“At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the LORDyour God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.” Deuteronomy 14.28, 29

According to the Law of God, charity is an important tool for helping to meet the needs of the poor in local communities. It is a necessary supplement to dignified work and is the duty of all members of the community. Charity, by definition, is not something which can be coerced; charity must not be confused with taxation.

But freely giving to relieve the needs of those who are truly poor is a measure of justice that helps to ensure that neighbor-love will be a defining characteristic of any community. To neglect charity, or to substitute taxation for charity, is to short-circuit the practice and flourishing of love and does not reflect the intent of the Law of God.

In ancient Israel charity toward the poor was practiced through tithes and offerings, distributed by the spiritual leaders – priests, Levites, and judges/elders – of each community. A part of the regular offerings of the people was set aside to be available to the poor, widows, and sojourners. In addition, every three years the communities of ancient Israel took up a special offering to replenish their “community chests” of goods. At least some of these resources were made available for the needs of the poor. This measure seems to have been more along the lines of what many communities practice today, through the “hand-outs” we typically see today in large cities where, through soup kitchens and clothes closets, the poor are provided for on a short-term basis.

Such hand-outs must not be the only means of meeting the needs of the poor; nor should they be the first line of defense. As we have seen, helping the poor to find meaningful and productive work is the first obligation of any community toward its poor neighbors.

Short-term, interest-free loans could also be used to care for those who had fallen on hard times (Ex. 22.25, 26). These appear to have been personal loans between friends or family members – close neighbors – and were to be repaid without interest and in a timely manner. Those who were loaning to the poor were not to seek to “make money” from the distress of their neighbors.

T. M. Moore

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