The Poor and Needy
The Land Exodus 23:11
but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.
Sundry Laws Leviticus 19:10
'Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.
Religious Festivals Leviticus 23:22
'When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'
Hannah's song of Thanksgiving 1 Samuel 2:8
He raises the poor from the dust,
He lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor;
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S,
And He set the world on them.
Nathan Rebukes David 2 Samuel 12:1-6
Then the LORD sent
Nathan to David And
he came to him and said,
"There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor.
"The rich man had a great many flocks and herds.
"But the poor man had nothing except
one little ewe lamb
Which he bought and nourished;
And it grew up together with him and his children.
It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom,
And was like a daughter to him.
"Now a traveler came to the rich man,
And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd,
To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him;
Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."
Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die.
"He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion."
God is Just Job 5:13-16
"He
captures the wise by their own shrewdness,
And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.
"By day they meet with darkness,
And grope at noon as in the night.
"But He saves from the sword of their mouth,
And
the poor from the hand of the mighty.
"So the helpless has hope,
And
unrighteousness must shut its mouth.
The Triumph of the Wicked is Short Job 20:4-7 and 20:19
"Do you know this from of old,
From the establishment of man on earth,
That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And
the joy of the godless momentary?
"Though his loftiness
reaches the heavens,
And his head touches the clouds,
He
perishes forever like his refuse;
Those who have seen him
will say, 'Where is he?' ...
"For he has
oppressed and forsaken the poor;
He has seized a house which he has not built.
Job Says God Seems to Ignore Wrong Job 24:1-12
"
Why are times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see
His days?
"Some remove the landmarks;
They seize and devour flocks.
"They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;
They take the
widow's ox for a pledge.
"They push the needy aside from the road;
The
poor of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.
"Behold, as
wild donkeys in the wilderness
They go forth seeking food in their activity,
As bread for their children in the desert.
"They harvest their fodder in the field
And glean the vineyard of the wicked.
"
They spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering against the cold.
"They are wet with the mountain rains
And hug the rock for want of a shelter.
"Others snatch the orphan from the breast,
And against the poor they take a pledge.
"They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
"Within the walls they produce oil;
They tread wine presses but thirst.
"From the city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God does not pay attention to folly.
Job's Past was Glorious Job 29:12
Because I delivered the poor who cried for help,
And the
orphan who had no helper.
Job Asserts His Integrity Job 31:16-23
"If I have kept
the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of
the widow to fail,
Or have eaten my morsel alone,
And the orphan has not shared it
(But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
And from infancy I guided her),
If I have seen anyone perish
for lack of clothing,
Or that the needy had no covering,
If his loins have not thanked me,
And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
If I have lifted up my hand against
the orphan,
Because I saw I had support
in the gate,
Let my shoulder fall from the socket,
And my
arm be broken off at the elbow.
"For
calamity from God is a terror to me,
And because of
His majesty I can do nothing.
A Psalm of Thanksgiving and Justice Psalm 9:18
For the needy will not always be forgotten,
Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.
A Prayer for the Overthrow of the Wicked Psalm 10:2 and 10:16-18
In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted;
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
The LORD is King forever and ever;
Nations have perished from His land.
O LORD, You have heard the
desire of the humble;
You will strengthen their heart,
You will incline Your ear
To
vindicate the orphan and the
oppressed,
So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.
A Song of Praise Psalm 22:23-26
You who fear the LORD, praise Him;
All you descendants of Jacob,
glorify Him,
And
stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.
For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from him;
But
when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
From You comes
my praise in the great assembly;
I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him.
The
afflicted will eat and
be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will
praise the LORD
Let your
heart live forever!
The Lord a Provider and Deliverer Psalm 34:6
This poor man cried, and
the LORD heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
God Sustains His Servant Psalm 40:17
Since I am afflicted and needy,
Let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.
Psalmist in Sickness Psalm 41:1-3
How blessed is he who
considers the helpless;
The LORD will deliver him
in a day of trouble.
The LORD will
protect him and keep him alive,
And he shall be called
blessed upon the earth;
And
do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.
The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed;
In his illness, You restore him to health.
The Reign of the Righteous King Psalm 72:1-4
Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And
Your righteousness to the king's son.
May he
judge Your people with righteousness
And
Your afflicted with justice.
Let the mountains bring
peace to the people,
And the hills, in righteousness.
May he
vindicate the afflicted of the people,
Save the children of the needy
And crush the oppressor.
A Prayer of David Psalm 86:1 and Psalm 109:22
Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me;
For I am afflicted and needy...
And my heart is
wounded within me.
A Psalm of David Psalm 109:30-31
With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD;
And in the midst of many
I will praise Him.
For He stands at the right hand of the needy,
To save him from those who judge his soul.
