Leviticus 19:9, Corners of your field.Leaving the corners of the fields unharvested, and leaving the gleanings in one’s field for the poor was a wonderful way to help the impoverished and disadvantaged. There was no welfare system in the Torah for those who were able to work. The Bible teaches that if a man doesn’t work, neither should he eat (2 Thess 3:10), and that a righteous man provides for his household (1 Tim 5:8). At the same time, Yeshua said that there will be poor people (John 12:8). Helping the poor is a timeless principle of how YHVH expects his people to show love for others. The Torah here as understood by the Jewish sages teaches that we are first obligated to help the needy of our spiritual family, immediate physical family, extended family, and then any poor in general (Deut 15:7–8 cp. Deut 14:28–29 and 26:12–13). What do you do to help the poor? When was the last time you extended your hand of love to a person in need? (Let’s not forget what Yeshua teaches us in Matt 25:31–46. Also note Jas 1:27; John 3:16.)
Unfortunately, it has become difficult nowadays to give to the poor. If one does it through officially recognized organizations, they are keeping a rather large percentage for the running of their organization. In Europe, we found out, many of the beggars are controlled by syndicates and who wants to make them rich? In Asia, apparently many of the orphanages are taking in children who have parents, by promising them free education, when in reality they do little for them but using them to get funding and donations to enrich themselves. Also, our government gives lots of money to so called developing countries, for example to Indonesia, who spend it not to help the poor but to increase their weaponry. However, we help out our families in many ways and are generous whenever there seems to be a sincere need. I have also noticed that many of the ‘poor’ in our society always have money for cigarettes and soft drinks, which we couldn’t afford.
In our society, the governments have taken it upon themselves to help the poor, although it never seems to be enough; as Yeshua said; “The poor will be with you always”.
Blessings, Sonja
When Yeshua said “The poor will be with you always,” we now have to put the word poor in quotes.
What about those passages in the bible that say if Yahway feeds the little sparrows how much more will he care for you.Are you not more valued than the sparrows? Like Sonja says, many poor people have money for cigarettes and soft drinks .Could it be that Yahway is helping the poor but their squandering their accumulated resources in evil ways?
Our small town is on a major freeway that runs the length of the west coast of the U.S., so we get many pan-handling transients passing through who are begging for money. Usually they’re able-bodied males who often are not only smoking, but have a dog in tow with them as well. And they want me to give them money as I struggle, working 40 to 60 hours a week doing hard labor to provide for my own and to keep ahead of the tax man that keeps extorting more and more out of my pocket all of the time? What’s wrong with this picture? One time I was coming off the freeway en route to my house. There was a “homeless” person at the off-ramp with a cardboard sign stating the he needed money. As I drove past him, I looked in the rear view mirror and noticed what he had written on the back of his sign in big letters. It said, “NEED WEED!” Oy vey! We must be wise as serpents ’cause there are a lot of phony and lazy bums out there who refuse to work. A friend of mine who recently retired from the sheriff’s department worked at the local county jail told me that more than 90 percent of pan-handlers are criminals and phonies. He knew because many of them passed through his jail. Sad!!!
We do what we can because we can’t do what we can’t-I recently tried to help someone and he said “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m a “free-thinker.”
Just thinking re this post & all the comments.. It is a rather big subject re feeding the poor.
When we look @ the different organizations that are still there doing all this.. there are a few Evangelical ones such as Samaritans Purse.. on TV. they used to have James & Betty Robson ..I think the surname is correct : they had a big project going in Africa for feeding the poor & digging wells for clean water… people could always donate to these organizations….but of course one would like to know that the money raised does benefit the people,children they are trying to help.I am sure it has in many situations..
Amazingly there is a lady who was from Aust.. cannot remember her name now but it was on a TV program here called 60 mins & she has been supporting & running an Orphanage in Cambodia… so recently with all the Corona virus pandemic…she was on the program saying they needed some more basics just to feed the children ..3 meals per day..so a lot of people rang in to support that ..and the orphanage is now in a better position to keep going.
I am sure there are many genuine situations & the Holy Spirit (Ruach) can lay it on our heart to help where & when needed..we need his guidance to direct us to the right situations ….a church group in our area runs a Transit van for the local area to feed the homeless & give out boxes food ,groceries to those in need..
From Deuteronomy there is a verse which says the Tithe had to be taken into the city to feed the poor.. clothe them also if they are in need.
In our area, there are many homeless not because there aren’t jobs, but because they refuse to work and often prefer a lifestyle of drugs and irresponsibility instead. Also many people have mental illnesses and can’t function in society, so they roam the streets. This is due in part to the fact that our state has shut down all the mental hospitals and turned turned these wretched and needy folks out onto the streets. Other folks are poor and homeless because they have made poor life decisions due to their own folly. Others are there because of unfortunate circumstances that are not necessarily their fault. And then there are the pan handlers who beg for money at the side of the streets. Most of them in our area are young, able-bodied men, and this in in our small town there are four temporary job agencies that are often begging for day laborers. What’s wrong with this picture? I can’t have pity on these lazy bums, especially in light of the fact that the Bible enjoins us to work for six days and to provide for our own, or else we don’t deserve to eat. For those who do not want to remain in their pit of poverty and homelessness, there are many private and public services that will help them up and out of their situation. I have literally fed and clothed the poor and homeless in my past street ministry activities, and given them the gospel. I am still involved in such work to this day. My heart is not closed off to these folks. There are many ways to fulfill the third tithe requirements of Deut 14:28. We pay taxes to the government who helps the poor. We give to the poor as YHVH leads us to do so and brings them across our path. We can do volunteer work. We can contribute to reputable and righteous organizations that do this. For me the bottom line is this: Don’t close off my heart to those in need, and when the Ruach says to give, do so generously with an open heart and hand. But be wise about it. I have been swindled more than once by smooth talking fraudsters. Our first responsibility is to those of our own house hold and our families and neighbors as Deut 15:7 tells us.