Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth. (Psalm 41:1-2)
As was discussed in the previous devotion, the Creator is sensitive to the needs of the poor and the afflicted — He hears their prayers and responds to their situation. His assistance to them is accomplished, most often, through other members of the Body — i.e. you and me. That is why He tells us not to “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” (Deuteronomy 15:7-8). So then, it is clearly established in the Scripture that lending assistance to the poor is something that God expects of His people; to be greedy and selfish is not a characteristic becoming of those who serve the God of Israel.
But let us also consider another aspect of the issue — those who consider the poor and needy will be blessed by the Lord. Solomon said, “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given” (Proverbs 19:17). How does God repay? It might be in like kind or it might be in other ways. According to David, those who have compassion on those in need will be considered by the Lord in their time of need; He will deliver them in time of trouble and will preserve their life. Again we are reminded that we will reap what we have sown and in the same measure. If we are considerate of others in their need, God will make sure to care for us in our time of distress.
It should go without saying that we, as followers of Messiah, should be the most generous and considerate people on earth. We have been redeemed from sin, declared blameless by the Lord and stand to inherit the blessings promised to Abraham and his seed — oh yeah, and add to that the promise of eternal life. Having become the recipients of such wonderful gifts, all undeserved I might add, why wouldn’t we want to bless others less fortunate than we when presented with that opportunity? None of us can save everyone from their situation but we can all help someone in some way. In so doing, we are investing in our own future and that of our children.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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