Caring for the Poor: The Truly Poor – The Law of God and Public Policy

Caring for the Poor: The Truly Poor
The Law of God and Public Policy

Not all who lack material provision are truly poor.

“You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow’s garment in pledge….” Deuteronomy 24:17

There will always be poor people in any society. This is the teaching of Scripture, and it fairly describes the experience of human societies from the beginning. The poor will be with us always, and neighbor-love requires that policies exist to ensure proper care for them according to the teaching of God’s Word.

People fall into poverty for various reasons, some just, and some not. It seems strange, perhaps, to say that there might be “just” reasons for being poor. But let’s keep in mind that a society is just when love for God and neighbor are the defining features, not material prosperity. Even a society where perfect love obtains at all times will contain a certain number of poor people. This should not be taken to mean, however, that somehow injustice exists, just because material blessings are not “evenly” distributed. There will always be poor people in any society, but the presence of poor people does not make that society unjust. A just society will consist of both wealthy and poor alike, because in a just society neighbor-love prevails for all people, regardless of their social or economic status.

The challenge to a just society is making sure that neighbor-love, in all the appropriate forms, is extended to all members, the poor included.

Not all who suffer from a lack of material blessings should be regarded as truly poor. The Law of God teaches us how to think about those who are truly poor, and how a community should care for them.

Some people become poor because of deprivation or loss, whether of persons or property. Orphans lose their parents; still, their basic needs must be met. Widows lose their husbands; the early Church was particularly diligent in caring for those who were true widows (cf. 1 Tim. 5:1-16). People whose property is destroyed by fire or storm may temporarily fall into poverty and thus require short-term assistance.

Poverty can also befall those who become ill and are unable to work, such as lepers in both the Old and New Testaments. Some may be poor because, being refugees (sojourners) or those who have recently lost their jobs, they have been unable to secure steady work.

These are, in Biblical terms, the truly poor. They deserve the love of their neighbors to sustain them during their season of impoverishment, until they can take responsibility for their lives once again. Those who will never be able to attain that state of taking care of themselves must be cared for indefinitely and ungrudgingly.

Those who become poor because they are unwilling to work or otherwise to take responsibility for meeting their needs, or because they prefer a life of indolence or revelry, should not be considered among the poor for whom society has a responsibility. The Scriptures everywhere teach against supporting people in their laziness, indolence, or wastefulness.

The word “poverty” must not be regarded as a universal term to describe people whose only common characteristic is a lack of income or material well-being. Some who lack income and wealth may have fallen into that condition because of refusing to exercise good stewardship. In a very real sense, they do not deserve to have their status dignified by being referred to as “poor.” They are not poor; they are irresponsible. Such people must be encouraged to work and take responsibility for their lives; they must not be supported in their continuing disobedience.

The truly poor, however, deserve our compassion and our diligent efforts to establish policies that make it possible for them to have their basic needs met on a daily basis. They do not, however, deserve any kind of “preferential” treatment merely because their income falls below a certain level.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T. M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.