“God’s great generosity to us sets us free to model that generosity toward others. Because He gave, we are enabled to give.
This celebration of the generosity of God and freedom to give in return is clearly seen in the year of Jubilee (Lev 25). The Jubilee was a call to a divinely enabled freedom from possessions and an equitable restructuring of social arrangements.
Once every fifty years, on the Day of Atonement, the loud trumpet was to sound, proclaiming, ‘liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants’ (Lev 25:10). All slaves were to be set free. All debts were to be canceled. All land was to be returned to the original owner.
Inherent in the concept of the Jubilee was a carefree spirit of joyous trust. God could be relied upon to provide what was needed. He had promised, ‘I will command my blessing upon you’ (Lev 25:21). It was this inner spirit of trust that gave the ability to meet the stipulations of the Jubilee.
There was an important social principle in the Jubilee. If it had been faithfully executed (which it was not), it would have utterly eliminated the age-old problem of the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer. It was, in effect, legislative justice on behalf of the poor – and institutionalized legal mechanism for solving the social and spiritual problem. The vicious cycle of poverty could be broken. Parents who had lost everything and were forced to sell themselves into slavery to survive knew that their children need not be crushed with their economic legacy. They could have a fresh start. Conversely, the wealthy could not forever lord it over those less fortunate. Their advantaged position was not perpetual.”
(Foster, pg. 24)
My sister and I often talk about poverty. She is the CFO of a not-for-profit in downtown KC that helps get housing for those without homes. One time she told me, “The average homeless person is 8. This is not the ‘bum on the street who needs to get a job.’ These are children.”
We regularly toss back and forth reasons for poverty, the poverty cycle and whose problem it is. And, of course, what our duty is as followers of Jesus. We’ve chatted about the following from Generous Justice:
One of the main reasons we cannot fit the Bible’s approach [in poverty and social reform] into a liberal or conservative economic model is the Scripture’s highly nuanced understanding of the causes of poverty. Liberal theorists believe the “root causes” of poverty are always social forces beyond the control of the poor, such as racial prejudice, economic deprivation, joblessness, and other inequities. Conservative theorists put the blame on the breakdown of the family, the loss of character qualities such as self-control and discipline, and other habits and practices of the poor themselves.
By contrast, the causes of poverty as put forth in the Bible are remarkably balanced. The Bible gives us a matrix of causes. One factor is oppression, which includes a judicial system weighted in favor of the powerful (Lev 19:15), or loans with excessive interest (Exodus 22:25-27), or unjustly low wages (Jer 22:13; James 5:1-6).
Ultimately, however, the prophets blame the rich when extremes of wealth and poverty in society appear (Amos5:11-12; Ex 22:29; Micah 2:2; Isaiah 5:8).
As we have seen , a great deal of the Mosaic legislation was designed to keep the ordinary disparities between the wealthy and the poor from becoming aggravated and extreme. Therefore, whenever great disparities arose, the prophets assumed that to some degree it was the result of selfish individualism rather than concern with the common good.
If this were all that the Bible had to say about poverty, we might be tempted to assume that the liberals were right, that poverty comes from only unjust social conditions. But there are other factors. One is what we could call “natural disasters.” This refers to any natural circumstances that brings or keeps a person in poverty, such as famine (Genesis 47), disabling injury, floods, or fires. It may be fair to say, also, that some people lack the ability to make wise decisions. It is not a moral failing, they are simply unable to make good choices because they lack insight.
Another cause of poverty, according to the Bible, is what we could call “personal moral failures,” such as indolence (Prov 6:6-7), and other problems with self-discipline (Prov 23:21). The book of Proverbs is particularly forceful in its insistence that hard work can lead to economic prosperity (Prov 12:11; 14:23; 20:13), though there are exceptions (Prov 13:23).
Poverty, therefore, is seen in the Bible as a very complex phenomenon. Several factors are usually intertwined. Poverty cannot be eliminated simply by personal initiative or by merely changing the tax structure. Multiple factors are usually interactively present in the life of a poor family. For example: A person raised in a racial/economic ghetto (factor #1) is likely to have poor health (factor #2) and also learn many habits that do not fit with material/social advancement (factors #2 and 3). Any large-scale improvement in a society’s level of poverty will come through a comprehensive array of public and private, spiritual, personal and corporate measure. There are many indications that scholars are coming to have a more balanced, complex view of poverty and are breaking through the older Right-Left deadlock.
The three causes of poverty, according to the Bible, are oppression, calamity, and personal moral failure. Having surveyed the Bible on these texts numerous times, I have concluded that the emphasis is usually on the larger structural factors. In many countries of the world, corrupt governments, oppressive economic orders, and natural disasters keep hundreds of millions of people in poverty. In our own country, the weak educational system that society provides for inner city youth sets them up for failure. But when we add personal wrongdoing and crime to the larger forces of exclusion and oppression, we have a potent mixture that locks people into poverty. Taken in isolation, no one factor – government programs, public policy, calls to personal responsibility, or private charity – is sufficient to address the problem.
(Keller, pgs 33-35)
We were talking the other day about all the prejudices and misconceptions Christians have regarding poverty. My sissy had heard a quote that went something like “If you want to get into heaven, you’re gonna need a letter of reference from the poor.”
Now, we know the only way we can even think of standing before the just Judge is the covering of the Spotless Lamb. But I think it would do us well to remember, again, that this Lamb – from Genesis to Revelation – shows a special concern for the poor, widow, orphan and marginalized. In fact, He closely identifies with them.
Do not deprive the alien or fatherless of justice. (Deut 24:17)
“Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.” (Prov 22:22)
“The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.” (Prov 29:7)
“He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.” (Prov 17:5)
“If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.” (Prov 21:13)
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (Prov 31:8)
If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land. (Deut 15:7)
Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise, says the LORD, I will protect them from those who malign them (Ps 12:5)
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling (Ps 68:5)
He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. (Prov 14:31)
He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses (Prov 28:27)
It seems to me we should tread very lightly and humbly in this area. We cannot afford any other way.
Oh, Righteous Creator, You are the One we want to please. Break our hearts for what breaks Yours.