Remember the Poor and Needy among You!
Deut. 15: 7 Do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards your needy neighbour.
I greet you from the lovely Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua. Thanks for your prayers during last weekÂ’s Evangelistic Campaign in Bluefields. The Lord was truly present and blessed his people in a mighty way.
Today’s text speaks of our treatment of the less fortunate among us. As it is, it speaks for itself. However there is greater meaning to grasp if we look at it in its entirety. The verse in it’s entirety says ‘if there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards your poor brother.’ The entire section of this chapter deals with the cancellation of debts. This was to be done every seven years and was being instituted as a way to help the poor. No one should seek any loopholes, any underhanded escape, when it came to helping the poor and needy. It is therefore a direct command on the way we are to treat the poor among us. A few things to think about:
I greet you from the lovely Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua. Thanks for your prayers during last weekÂ’s Evangelistic Campaign in Bluefields. The Lord was truly present and blessed his people in a mighty way.
Today’s text speaks of our treatment of the less fortunate among us. As it is, it speaks for itself. However there is greater meaning to grasp if we look at it in its entirety. The verse in it’s entirety says ‘if there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards your poor brother.’ The entire section of this chapter deals with the cancellation of debts. This was to be done every seven years and was being instituted as a way to help the poor. No one should seek any loopholes, any underhanded escape, when it came to helping the poor and needy. It is therefore a direct command on the way we are to treat the poor among us. A few things to think about:
God commanded the Israelites to help the poor among them when they arrived in the land. This was not an aside suggestion, but was ‘part and parcel’ of the possessing of the land. To have the land was to care for the poor. There was no way they would have one without doing the other and not be disobedient to the command of God. It is interesting that the poor would also be possessing the same land, sharing in the same promise, and would be presented with the same opportunities as everyone else. They too would be making a fresh start. Did that make a difference in the command of God? No way. The reason why the poor is poor did not matter to God. Many times we conclude that the poor are poor through their own undoing. When we think like this, it makes it easier for us not to care. Imagine the man who drinks and gambles away his money while his family is suffering. Why should I care for them when it’s his fault why they are poor? The answer is simple friend. God commands us to do so. We are to respond to the needs of the poor and needy no matter who, or what was/is responsible for their condition. God’s blessings come to us so we can be blessings to others. When David says his cup is full and running over in Psalm 23, he does not mean it is falling on the ground. He means that he is so blessed by God that he is satisfied and still have what to share with others.
It is interesting that the masculine gender is proposed in this responsibility to the poor. It is your poor brother or your poor neighbour that you are to help. While it is a lot easier to help a poor widow, orphans, the sick or some other member of the community who do not have the ability to fend for themselves, the Lord is specific in his command for the community to help the poor male figure in their midst. The provider for the family should not be allowed to live in despair because he is unable to provide for his family but should be helped in his attempts to do so and therefore be allowed to keep the dignity of his manhood. Of course we must now apply wisdom here. We would not go giving money to a man who wastes all he has on enjoyment, on personal gratification. This however does not release us from the Godly obligation to find a way to care for the needs of this man and his family.
One more thing. You notice that there is a geographical condition attached to the command? While it is good to help the poor in Africa and India and all those far reaches of the globe, that is not what God commanded us to do. How many times have you contributed to some charitable organization that helps the poor in some far place in the world? Not saying you shouldnÂ’t. But consider this, how are you helping the poor among you when you go and adopt children from Africa and India and Pakistan and these far places when the orphanages in your community are overcrowded? How are you helping your poor neighbour, your poor brother, when you send money every month to some charitable organization that helps needy people half-way across the world, and your neighbour, better yet, some family member of yours, is finding it difficult to feed their children every day. If I tell you that God does not want us to be concerned about people in the far corners of the world I would be wrong. But much more than that, God wants us to put care and concern in our giving. He wants us to use our giving to show our love for Him as creator of all people. He wants us to use our giving to witness to those who receive of our love and concern for them through our relationship with Him. Remember this, sharing GodÂ’s goodness with others is a great way to draw others to God. This is so much easier when the person we give to can relate to us, thus giving us an opportunity to witness. Christian giving must involve the ChristianÂ’s heart.
Who are the poor in your community? How can your church help them? How can you help them? Remember, God wants to care for the poor and needy through us, so he blesses us in abundance. Remember also the LordÂ’s conclusion in verse 10 give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
‘Till next Tuesday, remain blessed to be a blessing.’
It is interesting that the masculine gender is proposed in this responsibility to the poor. It is your poor brother or your poor neighbour that you are to help. While it is a lot easier to help a poor widow, orphans, the sick or some other member of the community who do not have the ability to fend for themselves, the Lord is specific in his command for the community to help the poor male figure in their midst. The provider for the family should not be allowed to live in despair because he is unable to provide for his family but should be helped in his attempts to do so and therefore be allowed to keep the dignity of his manhood. Of course we must now apply wisdom here. We would not go giving money to a man who wastes all he has on enjoyment, on personal gratification. This however does not release us from the Godly obligation to find a way to care for the needs of this man and his family.
One more thing. You notice that there is a geographical condition attached to the command? While it is good to help the poor in Africa and India and all those far reaches of the globe, that is not what God commanded us to do. How many times have you contributed to some charitable organization that helps the poor in some far place in the world? Not saying you shouldnÂ’t. But consider this, how are you helping the poor among you when you go and adopt children from Africa and India and Pakistan and these far places when the orphanages in your community are overcrowded? How are you helping your poor neighbour, your poor brother, when you send money every month to some charitable organization that helps needy people half-way across the world, and your neighbour, better yet, some family member of yours, is finding it difficult to feed their children every day. If I tell you that God does not want us to be concerned about people in the far corners of the world I would be wrong. But much more than that, God wants us to put care and concern in our giving. He wants us to use our giving to show our love for Him as creator of all people. He wants us to use our giving to witness to those who receive of our love and concern for them through our relationship with Him. Remember this, sharing GodÂ’s goodness with others is a great way to draw others to God. This is so much easier when the person we give to can relate to us, thus giving us an opportunity to witness. Christian giving must involve the ChristianÂ’s heart.
Who are the poor in your community? How can your church help them? How can you help them? Remember, God wants to care for the poor and needy through us, so he blesses us in abundance. Remember also the LordÂ’s conclusion in verse 10 give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
‘Till next Tuesday, remain blessed to be a blessing.’
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