What other scriptures warn against exploiting the needy and poor? Setting the Scene: Isaiah 32:7 “The scoundrel’s methods are evil; he makes wicked schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.” The Law of Moses Speaks Up for the Poor • Exodus 22:22-24 — “You must not mistreat any widow or orphan… My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.” • Exodus 23:6 — “You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.” • Leviticus 25:35-37 — “Do not take any interest or profit from him… You must not lend him your money at interest or sell him your food for profit.” • Deuteronomy 24:14-15 — “Do not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy… Pay his wages each day before the sun sets, because he is poor and counting on it.” Songs and Proverbs Highlight God’s Concern • Psalm 12:5 — “Because of the devastation of the afflicted and the groaning of the poor, I will now arise,” says the LORD. • Psalm 82:3-4 — “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless… Rescue the weak and needy.” • Proverbs 14:31 — “Whoever oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.” • Proverbs 22:22-23 — “Do not rob a poor man because he is poor… for the LORD will take up their case.” Prophets Expose Social Injustice • Isaiah 3:14-15 — “You have devoured the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses… grinding the faces of the poor.” • Jeremiah 22:3 — “Do justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery… Do not mistreat the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.” • Amos 5:11 — “Because you trample on the poor and exact a tax of grain from him, you will not dwell in the stone houses you built.” • Micah 2:1-2 — “Woe to those who devise iniquity… They oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.” • Zechariah 7:9-10 — “Administer true justice… Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor.” Jesus and the Early Church Continue the Call • Matthew 25:40 — “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” • Luke 4:18 — “He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.” • Luke 14:13-14 — “When you host a banquet, invite the poor… you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” • Acts 4:34-35 — “There were no needy ones among them… distribution to anyone as he had need.” Epistles Urge Ongoing Care • Ephesians 4:28 — “Work… so that he may have something to share with one in need.” • James 2:5-6 — “Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith? But you have dishonored the poor.” • James 5:4 — “The wages you failed to pay the workmen… are crying out against you.” • 1 John 3:17-18 — “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him… let us love… in action and truth.” Living Out These Truths Throughout Scripture, God defends the vulnerable and warns against every form of exploitation. His people are called to mirror that heart—upholding justice, giving generously, and refusing to profit at another’s expense. |
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