Our first promise today is found in Psalms 9:18: “The needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.”
It is a sad, but nevertheless true fact that, ever since Adam’s fall in the Garden of Eden, the poor and needy have been forgotten most of the time by the majority of people. True, there is organized charity for the poor, but there is a saying that “charity is as cold as the grave,” and anyone who has experienced it knows that, unfortunately, this is usually true. Of course there are always some people who prefer to live on the “dole,” and will do almost anything and accept any kind of treatment rather than work to earn their daily bread. But for ambitious and independent people, to be forced by circumstances to live on charity, whether organized or otherwise, is a very bitter experience. A poor man often dies for lack of an expensive operation that only the well-to-do can afford. A needy man is often put in prison for a crime he did not commit, because he lacks the means to employ a high-priced attorney, while, all too often, the criminal goes free.
Sometimes relatives, and often acquaintances (not real friends) are inclined to “look down” upon the poor and needy, and this happens occasionally even among the people of God. Those with little of this world’s goods are at times made to feel that there isn’t much to live for, and life becomes a frustrating and monotonous round. But those who know God’s Truth need never feel desolate and alone. We do have something to live for, indeed we have much to live for, for we are (or should be) making ourselves ready for the glorious time when Christ shall come to take us to Himself. While we are waiting for this consummation of all our hopes, we can forget our own troubles, which often are nothing in comparison to those of others, and assist the poor, the needy and the sick, and say to them as did the Apostle Peter: “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee . .” (Acts 3:6). Yes, we can give them the most precious thing in the world, the water of life that Jesus offered to the woman at the well (John 4 :6- 15 ) , so that they need never thirst again. And even the most uneventful and uninteresting of our days may be transformed by living each moment as if the Lord were present with us, as indeed He is if we are living close to Him. Our own bodies may be tortured with pain that is hard to bear, but we can still serve Him, if we “cast all our care upon Him” (1st Peter 5:7), as He has told us to do. And perhaps our work in the Truth will be even more pleasing to Him, as our infirmities will keep us from becoming exalted and will make us kinder and more sympathetic than we otherwise would be.
We know that this is the time of oppression, but Psalm 72 tells us that when Christ comes the poor and needy will no longer be oppressed. “He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor (verses 2, 4). He will “come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth” (verse 6). How lovely the parched earth becomes after the refreshing showers, and thus will the entire world be when the Kingdom of God is set up and a righteous government once more established. “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing . . .” (Isaiah 35: 1, 2). So let us look up to where the dawn is rising over Zion’s hills, and rejoice, for the end of these evil times is almost here.
Our second promise is found in Psalms 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
No-one, unless he is mentally ill, or suffering agonizing pain looks forward with joy to the time of death, for it is natural that mankind, even the incurably ill, should cling to life. The so-called Christians who speak rapturously of the “kingdom beyond the skies” to which they expect to go immediately after they die seem to forget the longed-for glory when the cold, uninviting grave yawns before them. They frantically call for the doctor to heal them and for the minister to pray for them that they may be spared to live for at least a few more years in this “vale of tears.” Even we, who know from the Scriptures that a terrible time of trouble is coming upon the earth, and that we could escape much of this by being hidden away in death (to us just a temporary, peaceful sleep) seem to fear it, and hold tenaciously to what is left of life. But when the consoling fact sinks deep into our consciousness that the death of His saints is precious in the eyes of God, we should lose all fear of the “grim reaper,” as God has promised to he with us so that we will “fear no evil, as His rod and staff will comfort us” (Psalm 23: 4). How comforting indeed it is to know that God will be holding our hand and leading us gently through the dark valley, letting go only when we quietly fall asleep. Even then, He will not forget us, for we will be held in His heart and memory, and our names will be written in the Book of Life. So, if the death of the saints is precious in God’s sight, and He is with us every step of the way, let us have no further fear of it, but lean upon His everlasting arms.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One