Caring for the Poor

Yesterday, we considered four wrong attitudes in relation to money. There is yet another attitude that we must be careful to avoid, and that is a wrong attitude toward the poor. The Bible consistently warns us against despising or exploiting the poor.

There are a multitude of Scripture verses on this subject, but we will look at several verses from Proverbs:

“He who despises his neighbor sins; but he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.” (Proverbs 14:21)

“He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given.” (Proverbs 19:17)

“Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard.” (Proverbs 21:13)

“He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses.” (Proverbs 28:27)

“The righteous considers the cause of the poor, but the wicked does not understand such knowledge.” (Proverbs 29:7)

These verses—and others like them—place a tremendous responsibility upon us to have concern for the needs of the poor. One mark of righteousness is considering the cause of the poor. Conversely, a mark of wickedness is simply averting one’s eyes from the plight of the poor. Furthermore, a reward is promised in relation to caring for the poor. When we give to the poor, Solomon told us, we are lending to the Lord. When the Lord repays our loans, He does not forget the interest!