What does God say about Poverty?
I’ve spent a lot of my life working with those in poverty. It makes a difference what God says about it. All I’ve studied keeps bringing me back to how much God cares for (in fact-specifically and preferentially cares for) the poor.
Who are the poor? The Bible uses many different words: Fatherless, widow, alien, poor, needy, afflicted, weak, oppressed, thirsty, hungry, bowed down, who cannot speak for themselves, destitute, wanderer, brokenhearted, captives, prisoners, stranger, sick, blind, crippled, lame, orphans. Most often, poor or needy is used.
9 things God thinks about the poor:
God saves them: Job 5:8-16
God loves them: Deut. 10: 18
God doesn’t prefer kings/rich: Job 34:17-19
God fights for them: Psalm 12:5
God will not abandon them: Isaiah 41:17
God prefers the poor in some ways: Luke 1:52-53
Jesus was sent specifically to preach to the POOR: Luke 4:18
They have special blessings of faith: James 2:5
God identifies with them: Proverbs 19:17, 2 Corinthians 8:9
15 hings God says to do about the poor:
Help them out: Deuteronomy 15:11, Prov.3:27-28
Give your tithe to them: Deuteronomy 26:12
Speak/stand up for them/give them justice: Proverbs 31:8
Defend them: Isaiah 1:16-17
Fast for them: Isaiah 58:6
Rescue them: Jeremiah 22:3
Give and lend to them: Matthew 5:42
Share clothes and give food: Luke 3:11
Sell your stuff/give to poor: Luke 12:33
Give cheerfully: 2 Corinthians 9:6-9
Look after them: James 1:27
Not to show favoritism against them: Leviticus 19:15
Care about justice: Proverbs 29:7
Give in secret: Matt. 6:2-4
Have everything in common—share all: Acts 2:44, Acts 4:32-35
13 Reasons WHY we should serve the poor:
To honor God: Proverbs 14:31
To be ready for judgment: Isaiah 10:1-3
To not be destroyed: Ezekiel 16:49
To have God’s love in us: 1 John 3:17
To show our love for God: Proverbs 14:31
To serve God: Mt. 25:34-40
To be delivered: Psalm 41:1
To be rewarded: Proverbs 19:17
To be blessed: Proverbs 22:9
To shine: Isaiah 58:10
To have treasure in heaven: Matthew 19:20
To know God: Jer.22:16
To put faith into action: Jam. 2:15-17
40 Verses about the poor:
1. Leviticus 19:15 "Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly."
2. Deuteronomy 10:18 “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.”
3. Deuteronomy 15:11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
4. Deuteronomy 26:12 “When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.”
5. Job 5:15-16 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.
6. Job 34:17-19 "Can he who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One? Is he not the One who says to kings, 'You are worthless,' and to nobles, 'You are wicked,' who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?”
7. Psalm 12:5 "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the LORD. "Then I will protect them from those who malign them."
8. Psalm 37:25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
9. Psalm 41:1 “Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.”
10. Proverbs 3:27-28 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" — when you now have it with you.
11. Proverbs 14:31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
12. Proverbs 19:17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.
13. Proverbs 22:9 “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.”
14. Proverbs 29:7 “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.”
15. Proverbs 29:13 ESV The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the Lord gives light to the eyes of both.
16. Proverbs 31:8-9 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
17. Isaiah 1:17 Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
18. Isaiah 10:1-3 "Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches?”
19. Isaiah 41:17 “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.”
20. Isaiah 58:6-11 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."
21. Jeremiah 22:3 “This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.”
22. Jeremiah 22:16"He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD
23. Ezekiel 16:49 "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”
24. Matthew 5:42 “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
25. Matt. 6:2-4 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
26. Matthew 19:20“‘All these I have kept,’ the young man said. ‘What do I still lack?’ Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’"
27. Matthew 25:34-40 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.
28. Luke 1:52-53 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.”
29. Luke 3:11 “John answered, ‘the man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.’"
30. Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed."
31. Luke 6:20 “Looking at his disciples he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."
32. Luke 12:32-34 ESV “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
33. Acts 2:44 “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.”
34. Acts 4:32-35 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”
35. Second Corinthians 8:2-4, 7, 9 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. But just as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us — see that you also excel in this grace of giving. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
36. Second Corinthians 9:6-13 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." Now he who supplies seed to the shower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
37. James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
38. James 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
39. James 2:15-17 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
40. 1 John 3:17-18 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.