Psalm 10

Psalms 10:17-18 (ESV)

[17] O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;

you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

[18] to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

I have been noticing recently how many times the Scriptures address the issue of poverty. Throughout the Law, the Psalms, the Prophets, the Gospels, and the Epistles there are repeated references to those in poverty. The fatherless, the widow, the oppressed are all part of that group of impoverished. We unfortunately tend to read these passages through the lens of our own class, culture, and condition, missing God’s deep compassion for those in poverty.

Throughout scripture God brings justice to those in poverty. He provides and protects those in poverty. He judges those who oppress the poor. Jesus had compassion on the impoverished even as he turned over the tables of the moneychangers. He had little compassion on those who took advantage of others, but deeply loved those in need.

While I believe that capitalism is the best economic system in the world, it will only work when those who have show compassion to those who have not. Plans for helping the poor only hurt them unless the help incorporates a way to acknowledge the value of the person being helped rather than creating dependence and dominance. I am no expert in poverty, but I know that poverty breeds poverty. When the highest dream a child has is to be the one who collects the unemployment check from the mailbox, something is wrong.

If we take our faith seriously, then it is time that we stop praying for God to make us rich, and start reaching out to help the poor. A few years back a speaker at a conference challenged his people to stop being a mission field and start becoming a mission force. How can we help those in poverty make that transition? I know that there are no easy answers. We can’t just wave a magic wand and make everything better. Jesus said that we would always have the poor with us. But it is impossible to live out the heart and mission of God in the world without compassion for the poor. This is not a call to abandon the gospel for a ministry of compassion. It is a call to both proclaim the gospel, and to help those in need with the compassion of Jesus.