’s not an option to roll up the car window and turn up the radio and pretend you didn’t see. If you are a follower of the God of Abraham, Moses, all of the Prophets, and Jesus Christ, then you are called to help. Not only to help, but to help no matter what it may require.
It’s not your job to determine if they deserve your help. It’s not your job to find out if they’ll use the money you give them wisely. It’s not your job to lecture or to judge or to condemn. It’s your job to help. It’s your job to love. It’s your job to share the hope of Jesus Christ.
If you don’t agree, that’s certainly your right, but I promise you won’t find anything less than that in the scriptures, Old Testament and New. It was a priority for God in the Old Testament. It was a priority for Jesus. It was a priority for the early church in Acts. It should be a priority for us too.
Prayer:
Merciful God,
You have blessed us with more than we deserve. Help us to remember that none of it is ours, but yours. Help us to actively seek out opportunities to contribute to the needs of the poor and needy among us. Help us to avoid excuses and rationalizations that convince us to ignore the needs of the poor. Help us to be generous as you are generous. Help us to love as you love us.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Add Comment