How is it that many become poor?
(Leviticus 23:22; Job 29:12-16; Luke 4:16-19; 19:1-10) Blog Feb. 12-18, 2023
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: God who provides us with all things that pertain unto life and godliness deserves our worship. This will include our service of love, our tithes, and our offerings, for we desire to have treasure in heaven, in the form of souls who have come to faith through our efforts.
Who are they?
1. After returning tithes and offerings to God, where does a Christian’s first financial obligation lie? A Christian’s first financial obligation to others is for the needs of his own family (1 Tim. 5:8).
2. After caring for his own family whose needs should be a priority for the Christian? The needs of fellow church members should come before those of the ungodly (Gal. 3:10).
3. If Jesus died for all men what should that tell us about the value of every human being? Every person is of infinite value to God, for Jesus bore all their sins upon the cross & they deserve our help (Isa. 53:6; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 John 2:2).
4. How does God tell us that we are to treat the poor? God says that we are to defend, deliver, & have mercy on the poor (Psa. 82:3-4; Prov. 13:41).
5. What specific ways of helping the poor does Moses list? Moses tells God’s people to not charge interest when loaning to the poor, to leave extra gleanings of their crops for the poor, & to let the poor eat from the land during the Sabbatical year (Ex. 22:25; 23:11; Lev. 23:22; Deut. 15:11).
6. What does David say that God does for the poor and needy? God thinks of, sees, hears, & helps the poor, needy, & fatherless & delivers them (Psa. 10:14; 34:6; 35:10; 40:17; 113:7).
Our Example
7. What Scripture did Jesus choose to read at his home church in Nazareth? At the synagogue in Nazareth Jesus read Isaiah 61:1-2 (Luke 4:16-19).
8. How does Isaiah 61:1-2 reveal Jesus’ mission to earth? Isaiah 61 lists in order of importance the things Jesus was to do while on earth (Matt. 9:35; 11:5).
9. What was Jesus’ mission statement as recorded in Luke 4? Jesus’ mission statement was: “I have come to preach the gospel, to heal, to deliver, and to proclaim the coming of God’s kingdom.” (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:18-19).
10. What should we learn from Jesus’ mission statement? We should accept Jesus’ mission statement as our own (1 Pet. 2:21).
11. When sending out his twelve disciples what commission did Jesus give them? Jesus told the twelve to preach & to heal (Matt. 4:23; 10:7-8).
12. From the previous ideas, what can we conclude? We must conclude that our work for humanity is not done when we have preached the gospel, but that we must also meet people’s physical needs (Isa. 58:6-7; Matt. 25:34-40).
13. What classes of needy people did Job help? Job helped the poor, the fatherless, the dying, the widows, the blind, & the lame (Job 29:12-16).
14. What should our motive be for helping those in need? All that we do for others should be motivated by love. That was God’s motive for giving us his Son (John 3:16; 1 Cor. 13:3).
In what way?
15. What is one way that James says we can help orphans and widows? James says that we can help orphans and widows by visiting them (Jam. 1:27).
16. How is it that many become poor? Many become poor because of the oppression & withholding of fair salaries by the rich (Lev. 19:13; Prov. 14:31; James 2:6).
17. What method did Job use to determine who and how to help? Job searched out the cases of the needy & defended them in court (Job 29:16).
18. Of what is generosity to the needy a sign? Generosity to the needy apart from selfish motives is a sign of true conversion. The stories of the rich young ruler & Zacchaeus demonstrate this (Matt. 19:16-22; Luke 19:1-10; 1 Cor. 13:3).