Deuteronomy 15.11
“For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’”

Psalm 41.1; Galatians 2.10

Jesus reminded us that we would always have opportunities to care for the poor, and that we should be faithful in doing so (Mk. 14.7). The Law of God provides guidance in the exercise of mercy and grace. As God, Who is wholly good and just, reaches to us in mercy and grace, so His Law directs us to reflect His character in our relationships with our neighbors. Not to care for the poor, and even to be indifferent to their needs, is a form of stealing from them what God intends them to have.

Note also the exhortation to generosity in dealing with the poor: “open wide your hand.” We are hereby reminded, as in all the statutes for this commandment, that the earth is the Lord’s and we are but stewards of whatever He determines to entrust to us. As He is lavish in giving to us, so we must be lavish toward those who, for a variety of reasons, may have fallen on hard times.

Moreover, these acts of lavish mercy and grace are to be voluntary, not compelled by government. When governments try to become the conscience of their people by requiring through statute what God commands should come from the heart, they create resentment, division, and waste in the use of God’s resources. Whatever does not flow from love for neighbor can only increase the distance between us and them, not bring us closer to one another.

T. M. Moore

The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.