SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
2/14/2013 8:43 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The Poor
& Needy
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Proverbs
Message of the
verses: When God began the nation of
Israel by calling Abram out of idolatry and brought him into the Promised Land,
a land flowing with milk and honey, He had a plan for the children of Israel
that if they followed it then the poor and the needy would be cared for. As Israel left the captives in Egypt through
the ten miracles that God did to show Egypt that He was God, He brought Egypt
to Mt. Sinai to give them the Law of God and in this law God would tell Israel
how they could care for all the people.
First thing that they were to do was observe the Sabbath day which was
each Saturday, the last day of the week.
In this way the people and their animals would have a day to rest. Next we come to the Sabbatical year, which
was every seventh year. It was during
this year that the land was to rest for one year as God promised to care for
all of His people during this time period.
This took faith on the part of the children of Israel to believe that
they would be provided for. Next was
what is called the Year of Jubilee, and that came every 50th year,
and it was during this time that all of the land would go back to the original
owners. In doing this there would be no
large land owners to control the land and the people. How did Israel do in keeping these laws? “20 Those who had escaped from the sword he
carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until
the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the LORD by the
mouth of Jeremiah, until
the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept Sabbath until
seventy years were complete (2 Chron. 36:20-21).” We see here that Israel did not keep these
Sabbatical years and so God allowed the land to rest for seventy years to make
up for it not being done over the previous 490 years. If they would have kept these laws there
would have been less poor and less needy.
What are the causes
of poverty and need? The first
reason for the poor is that of laziness as we saw in our last SD. “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent
hands bring wealth (Pr. 10:4).” “Do not
love sleep, or you will become poor; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied
with food (Pr. 20:13).” Maybe the enemy
is pleasure: “He who loves pleasure will
become a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not become rich (Pr.
21:13).” How about the drunks and
gluttons: “For the heavy drinker and the
glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags (Pr.
21:13).”
When I was growing up my parents would teach me the
importance of working at an early age, and this was not forgotten by me or my
two sisters. Some parents do not teach
their children this. “Poverty and shame
will come to him who neglects discipline, But he who regards reproof will be
honored (Pr. 13:18).”
There are some who talk the talk, but do not walk the
walk: “In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty (Pr.
14:23).”
Next we see that people can become poor because of unwise
financial dealings: The plans of the
diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty (Pr.
21:5).” Another reason is surety for
others, which is forbidden: “1 My son,
if you have become surety for your neighbor, Have given a pledge for a
stranger, 2 If you have been snared with
the words of your mouth, Have been caught with the words of your mouth, 3 Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself;
Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and
importune your neighbor. 4 Give no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your
eyelids; 5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand And like a bird
from the hand of the fowler (Pr. 6:1-5).”
“He who puts up security for another will surely suffer, but whoever
refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe (Pr.11:15).” The Jewish people were permitted to lend
money to other Jews, but they were not to charge interest. However they were allowed to charge interest
to Gentiles.
Another reason for people to become poor happens when
events out of their control happen to them which cause the poverty: “A poor man’s field may produce abundant food,
but injustice sweeps it away (Pr. 13:23 NIV).”
Dr. Wiersbe writes “When there’s justice in the land and people fear the
Lord, then the poor have a voice and protection from oppression.”
Oppressing the poor is a reproach to God our Maker: “He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker,
But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him (Pr. 14:31).” Some may think, and the Pharisees did think
that God loves the rich more than the poor.
“The rich and the poor have a common bond, The LORD is the maker of them
all (Pr.22:2).” James speaks of how at
times those in the Church treat the poor and the rich differently: “1 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus
Christ with an attitude of personal
favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and
dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3
and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and
say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man,
"You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," 4 have you not
made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 5
Listen, my beloved
brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and
heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored
the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into
court? 7 Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? 8 If,
however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS
YOURSELF," you are doing well.
(James 2:1-8)
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I have not done a
really good job in helping those who are truly poor. I suppose that it is difficult to sometimes
tell why a person is poor and therefore one is reluctant to help people. There are those who act like they are poor
just to get a hand out, and there are those who act like they are poor because
they don’t want to work, but are lazy.
In our church as in many churches we collect money for the poor in our
church and it is put into a “deacon’s fund” and they are in charge of giving it
to those who are in need.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to led me into doing what He
wants me to do with any excess money that He has provided fro me.
Memory verses for the
week: Psalm 32:1-2
1 How blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered! 2 How blessed is
the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, an in whose spirit there is
no deceit!
Turning Points Wisdom for
the day: “God’s part is to protect us by
giving us wisdom. Our part is to want to
be protected by seeking it.” (David
Jeremiah) “He guards the paths of
justice, and preserves the way of His saints.”
(Proverbs 2:8))
2/14/2013 9:43 AM
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