Compassionate Care

As people of wisdom, we should promote justice in our society and help the poor and needy.

Care For The Poor Is A Common Concern

In chapter 22, verses 17-21 are basically an introduction to the sayings that follow.

The wise words are to be spoken in verse 18 and in verse 21. The instruction is personal according to verse 19. And they are testable. The writer of Proverbs 22 wrote down 30 sayings for people. It’s like, ya know what, I want people who aren’t wise to know about the sayings of the wise, so I wrote em down.

In fact, the writer wanted those that were reading and hearing to give a reliable report.

So often we here folks say that something is only found in the New Testament or only found in the Old Testament and get really legalistic about the teachings of the whole of Scripture.

Verses 22 and 23 are to be read as an echo of one of the most common commands of the Old Testament, and specifically to the nation of Israel.

That is the care for the poor and needy.

Deuteronomy 15:11, Leviticus 25:35, and Psalm 82:3-4 specifically command the care for the poor. The harvesters were to leave crops in the fields specifically for the poor and needy.

The poor, needy, marginalized, oppressed, the fatherless, the destitute, afflicted, these are the descriptions of the people with whom Jesus identified Himself in Matthew 25:31-46, valuing and honoring them. There is no disconnect between the Old and New Testaments when it comes to the treatment of the poor.

Why this warning to not rob the poor -

Because the poor and needy are easy prey for the wicked. The wicked, in this context and culture, could get away with bribery and false accusations and get their way in court. Israel, as a contrast, were the called out ones, those who demonstrated the way of wisdom, the way of relationship with God.

If the poor and needy are easy prey for the wicked, we must not be known among those known to be wicked.

It’s interesting that in the preparation for this message, one of the sources said that one of the ways a person can help serve the poor and needy is by volunteering at The Salvation Army. Shocker, right.

The Poor Are Already Suffering

Proverbs 22:22 (HCSB)

Don’t rob a poor man because he is poor, and don’t crush the oppressed at the gate,

In the second part of verse 22, we get a heavier picture of what it means to rob the poor. To crush the oppressed seems like a duplicate saying - because it is!

The author says - the poor are already being crush by the oppressiveness of being poor. And for you to rob them is to crush them further. They’re already suffering, piling it on isn’t the way of wisdom or the way of Jesus.

A New Testament example is found

In Matthew 21:12-17, where Jesus confronts the money changers in the temple who are exploiting people, particularly the poor, by selling sacrificial animals at exorbitant prices.

But something else is interesting here, that we might not understand. This phrase -

…at the gate.

The gate was the place of public discourse. It was the place in Israel for the elders, who acted as judges in disputes and claims. So, crushing the oppressed wasn’t something done in secret. Nor does it meant that the crushing of the oppressed can be done in secret. The gate was public, and what happened was the wicked would rob the poor and needy in public.

The Proverb is not directed at a hypothetical situation, rather at an action being demonstrated in real time in real life.

Crushing the oppressed publicly exposes a person’s private struggles with God.

We say kicking a man when he is down. This was the behavior of the wicked. What is going on the heart of the wicked is exposed through their treatment of others, especially those they believe are weaker, poorer, more in need, and defenseless.

What is the way of wisdom? What is the way of Jesus?

Peter says it this way -

1 Peter 5:7 HCSB

casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.

Paul says it this way

Galatians 6:2 HCSB

Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

We are called to carry each other’s burdens - because the poor among us are already suffering. No amount of lecturing is going to pay off.

The Poor are God’s

Proverbs 22:23 HCSB

for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.

That’s it. End of story.

Israel was familiar with judges and their legal system. So are we, generally. God Himself is going to represent them like a lawyer.

And, if we put every great attorney who’s ever lived on the side of the wicked, those who rob the poor, it isn’t even close!

It’s interesting that God Himself, the infinite King of Creation, takes up the case of those who can’t afford Him. Why?

Because He is holy and just. Because He is grace and love.

When you take from, exploit or rob the poor, you are insulting God.

Proverbs 14:31 (HCSB)

The one who oppresses the poor person insults his Maker, but one who is kind to the needy honors Him.

It’s like saying, I don’t think you’ll actually defend them or take up their case.

Recall the Roman soldier who sneered at Jesus on the cross. If you’re really the Son of God, rescue yourself. Come down.

This passage is heavy on don’ts.

It’s just plain heavy. It’s only two verses.

The case of the defenseless is handled by God.

That means everyone has a choice to make. We have a choice to make about how we treat the poor, the needy, the homeless, the victimized, the oppressed, the marginalized.

He called His people to be set apart, to defend the poor and needy. William and Catherine Booth began TSA with a specific purpose to minister to the poor, oppressed, and needy. The writer doesn’t tell us specific ways to help, but we know how.

How are you advocating for the marginalized?