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newton3003
Guest
God in Genesis commanded us to be fruitful, and we know that since He favored Abel over Cain, He intended that we be fruitful by our own works. He favored Abel over Cain because Abel offered God a sheep he raised, whereas Cain, who was otherwise an able-bodied person, offered God what he found in the ground which wasn’t of his own doing.
But God in His Wisdom does not intend that the needy be left out through no fault of their own. It’s one thing for an able-bodied person to sit on their haunches and expect people to give to them without looking to offer anything in return, or to pick off from the fruits of others; this is not the needy person that God is concerned with, as that person can help themselves any time they want. The needy that God is concerned with are those that, because of things beyond their control like handicaps they were born with or circumstances in their surroundings which prevent them from fulfilling their abilities, are unable to pursue the type of fruits that others pursue by their own works.
Proverbs, which is comprised of the wisdom that God gave to Solomon, has a number of passages dealing with the needy. Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Proverbs 22:9 says “Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.” Passages with a veiled warning, such as Proverbs 28:27, says “Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.”
God’s attitude toward the poor didn’t begin with Solomon. In fact, Deuteronomy 15:7-8 which is one of hundreds of Laws in the Old Testament says “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.”
In case you may believe that because of Jesus it isn’t necessary to abide by the hundreds of Laws in the Old Testament, Jesus in Matthew 5:17-20 says “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
But Jesus simplified the Law, summing it up in two great commandments: That we love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Who is our neighbor? Jesus makes in plain in the Parable of the Good Samaritan that our neighbor is someone who could be of help to us in some way.
And Jesus, in responding to a rich young man who asks him how he can get eternal life, says for the rich man, in Matthew 19:21, to sell what he has and GIVE TO THE POOR.
Now there are those in American politics who claim to be God-fearing yet pay no direct mind to the needy. They’re more concerned with appeasing those whose wealth, which depends on their shareholders and is used to create more wealth, would be impaired to the extent of how much of their wealth would go toward aiding the needy. They may claim that their donors give to their houses of worship, but the fact is there are still needy people. And since the authority of a righteous government comes from God, such a government would be expected to abide by God and Jesus as well.
There are ways that such a government can help the needy, I addition to giving money. It can enact laws that create incentives to help the needy; it can monitor world trade so American workers aren’t unduly compromised; it can create opportunities for the needy via things like education and training; it can provide aid to those who are unable to work for whatever reason. In this manner, the government would be taking care of their own household, as implied by 1 Timothy 5:8.
In short, God from Genesis has nothing against people who strive to be fruitful, but He also expects those who love Him to give to the needy until the needy are individually no longer as such.
But God in His Wisdom does not intend that the needy be left out through no fault of their own. It’s one thing for an able-bodied person to sit on their haunches and expect people to give to them without looking to offer anything in return, or to pick off from the fruits of others; this is not the needy person that God is concerned with, as that person can help themselves any time they want. The needy that God is concerned with are those that, because of things beyond their control like handicaps they were born with or circumstances in their surroundings which prevent them from fulfilling their abilities, are unable to pursue the type of fruits that others pursue by their own works.
Proverbs, which is comprised of the wisdom that God gave to Solomon, has a number of passages dealing with the needy. Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Proverbs 22:9 says “Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.” Passages with a veiled warning, such as Proverbs 28:27, says “Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.”
God’s attitude toward the poor didn’t begin with Solomon. In fact, Deuteronomy 15:7-8 which is one of hundreds of Laws in the Old Testament says “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.”
In case you may believe that because of Jesus it isn’t necessary to abide by the hundreds of Laws in the Old Testament, Jesus in Matthew 5:17-20 says “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
But Jesus simplified the Law, summing it up in two great commandments: That we love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Who is our neighbor? Jesus makes in plain in the Parable of the Good Samaritan that our neighbor is someone who could be of help to us in some way.
And Jesus, in responding to a rich young man who asks him how he can get eternal life, says for the rich man, in Matthew 19:21, to sell what he has and GIVE TO THE POOR.
Now there are those in American politics who claim to be God-fearing yet pay no direct mind to the needy. They’re more concerned with appeasing those whose wealth, which depends on their shareholders and is used to create more wealth, would be impaired to the extent of how much of their wealth would go toward aiding the needy. They may claim that their donors give to their houses of worship, but the fact is there are still needy people. And since the authority of a righteous government comes from God, such a government would be expected to abide by God and Jesus as well.
There are ways that such a government can help the needy, I addition to giving money. It can enact laws that create incentives to help the needy; it can monitor world trade so American workers aren’t unduly compromised; it can create opportunities for the needy via things like education and training; it can provide aid to those who are unable to work for whatever reason. In this manner, the government would be taking care of their own household, as implied by 1 Timothy 5:8.
In short, God from Genesis has nothing against people who strive to be fruitful, but He also expects those who love Him to give to the needy until the needy are individually no longer as such.
