And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt
gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and
lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts
of the field shall eat. In like manner
thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard. Exodus, Chapter 23, verses 10-11.
I know there is a lot of talk about Welfare
Reform. I, too, want us empowering
people instead of enabling them, destroying their work ethic. We have to be prayerful about what we choose
to do with this system. This passage
says that God wants us to provide for the poor.
You’re right; most of us don’t have fields or vineyards to leave fallow
the seventh year so they’re available to the less fortunate. Instead, we provide for the less fortunate
through our taxes, giving to related charities and making donations to
causes. We also provide for the needy by
giving at church and through legislation to fund these causes. We need to be careful about how we change
this system. It’s vital that we continue
to provide adequate food and medical care for those less fortunate, especially
children.
That doesn’t mean giving monthly disability payments
to people with learning disabilities or drug and alcohol addictions. In this case, we may be enabling people
because they aren’t motivated to become literate or substance free for fear of
losing that income. Yes, we do need to
change things so some people don’t have multiple fictitious addresses to rake
in the Welfare checks. The Welfare
Reform needs to allow the Welfare recipient to make the necessary changes with
dignity.
Although there are issues to be resolved within the
Welfare System, we can’t lose sight of what God has told us to do. It would be very easy to “throw the baby out
with the bath water” while making the necessary changes to the Welfare
System. We need to continue to provide
food, medical attention and other needed services for those less fortunate,
because that’s what God would want us to do.
Here are some related passages:
*And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou
shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest,
neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them
unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God. Leviticus, Chapter 23, verse 22.
*For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of
lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor
taketh reward. He doth execute the
judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him
food and raiment. Love ye therefore the
stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt
*If there be among you a poor man of one of thy
brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth
thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor
brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend
him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Deuteronomy, Chapter 15, verses 7-8.
*When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field,
and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it
shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD
thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou
shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the
fatherless, and for the widow. When thou
gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it
shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a
bondman in the land
of Egypt
*For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the
expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. Psalm, Chapter 9, verse 18.
*Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD
will deliver him in time of trouble. The
LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the
earth: and Thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. Psalm, Chapter 41, verses 1-2.
*The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but
the rich hath many friends. He that
despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is
he. Proverbs, Chapter 14, verses 20-21.
*When the poor and needy seek water, and there is
none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God
of Israel
Because this is an example of how I’ve applied this Bible passage to my life, it doesn't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passage.
This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please share your connections.
Please click on comments below to share your suggestions. Thanks! Debbie
