Don’t Forget the Poor

“Blessed is he who considers the poor; the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.” (Psalm 41:1)

Last week, I attended a conference with the theme of wealth of poverty. One takeaway for me personally as a pastor is this: the church can do a better job in caring for the poor.

One session I attended was basically giving an historical overview of the office of deacon in 16^th-17^th century England. The presenter of this topic shared that the norm for the English church was to give approximately 10% of the pastor’s salary each month to the poor. In other words, if your pastor makes $100,000 per year, the church would be $10,000 per month to the poor! That is something else, isn’t it.

Today, the government has stepped into areas that the church used to fill in helping the less fortunate. And we have too many in our country who now rely on these handouts for their well-being. The church can do better.

God promises to bless those who help the poor. In fact, if you read through the rest of this psalm, you will notice a series of blessings that the psalmist gives to those who consider the poor: deliverance from trouble (vs. 1), protection (vs. 2), preservation (vs. 2), blessing in the land (vs. 2), and strength when sick (vs. 3).

“Blessed” is the man “who considers the poor.” This Hebrew word means “to attend to.” This is the man who meditates or “thinks long and hard” about the poor. It’s the word used of Daniel when he thinks carefully about the visions and dreams he received (Dan 7). It is the opposite of neglecting. Neglect is not even worrying oneself or even thinking about a need. The application is that God attends to and ministers to the one who attends and ministers to others.

Who is poor? It is someone financially weak or someone simply destitute or physically weak.

God promises that the one who is merciful to the poor man in need of mercy will himself be delivered from trouble. David has already written, “The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless” (Ps 18:24-25). God will deal with us the way we deal with others. Sound like the O.T. version of “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise” (Luke 6:31)?

Caring for others is not only a commendable thing to do, but it is also a wise thing to do, for it leads to special blessings by God.

What is your plan for showing mercy to the poor?