God Commands Us to Help the Poor

Unfortunately, I think things like our own wealth, or politics, or even the media sometimes give us wrong ideas about poverty. I hear people repeat the phrase, “Well, God helps them who help themselves” (which is not a verse in the Bible). In fact, it’s the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches. The gospel teaches us that God saved us when we were helpless in our sins, and in the same way, the Bible commands us to help the helpless and the needy in our world who sometimes can’t help themselves. In fact, if you look all the way back in the Old Testament, you’ll see that…

God has always asked his people to provide for the poor

This was not merely making a suggestion or even a request, or something God’s people did only if they felt like it. God commanded his people to feed the poor, often in very specific ways.

Leviticus 19:9-10 When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges or your fields, and do not pick up what the the harvesters drop. It is the same with your grope crop – do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God. (NLT)

This practice is called gleaning. God told them not to pick the grain along the edges of the fields or take every grape off all the branches. Whatever the harvesters accidentally dropped was to be left for the poor to take home to eat as well. This was God’s practical way for the Israelites to provide food for the poor.

This is the same method that food banks follow today. We take our extra cans of food and we donate it to our local food banks. You could volunteer at one with your family, friends, or small group, and sort all kinds of food for them and make it easier for them to give it away to low income families, some of which may live near you or even in your neighborhood.

God expects his genuine followers to care for those in need

The same priorities apply in the New Testament.

James 1:27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for the orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. (NLT)

Again, God commands us to help the poor and needy in practical ways. If you want to sincerely and genuinely worship God, then care for the orphans and meet their needs. Take care of the widows in their grieving and in their inability to take care of themselves. Back then, most women were uneducated and had no real skills to earn much money to take care of their family. Losing a husband, most women would end up poor and hungry, possibly living on the streets. So in these verses James picks out the two most vulnerable groups of people he could think of and tells us that if we want to obey God, then we need to take care of the poor.

I love going to orphanages with soccer balls, or squirt guns, or water balloons and just going crazy playing with kids. They don’t even have to know your language to understand it’s playtime and to have a good time. But there are always a few kids who are shy and even angry and who may take awhile to warm up to you. Later, you hear their stories of how their parents were too poor to take care of them and abandoned them at a market, or at a hospital, or even in a trash can when they were just a baby. These kids would be out begging for money or food and sleeping on the street if it wasn’t for the orphanage. Yet some orphanages I’ve been to in other countries can barely afford to feed them.

This doesn’t mean you have to adopt an orphan from another country, although I know many families that have spent a lot of money to do so and have never regretted it. I also know a few families who have done foster care, and even though it can be difficult at times, they love the kids who live with them no matter how long they stay. You could also simply sponsor a child through organizations like World Vision or Compassion International. Sponsoring a child is is fun and teaches your kids a great lesson about caring for the poor.

Wishful thinking and good thoughts are never enough

What do you do when you see a friend on social media say something like they just lost their job, or they are falling behind on their finances, or they are facing some high medical bills? I see too many people respond with comments like, “Sending good thoughts your way”,”Hoping things work out for you,” or the worst one is they just push the “Like” button on their comment. What do you do when you see a homeless man on the street with a sign that says he needs money or food? I’m not saying you should stop and give him anything, but the worst thing you could do is roll down your car window and yell out, “Hey I’m praying for you!”, and roll up your window again and drive away.

 James 2:15-16  Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, ‘Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well’ but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

God commands us to put our faith and love into action and do something about the needs of the poor. He wants us to feed the hungry, to clothe the needy, and to help figure out ways to shelter the homeless in a way that will help them get back on their feet again.

A couple years ago I decided to go to our local school district and ask them what are the biggest needs of the community. They told me it was tutoring and teaching English as a second language so parents could help their kids with their homework. So, we decided to start an Outreach Center through our church where people donate clothes, which we turn around and sell for a $1. It’s fun to see moms from the neighborhood come in and shop and still have a sense of pride that they are able to afford a lot of nice clothes for her family. Every Monday night, we provide a hot meal for anyone that walks through the door and then offer free English as a second language classes upstairs, while we play with their kids downstairs. We found that the YMCA already does great after school programs for kids, so we go to a local elementary school and help tutor the kids there.

Through this series you’ve learned that we don’t serve the poor just to pat ourselves on the back and feel good about ourselves. Instead, we help because God loves the poor and so should we. When we serve the poor it honors God and if we say we truly love God, then we should have compassion for those in need. God has always commanded his followers to help the poor because it’s a great way to worship him. So, let’s stop just talking about it, and get ready to go out and get our hands dirty and do something about our faith.