“…For the poor will never cease from the land…” – Deuteronomy 15:11. This is one of many Bible verses about helping the poor, a major theme within the Bible. Jesus famously said in Matthew 22:39, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This statement can most applicable in how we treat the poor.
Deuteronomy 15:11 says that the poor will always be with us. There will never be an instance in this present life when someone somewhere isn’t experiencing poverty. Because of that we should consider all manner of ways in which we might go about helping the poor. Click here to donate for free tuition University Education for the poor and you will richly be blessed by God
God clearly has a special place in his heart for the poor. Here are 15 powerful Bible verses about helping the poor that show us how we might best meet their needs.
Old Testament Bible Verses About Helping the Poor
These verses capture the essence of how God feels about the poor andwhat the Bible says about helping them:
Exodus 22:25
“If
you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall
not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest.”
One of the first verses in the Bible about the poor is tied to the issue of debt.
God did not want his people taking advantage of a poor man by charging
excessive interest. Oh wait, check that…they were to charge the poor no
interest at all. Loaning the money was fine, but the lender was not to
expect anything back other than the original loan amount. God stated
this command again in Leviticus 25:36-37.
Leviticus 19:10
“And
you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of
your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am
the Lord your God.”
Here we see God providing a way for the poor to find food. He
instructed the farmers to not pick every single grape from their
grapevine. Instead, they were to leave a few behind so the poor could
come in after the workers had left and glean from the leftovers.Leviticus 23:22 gives instructions to grain farmers regarding this issue – “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger.” Additionally, we see this concept put into practice in how Boaz allowed the widow Ruth to gather food in his fields (Ruth 2:1-17)
Leviticus 25:35
“If
one of your brethren becomes poor and falls into poverty among you,
then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may
live with you.” Click here to donate for free tuition University Education for the poor and you will richly be blessed by God
By using the phrase “falls into” the Bible here seems to be
addressing accidental poverty. Sometimes a life event could happen that
might cause someone to become poor. (See the story of Job
in the Bible.) Maybe it was their fault…maybe it wasn’t. Either way,
God instructs his people to not reject those who become poor. Instead
reach out to support them…maybe even provide a place for them to live
for awhile as they get back on their feet.
Deuteronomy 15:7-8, 10-11
“If
there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates
in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not
harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you
shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for
his need, whatever he needs. You shall surely give to him, and your
heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing
the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which
you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land;
therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your
brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.”
Perhaps no other series of verses in the Bible so clearly illustrates
and describes the nature of our heart attitude toward the poor as these
in Deuteronomy. Sensitivity to their situation is called for as we are
challenged to “not harden your heart” to them. That sensitivity leads to
a giving spirit…and not just any giving spirit. It’s a beautiful
picture the Bible paints of our hands being open wide, signifying a generous spirit of giving to their need.
Deuteronomy 24:14-15
“You
shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy…each day you
shall give him his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he is
poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cry out against you to the
Lord, and it be sin to you.”
This addresses employers who might be tempted to withhold payment to
their employees for work rendered. The poor of the day counted on
receiving a day’s wage for whatever work they performed. They “set
[their] heart on it.” They needed it to survive. God says the employer
has no right to withhold it from them even for a day.
Psalm 9:18
“For the needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.”
The poor feel they have been forgotten – that no one is remembering
their plight. But God does remember. He offers encouragement and hope
that He will see their situation in time.
Psalm 41:1
“Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.”
Helping the poor would appear to bring a blessing to those who do. In
this verse in Psalms we see that the Lord promises his assistance to
those who have remembered the poor. The book of Proverbs shows similar
outcomes of blessedness,
“…He who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.” Prov. 14:21
“He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.” Prov. 22:9
Proverbs 14:31
“He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors him has mercy on the needy.”
