Give

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

GIVE

Prov 28:27

27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

NIV

This would affirm the fact that it is blessed to give rather than receive, unless you are among the poor. If among the poor it is surely good to receive, but that would depend on the generosity of those who have enough to give. Yet how much is needed in order to give? We have to think of the time when Jesus was sitting in the temple watching people bring their offerings. The rich Pharisees gave much, but Jesus made note of a poor lady who gave so little.

Luke 21:1-4

21:1 As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.   3 "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." 

NIV

It would seem those who have a lot of money can afford to give to the needy without depleting their own needs or wants for that matter. But the issue at hand is not about how much we have or not have but that we do not close our eyes to the needs of those who are without any means at all. This might have been a larger issue in the times these proverbs were written and throughout the Old Testament up to and through the time of Christ. It may have been even up to the more modern times we live in today. We surely still have those without means, or who would be considered the poor. Yet in our modern culture with large government programs to care for the needy, we do not even see the poor as they might have in those days. Surely from one point of view anyone could be considered the poor by someone. A person who makes one million dollars a year might consider someone who makes twenty thousand a year poor. In this sense it would be all relative as to who is the poor. Yet the Hebrew word translated poor means to be destitute. That would imply without any means of support, totally dependent on the gifts of others. These are the people we should not close our eyes to. It is difficult to not prejudge those who do stand on the roadside at intersections or exit ramps with signs asking for money to buy food. It might be easier to give at church in hopes the church has some program of giving to the needy, but then does that fit with this proverb? No, it would seem we need to have an open eye and when we see a person in need, simply give. God, who knows all things, sees the heart and knows we are giving out of compassion. Who is to judge the sign bearing person? Sometimes we think there are just milking the people and do not want to work. Maybe they want the money to buy drink or drugs. We think all sorts of evil about them and in essence we are closing our eyes to them. We pass them by without giving. This is the only case in which we truly could give to the needy from a personal point of view, unless we went out driving looking for some needy people in the city. Then how would we know who is needy and who is not? So we simply need to make a commitment to keep our eyes open and when we see a person in need, a person asking for help, give. What is ten dollars to us? What is twenty dollars to us? Did not God say that if we give we will lack nothing? Seriously we simply need to open our eyes and when we see the needy, give.