Remember the poor... Those words come from the pen of the apostle Paul in Galatians 2:10. They are an echo of past writings from God’s spokesmen in the Bible. Moses wrote: “If thou lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shalt not be as a money-lender to him, you shall not charge him interest,” Exodus 22:25 [NKJV]. God’s people were not to take advantage of, not to mistreat the poor. They were to be generous to the poor, leaving the borders of their fields to be gleaned by the poor, Exodus 23, Leviticus 19 and 23. Those provisions were not for the lazy, those who would not provide for their own, but those who could not provide for their own. The poor were responsible for the harvesting of the crops on the border of the field, to do the work they could do – laziness was given no encouragement in such provisions. Similarly, we do no favor to either the poor or those willing to aid the poor when we fail to require recipients of others’ bounty to do what they can to provide for themselves. To do otherwise merely promotes increased poverty and renders less interest in giving aid to legitimate needs. Let us go back to consider the words of Paul in Galatians 2:10. “…we should remember the poor.” These words describe those instructions given to Paul, including the need to be aware, mindful of those who are in need. “Remember” is a word that gives emphasis, not only to memory, but Thayer defines “remember” as follows: “to be mindful of, to remember, to call to mind; to think of and feel for a person or thing; to hold in memory, to keep in mind”. This was not a demand that we recall those who are poor, but to “feel for”, to keep in our minds the needs of those who are less fortunate than we. This was not merely a seasonal thing, but a reminder that there are those who need our help, those who through no fault of their own are faced with difficulties necessary to their continued well-being, but beyond their capability to provide on their own. In Psalms 12:4-5, God says He will not tolerate those who try to “ensnare” or trouble the poor. Proverbs 28:27 states: “He that gives to the poor shall not lack: but he who hides his eyes shall have many curses.” [NKJV] No, we are not wise to “hide” our eyes from those in need. If God sees those who are selfish and promises many “curses” for their future, would it not be “wise” for us to be more alert to the needs of those for whom God holds a special regard? Can we recall God’s view of the “worthy/virtuous” woman in Proverbs 31? What made her “virtuous”? “She extends her hand to the poor; Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy,” Proverbs 31:20. No man, no woman can be thought of as being “virtuous” whose eyes seldom consider the welfare of the poor. How do we care for the poor? Does it mean to give to charitable organizations? Give to the ‘beggar’ at the highway intersection? I think we already know what it means, but think on this: • First, count up all your own personal blessings. Be honest, don’t leave out your warm bed, the pantry, the check book, your means of support/job. If you don’t ponder what you have, you will get to thinking of what you don’t have, and that’s when you will be poor. • Begin to notice those who do not have what you have. As a youth I can recall school-mates who had neither a lunch nor the money to buy lunch…who did not have a warm coat. If you look, you can see. And there we find many opportunities to help the “poor.” • Count up the things you could – though you don’t want to – get along without. What does the Bible say about the poor? “Be mindful…” of them…“feel for” … “hold in memory”… “call to mind…” Perhaps it requires us to take our mind off self and think of others more. I am of the opinion that we use poor measures to determine who is rich and who is poor. It is not “possessions” that make us rich, but genuine character. Note the viewpoint of God: “Better is a poor man that walks in his integrity than a rich man who is perverse in his ways,” Proverbs 28:6. It is not “rich” and “poor” that God sees, but righteousness and faith. Will you remember the poor? Carl Garner
Posted on: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 00:50:00 +0000
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