The Bible consistently emphasizes the importance of caring for the poor, urging believers to show compassion and generosity towards those in need. This theme is woven throughout both the Old and New Testaments, highlighting God's concern for the marginalized and His call for His people to act justly and mercifully.

Old Testament Teachings

In the Old Testament, the Law of Moses includes numerous provisions for the care of the poor. Leviticus 19:9-10 instructs, "When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God." This command reflects God's desire for His people to provide for the needy through their abundance.

Deuteronomy 15:7-8 further emphasizes this responsibility: "If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother. Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs." Here, the call is not only to provide materially but also to do so with a willing and generous heart.

Wisdom Literature

The wisdom literature of the Bible also speaks to the care of the poor. Proverbs 19:17 states, "Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender." This verse underscores the spiritual significance of aiding the poor, suggesting that such acts are seen and rewarded by God Himself.

Prophetic Voices

The prophets frequently called out Israel for neglecting the poor and oppressed. Isaiah 58:6-7 declares, "Is not this the fast I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and to bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" The prophetic message is clear: true worship of God involves active justice and mercy towards the poor.

New Testament Teachings

In the New Testament, Jesus' ministry is marked by His compassion for the poor. In the Sermon on the Mount, He teaches, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). While this beatitude speaks to spiritual poverty, it reflects Jesus' broader concern for those who are materially poor and marginalized.

Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) further illustrates the call to care for those in need, regardless of social or ethnic boundaries. The Samaritan's actions exemplify the love and mercy that Jesus expects from His followers.

The early church continued this emphasis on caring for the poor. Acts 4:34-35 describes the communal sharing among believers: "There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales, and lay them at the apostles’ feet for distribution to anyone as he had need." This practice reflects the early Christians' commitment to living out Jesus' teachings on generosity and care for the poor.

Apostolic Instructions

The apostle Paul also urged believers to remember the poor. In Galatians 2:10, he recounts, "They only asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." Paul's letters often encourage the church to support those in need, as seen in 2 Corinthians 9:7, where he writes, "Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver."

James, the brother of Jesus, echoes this sentiment in James 1:27: "Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." This verse highlights the integral role of caring for the vulnerable in the Christian faith.

Throughout Scripture, the call to care for the poor is clear and compelling. Believers are urged to act with compassion, generosity, and justice, reflecting God's heart for the needy and fulfilling His command to love one's neighbor as oneself.2 Corinthians 8:7,8
Therefore, as you abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that you abound in this grace also.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Galatians 2:10
Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

The Care of the Soul Urged as the one Thing Needful
... through your very heart, if you should stand by ... a beloved child with this reflection:
"This poor creature has ... On the whole, may this grand care be awakened in ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/the care of the soul.htm

Preface.
... more pathetic than his pleading for the poor? ... distinguish between citation and
reminiscence; care, however, has ... taken that the reminiscence should be undoubted ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/preface.htm

Of the Holy Basilius, Bishop of C??sarea, and the Measures Taken ...
... point of death he promised him restoration to life if he should receive holy ... him
some fine lands which he had there for the poor under his care, for they ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/chapter xvi of the holy basilius.htm

At the House of Martha --The Good Shepherd.
... that way, and he stopped in pity for the poor man, dressed ... he left the inn he also
left money for his care, with the promise of more if it should be needed ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xxix at the house.htm

The Christian Home
... 13:2). "But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed ... it is here, in a
Christian home, that there should be an atmosphere of supreme love and care. ...
/.../sell/studies in the life of the christian/study x the christian home.htm

The Power of Feeble Faith
... Let us take care that the vessel with which we draw is in ... Dear friends, this poor
woman represents us all ... is it not strange that you should need to be urged to ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/the power of feeble faith.htm

The Life Story of Pastor Wang
... The graves should face the south, with White Tiger on the ... that Mr. Wang, now thirty
years old, poor, sad, and ... dying in childbirth, leaving him the care of two ...
/.../cable/the fulfilment of a dream of pastor hsis/chapter xiii the life story.htm

All Saints' Day
... sends him relief; see, this is being poor in spirit. ... God wills that some men should
choose external poverty, because ... because they are so full of care, and who ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tauler/the inner way/sermon xxvi all saints day.htm

Letter ccxxiii. Against Eustathius of Sebasteia.
... the selling of one's goods, the sharing them with the poor, the giving up of all
care for this ... their sakes, it is far more unjust that I should be held ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/letter ccxxiii against eustathius of.htm

Much More Versus Much Less
... wide universe, what is he, we ask, that God should care for him? And yet God declares
that He does care for him, and that He ... "Oh, I am such a poor creature," I ...
/.../smith/the god of all comfort/chapter 9 much more versus.htm

What does the Bible say about giving to the poor? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible say about being poor? | GotQuestions.org

What does it mean to be poor in spirit? | GotQuestions.org

Poor: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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