Articles
God and The Poor - Deut 15
God and The Poor - Deut 15
"For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land” (Deut. 15:11).
Even though they were entering into a land flowing with milk and honey, God informs them that there will be some with monetary problems – there will be those who are poor among them. The great promise of worldly blessings and riches to the NATION did not mean fiscal equality among all. There was the right of property, but there was also the ‘right’ of poverty! I don’t recall hearing anyone ever use this phrase, but it is simply the counterpart of the right to succeed in business.
God was rather explicit in His concern for taking care of the poor among them, giving laws pertaining to lending, leaving part of the harvested field, the return of ‘sold’ property every 50 years, etc. etc. In fact, it is an interesting study to see how many things God put into their law in order to provide for the poor.
We rightly state (and often) that we are no longer under this covenant / law, but now under law to Christ. Yet, we are still admonished to ‘remember the poor’. Jesus told the Apostles: “For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me” (Mark 14:7; see also Matt. 26:11; John 12:8). Paul wrote: “10 They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do” (Gal. 2:10).
Thus we are instructed: “28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need” (Ephesians 4:28).
One of God’s ways of taking care of the poor is simply by the generous hearts and actions of those that have (not necessarily rich, but more than enough). This was also true in the Old Covenant. As you read these laws here in Deuteronomy, think about how well you would have responded / obeyed them. God warned them: “Beware that there is no base thought in your heart…” (Deut. 15:8). Paul stated that God loves a cheerful giver (2Cor. 9: ). Are you generous?
Hugh DeLong
