The Plight Of The Poor

Deuteronomy 15:7-11

We all have seen them, standing on the sides of the roads, often near the intersection, with the handwritten sign asking for a handout. Maybe we’ve seen them when we are leaving the grocery store or the local McDonald’s, asking for change to get a bite to eat. The poor, the down-and-out, the homeless.  In our Old Testament reading today, we read of the way the Lord God wishes us to treat them.

People generally have one of three reactions to the poor.   Many people feel that the poor are in their circumstance through some fault of their own.  This may be the case in some instances, but certainly not always. There are some people who do have compassion on the poor, and help to the best of their ability.  The third group of people, possibly the largest group, are those who just prefer to not see the poor. They don’t especially judge them, but on the other hand they don’t want to feel compelled to part with their own hard-earned, often meager resources.

What does God’s Word say?  This is something that really almost doesn’t need to be asked, as there are countless verses that speak of God’s care and compassion for the poor.  He cares about the poor, the orphans, and the widows. Both the books of Proverbs and Psalms contain many verses that give both comfort to the poor, and admonitions for us to help them.   Many of the Old Testament prophets spoke out to both the people of Israel and Judah, saying that the judgment of the Lord would come upon them, partly due to their oppression of the poor, orphans, and widows.

As we read from our Scripture passage, God warns His people from being hard-hearted and tight fisted against the poor (vs 7).   We see them on the street, or hear a pledge drive for a local homeless shelter, and do we think to ourselves that it’s their own fault, they got that way due to drugs or alcohol, and then use that to justify in our minds why we shouldn’t help?   God rebukes both hardness of heart and the closed hand. God wants us to respond with love to the poor, no matter who or what is the cause, and not use that as an excuse to turn away.

Instead, He wants us to be kind-hearted and generous when we help the less fortunate (vs 8, 10).  Some people fear that if they give to help the poor, they might become one of the poor themselves.  God has promised we will lack nothing when we give to the poor (Proverbs 28:27). The Lord Jesus promised that when we give, what we give will be multiplied back and overflowing (Luke 6:38).

When we do follow that prick to our conscience and give, how do we feel?  Are we quietly sighing within ourselves, thinking there goes that movie we wanted to go see or that dinner out at the new restaurant in town?  Are we fishing in our wallet for the smallest bill we can find? How many feel that way when the offering basket is passed during church? God tells us here to open our hands wide and willingly give.  Our attitude should not be of grudgingly giving, but instead one of warmth and generosity.  As Paul said in II Corinthians 9:7, God loves a cheerful giver.

The idea of verse 11 is also one that Jesus repeated when people were criticising a woman for anointing Him, saying that she should have sold the perfume and given the money to the poor.  Jesus responded to their hypocrisy by saying there will always be the poor among us (Matthew 26:11). Since there will always be poor, we are always to be generous.

One thing we should always keep in mind, everything we have has come from God.  He blesses us so that we can bless others.