WHY GIVE TO THE POOR AND LESS FORTUNATE?

Gold From The Word
WHY GIVE TO THE POOR AND LESS FORTUNATE?

This morning as we sort the face of the Lord he gave us this passage from the Psalms to meditate upon. After reading a few verses he impressed upon me that we needed to share it with our partners in ministry. This is the part that caught our attention form Psalm 31;

1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
2 The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
3 The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

What is interesting in this passage is that God takes special interest in those who take interest in the plight of the poor and the afflicted. The Lord will show up when they are in trouble to deliver them. He will watch over them to keep them alive, to bless them , to confound their enemies , to strengthen them in difficult times, and to help them in their sickness. God will do all of this and much more to those who are interested in the plight of the poor and needy.
Why will God do this? Because God is interested in the downtrodden of the Earth. That is why he is often referred to as Father of the Fatherless, and judge of the widow. This should in fact mean that if you mess with the poor and these classes of people in which the Lord takes interest you are messing with God.
Does this also mean that God will avenge them like he will the righteous? Yes. Does this mean he does not care for the Rich? No. He is interested in seeing them bless others just as he has blessed them. God makes us rich so that we should be a channel for his blessings to reach others. Riches are a responsibility. The more responsible you are in handling them, the more blessings you attract from God.
This means that God has four groups that he takes special interest in how we treat them. They are; the poor, the orphans, the widows, and the foreigner. He instructed Israel to take good care of them during the harvest, and when they had some special celebrations. The following passages lend credence to this point of view-

Pr 11:25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
Pr 22:9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
Pr 28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse
Isa 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
Lu 14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
In Isaiah 58 the word of God describes taking care of the needy as a true fast that is acceptable to God.
Isa 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
　
There are a plethora of passages in the Bible that encourage kindness to the poor.

Ex 23:11 But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
De 15:7 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:
Pr 19:17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

These passages deal with the widows and strangers or foreigners in our midst.

Ex 22:22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
De 14:29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
De 26:12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;
Pr 23:10 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
Isa 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Jer 22:3 … and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.
Jas 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

You may have all these blessings around you and have no opportunity to harvest them. When you give to missions you are taking care of people God cares about. The Lord wishes that all be saved. When you give to missions you are giving for the salvation of souls.
You are giving to those who will not be able to pay back. In this way you lend to God and store up riches for yourselves which cannot be corrupted by rust and that thieves cannot steal.
These riches are secured against any “Ponzi” scheme, con artists, or wall street crisis. They are in God’s secure bank of eternal rewards. More secure than any 401K. No earthquake or mudslide can bury them. They are secure against all fires and floods, even Noah’s flood.
Finally we want to encourage you to invest in the Kingdom of God and you will never lose your reward.
-God bless you-Joshua.-