James 2:6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
Growing up we were not rich. My dad was not lazy. He worked hard at finding work and working honestly in the jobs he found, still the ends did not always meet and we didn’t have much. My dad finally got a good job and still worked a second job. I remember the Christmas after he got a steady job. He got me those things I had asked santa for through the years he couldn’t do it before. I was pretty much grown by then. It was not lost on me that he remembered and had wanted to do and give me those things.
Psalm 41:1-3 Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.
Throughout scripture the Lord made provision for the poor and the stranger. The Lord gave them rules about harvesting so that there was some left for the poor to glean; meaning they could go into the fields of others and get food that was left.
Leviticus 19:9-10 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyards, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God.
We see here the Lord also mentions the stranger. We are supposed to be known for hospitality as well. This you can find throughout scripture as well. If someone came into a town they went to the town square and someone was to take them in. He also says that he blesses them giving them food and clothing.
The rich in their riches don’t often have eyes to see anything outside themselves.
Luke 16:19-23 He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man died and was buried.”
The rich man could not truly see Lazarus.
Lord, Thank You for Your word and forgive us for our judgement of others. Please lead us in where we can help others. Every little bit helps. In Jesus name amen.