The word reproach means to address someone in such a way as to
express disapproval or disappointment. Synonyms could be “reprimand,”
“rebuke,” or “chide.” Do we really want to go there with God by
oppressing the poor? He is the “Maker” the verse references. Are we so
arrogant that we think God made a mistake when he created the poor? I
don’t think so. They are equally loved beings worthy of respect and
honor. Click here to donate for free tuition University Education for the poor and you will richly be blessed by God
Proverbs 22:22-23
“Do
not rob the poor because he is poor, nor oppress the afflicted at the
gate; For the Lord will plead their cause, and plunder the soul of those
who plunder them.”
Many times people take advantage of the poor simply because they can.
The poor have less access to resources, knowledge, and information
about how things are supposed to work. Consequently, that information
deficiency (and situational experience) create opportunities for those
in-the-know to exploit the poor for money or whatever else they need.
Needless to say, God does not look kindly on those who do this.
Isaiah 61:1
“The
Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to
preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of
the prison to those who are bound.”
The prophet Isaiah gives us a glimpse into the future in this
prophecy about the coming Messiah – Jesus Christ. Jesus would quote this
passage (see Luke 4:16-22) at the outset of his ministry while
preaching in the synagogue in his hometown. The words that followed his
recitation launched his ministry as he said to the gathered audience, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Some didn’t like that boldness. However, Jesus clearly defined his
mission – which included speaking to and interacting with the poor.
Zechariah 7:10
“Do
not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let
none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.”
Zechariah challenges us to not oppress widows, orphans, strangers and
the poor. Do not direct an evil thought toward those who feel like
outcasts and are alone because of some a life altering event.New Testament Bible Verses About Helping the Poor Click here to donate for free tuition University Education for the poor and you will richly be blessed by God
Matthew 19:21
“Jesus
said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and
give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow
me.”
This passage comes from an encounter Jesus had with a rich young ruler.
The big idea message isn’t so much about helping the poor. Rather it is
what are the personal issues that come between us God. For the rich man
it was his great wealth. He couldn’t let it go even to help the needy
and it cost him a special opportunity.
Luke 14:12-14
“Then
He [Jesus] also said to him who invited Him, ‘When you give a dinner or
a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor
rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But
when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame the blind.
And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you…”
Jesus is challenging our motives with this party example. We love to
hang with friends or people of status. However, sometimes we do so to
gain their favor, looking for something in return. Jesus says that a
party invitation to the poor reveals our heart is in the right place. We
are truly seeking to bless them for they literally cannot return the
favor.
Galatians 2:10
“They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.”
After the church began the apostles faced persecution, trials and
interestingly enough doctrinal issues. One of the biggest controversies
was whether or not the new believers in Christ (some of whom were
Gentiles) had to convert to Judaism and practice certain Jewish rituals.
The apostle Paul didn’t believe conversion to Judaism was necessary for
salvation.The church leaders at large eventually reached the same conclusion. They commissioned Paul to preach the message of salvation and in doing so remember the poor. Paul tells us here in Galatians it was always his desire to do so. If it was important to Jesus and Paul it should be important to us.
James 2:2-4
“For
if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine
apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and
you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him,
‘You sit here in a good place,’ and say to the poor man, ‘You stand
there,’ or ‘Sit here at my footstool.’ Have you not shown partiality
among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?”
These verses in James clearly address the subject of showing
favoritism to the wealthy over the poor. James says it’s wrong to place
the wealthy in special places of honor and subject the poor to lower
places of honor. We should treat everyone equally. Interestingly enough,
unless you think this is a one-sided issue, the Bible also says that favoritism going in the direction of the poor over the wealthy is wrong. Exodus 23:3 says, “You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute.” Leviticus 19:15 also addresses this issue by saying, “You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty.
In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.” So don’t show
favoritism in either direction – to the poor or to the wealthy. It is
discouraged.Questions: What verses stand out to you? Why do you think God has such a special place in his heart for the poor? What are you doing to reach out to the poor in your neighborhood or around the world? What other Bible verses about helping the poor can you think of?
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