The Lord Exalts the Humble Psalm 113:5-8
Who is like the LORD our God,
Who is enthroned on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?
He
raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
To make them
sit with princes,
With the princes of His people.
Contrast of Rich and Poor Proverbs 10:15
The
rich man's wealth is his fortress,
The
ruin of the poor is their poverty.
Life and Conduct Proverbs 19:1 and 7; Proverbs 22:1-2
Better is a poor man who
walks in his integrity
Than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.
All the brothers of a poor man hate him;
How much more do his friends abandon him!
He pursues them with words, but they are gone.
A good name is to be more desired than great wealth,
Favor is better than silver and gold.
The rich and the poor have a common bond,
The LORD is the maker of them all.
Warnings and Instructions Proverbs 29:7 and 13-14
The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor,
The wicked does not understand such concern.
The
poor man and the oppressor have this in common:
The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.
If a king judges the poor with truth,
His throne will be established forever.
God Will Judge Isaiah 3:13-15
The LORD arises to contend,
And stands to judge the people.
The LORD enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people,
"It is you who have
devoured the vineyard;
The
plunder of the poor is in your houses.
"What do you mean by
crushing My people
And grinding the face of the poor?"
Declares the Lord GOD of hosts.
Righteous Reign of the Branch Isaiah 11:4
But with
righteousness He will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the
afflicted of the earth;
Greatness of God Isaiah 40:28-31
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The
Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired
His understanding is
inscrutable.
He gives strength to the
weary,
And to him who lacks might He
increases power.
Though
youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous
young men stumble badly,
Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will
mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
Israel Encouraged Isaiah 41:17-22
"The afflicted and needy are seeking
water, but there is none,
And their tongue is parched with thirst;
I, the LORD,
will answer them Myself,
As the God of Israel I
will not forsake them.
"I will open
rivers on the bare heights
And springs in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water
And the dry land fountains of water.
"I will put the cedar in the wilderness,
The acacia and the
myrtle and the olive tree;
I will place the
juniper in the desert
Together with the box tree and the cypress,
That
they may see and recognize,
And consider and gain insight as well,
That the
hand of the LORD has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
"Present your case," the LORD says.
"Bring forward your strong arguments,"
The
King of Jacob says.
Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place;
As for the
former events, declare what they were,
That we may consider them and know their outcome.
Or announce to us what is coming;
Seek God that You May Live Amos 5:11-12
Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor
And exact a tribute of grain from them,
Though you have built
houses of well-hewn stone,
Yet you will not live in them;
You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will
not drink their wine.
For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great,
You who
distress the righteous and accept bribes
And turn aside the poor in the gate.
Basket of Fruit and Israel's Captivity Amos 8:4-8
Hear this, you who
trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land,
saying,
"When will the
new moon be over,
So that we may sell grain,
And the
sabbath, that we may open the wheat market,
To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger,
And to
cheat with dishonest scales,
So as to
buy the helpless for money
And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?"
The LORD has
sworn by the
pride of Jacob,
"Indeed, I will
never forget any of their deeds.
"Because of this will not the land
quake
And everyone who dwells in it mourn?
The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5:1-7
When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on
the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
"Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
John's Questions Matthew 11:4-6
Jesus answered and said to them,
"Go and report to John what you hear and see:
the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM."
And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me."
Rich Young Ruler Matthew19:21
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
Precious Ointment Matthew 26:11
"For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me.
Jesus' Public Ministry Luke 4:17-20
And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.
HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,
AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,
TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD."
And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
Parable of the Guests Luke 14:13-15
"But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
When one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"
Rich Man and Lazarus Luke16:19-31
"Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.
"And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,
and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.
"Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.
"In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.
"And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.'
"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.
'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.'
"And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house--
for I have five brothers--in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
"But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.'
"But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!'
"But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"
Zaccheus Converted Luke 19:1-10
He entered Jericho and was passing through.
And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.
Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.
So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.
When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."
And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.
When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."
Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much."
And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.
"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Their Ministry Commended 2 Corinthians 6:1-11
And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain--
for He says,
"AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU."
Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION"--
giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited,
but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,
in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger,
in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love,
in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,
by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true;
as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death,
as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.
Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide.
Great Generosity 2 Corinthians 9:1-5
Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,
that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.
For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord,
begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,
and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.
Greatest Generosity 2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
God Gives Most 2 Corinthians 9:9
as it is written,
"HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR,
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER."
The Council at Jerusalem Galatians 2:10
They only asked us to remember the poor--
the very thing I also was eager to do.
The Sin of Partiality James 2:1-9
My brethren,
do not hold your faith in our
glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of
personal favoritism.
For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,
and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,"
have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?
Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well.
But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
Message to Laodicea Revelation 3:1-22
"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
_____________________
New American Standard Bible- keyword POOR
