Two of the chief causes which make life less enjoyable are ill-health and poverty, and in many cases ill-health is brought about by poverty. In recent years, in what we call the developed or enlightened countries, there is now a much better economic state, where there is not the abject poverty that was common in past centuries for the bulk of the population. But there are still countless millions throughout the world in a state of poverty, in many cases caused by man’s inhumanity to man.
In having gone through that period of time known as the Depression, a time of deprivement which many of the people suffered, I know by experience, that by being in Christ, that dismal time was much easier to bear. Not that we in this country were the worst off… we personally were never very short of food, but many were.
When the Lord said, “For ye have the poor with you always”, does this mean that poverty was and is a normal economic state that has to be endured? It could be, because of circumstances in certain areas, but was never intended as far as Israel was concerned. It was the Lord’s decree that the poor must be provided for (Dent. 15:4. AV — margin). “To the end that there be no poor among you, for the Lord shall greatly bless you in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it”. Verse 7 continues in the same manner, “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. But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shall lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth… For the poor shall never cease out of the land (I take this to mean that the poor shall never be allowed to perish)[1] therefore I command thee, saying, thou shalt open wide thine hand unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to the needy in the land”.
It is here indicated that the haves should be liberal to the have-nots. That there should have been have-nots is understandable, for Israel was a very small land with a large population.
The owners of the land could only divide their lands to their descendants to certain limits, and therefore workers on the land would only comprise some of the labour force, leaving many to find work as best they could, as tradesmen, merchants, etc. It would be evident as the population expanded, there would be those who could not find work. It could be so because of ill-health, old age, widows, the orphans.
We get an example in the case of Naomi and Ruth. Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, was forced to leave his land because of famine, and he migrated to Moab with his family. When Naomi returned to Bethlehem, for she had heard (Ruth 1:6) that the famine had ended, they were forced to seek what we would call charity. But, was it charity? It certainly was not! It must be noted from Deut. 15, that any giving to the poor of the rich man’s abundance was not only the responsibility of those who felt generous. This was by commandment to all, for it was a share of the land and was an inalienable right, because the Lord’s blessing would supply the extra productivity. Deut. 15, verses 8 – 11, shows that it was not to be given grudgingly, but with a wide open hand.
That there were poor in Israel was an indictment against the wealthy, that they had not hearkened to the commandment of the Lord. The Lord knew that Israel would become a numerous people, and decreed that everyone would be provided with the basic necessities from the abundance that would come to Israel, if they were obedient to His Laws. Because they were not obedient, the Lord punished them with famines.
The Bible records that Abraham and Jacob were forced to seek food in Egypt. We read that in the days of Elijah there was one famine of 3 1/2 years, because of Israel’s wickedness under King Ahab. It appears, from ancient Canaanite history, that the Lord used famines as a punishment for wickedness. Because Israel had little regard for, and neglected, the poor, the Lord had not blessed the land to the extent that it could feed the expanded population, for even in such a small land, the Lord, if He so desired, could have increased the crops a hundred-fold or more, if needed. The result was, that the Children of Israel were often forced by economic reasons, to migrate; which brought about their scattering abroad, as the Lord promised in judgment for unrighteousness.
In Egypt, at one point of history, one in every seven of the population was a Jew. It is estimated that there were 100,000 Jews in North Africa, and countless numbers in Asia Minor and the European Mainland. They were well and truly scattered, as James in his epistle writes, “To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting” (not to the ten tribes scattered abroad, as some would have us believe!)
We look forward with joyous anticipation to the time of refreshing when the Lord shall bless the world, and there shall be no more poor and afflicted, when His bounty will care for all. We need the Lord’s intervention in the affairs of the world, for there is evidence of the worst type of poverty — moral bankruptcy — spreading over the world, of which much could be said. If times of hardship come again, remember that being in the faith and trusting in God brings an enrichment which makes being poor easier to bear and “the Lord know-eth how to deliver the godly”.
[1] We prefer to understand this passage to mean that, historically, there will always be an element of the poor to be cared for, among the Israelites. – ED COMM
Reflections on the Potter and the Clay