Always Take the Poor Man’s Troubles to Heart

Always Take the Poor Man’s Troubles to Heart

By meditating on the laws of the Lord, we will soon conclude that God’s people and the saints have taken the poor man’s troubles to heart far too little. According to people’s usual understanding, this is a minor matter. Yet according to God’s laws, this is crucial. This is evident from the Scriptures virtually everywhere.

For example, let us consider Deuteronomy 15:1-11. Notice immediately that these were just the weak laws of the old covenant. These laws were only a dark shadow of the radiant reality that came through Christ, only a dark shadow of the laws of the Spirit of life.

Every seventh year was to be “a year of release” to God’s glory! They were to forgive all of their brethren’s debts. This was to God’s glory. It was to His glory that He had been able to work such mercy and goodness in their hearts! He was able to accomplish it. This is how good and merciful His will is! By seeking such salvation, we seek God’s glory!

“By rights there should be no poor man among you.”1 V. 4. This would be to God’s great glory. Yet it is as Solomon says: “And there is one who withholds more [for himself] than is right.” Prov. 11:24. Of course, then it is not “right.”

“You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not need to borrow from anyone.” Deut. 15:6. If a person does not open his hand to any poor man in the land, and lend or give to him what he is lacking or what he needs, there is even sufficient light in the shadow to judge him on account of the hardness of his heart. Vs. 7-8.

In spite of everything, people are more hardhearted than most people suspect. In all probability the light in this area is far too weak, even among the saints!!! They are in deep darkness.

Verse 9 is particularly interesting and apt: “Beware lest there arise a wicked thought in your heart . . .”! Yes indeed, beware! The Scriptures exhort us strongly to meditate day and night on the law of the Lord. Use some time to meditate on this verse, and see if you can indeed fathom the depth of this wicked thought, and what wickedness in this instance actually consists of! By God’s grace this has become living to me, but after deliberating on the matter I shall purposefully omit to mention it, simply to give you the opportunity to discover it for yourself.

“You shall gladly give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him . . . .” V. 10.

For the sake of brevity, I want to point out only one more scripture, but you can find several scriptures yourself. There are plenty of them! We have an extraordinary scripture in Galatians 2:9 and 10: “That we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I was also eager to do [which I exerted myself to do].” Take note of the first order of the great apostles! Then take heed to the very great apostle’s humble, innocent, and dutiful words!

He complied with the other apostles’ unambiguous and straightforward order, almost like a little child! Their relationship to the poor was undeniably something different than ours. It weighed more in the scales for them than it does for us. But let us correct that! Do not judge and assess a matter according to the usual thinking, but rather meditate on the laws of the Lord, on the Word that is mighty to save.

This word in Galatians, Chapter 2, actually says that if they did not look after the poor, they were not permitted to preach the gospel to the Gentiles! What a remarkable word! Meditate on this. Let us genuinely bear the poor widows and orphans and other poor people on our hearts, as well as all those who are weighed down by debt! They are troubled day and night!

May the year of release to God’s glory have a large place in our hearts!!! In the shadow it was only every seventh year—but now? How long ago was it that you released all your fellow brothers, to God’s glory?