The Poor And The Oppressed
The Poor And The Oppressed
Poverty is a major concern of the entire Old Testament, and no Old Testament book has more references to this subject than the Psalms. Here are a few references regarding the poor and the oppressed:
Psalm 72:13
He feels pity for the weak and the needy,
and he will rescue them.
Psalm 10:17
LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless.
Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them.
Psalm 74:21
Don’t let the downtrodden be constantly disgraced!
Instead, let these poor and needy ones give praise to your name.
Psalm 109:31
He stands beside the needy,
ready to save them from those who condemn them.
Psalm 113:7
He lifts the poor from the dirt
and the needy from the garbage dump.
Psalm 146:9
The LORD protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows.
Psalm 112:1, 9
Happy are those who fear the LORD. . . .
They give generously to those in need.
Psalm 41:1
Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor.
The LORD rescues them in times of trouble.
God set up many systems in the Old Testament to relieve poverty: (1) Judges were warned not to deny justice to the poor in court cases (Exodus 23:6); (2) farmers were instructed to leave any grain and grapes that were missed in the harvesting process for foreigners, orphans, and widows (Deuteronomy 24:21); (3) the wealthy were encouraged to give loans to the poor, and every seventh year all outstanding debts were cancelled (Deuteronomy 15:1, 9); (4) tithes were to be given not only to the Levites and the Temple but also to the “foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the widows” (Deuteronomy 14:29); (5) property rights of the poor were safeguarded so that the rich could not permanently take over their land (Leviticus 25:24-28); and (6) while the poor could sell themselves into voluntary servitude, they had to be released after seven years and provided with resources to get a fresh start in life (Deuteronomy 15:12-14).
Despite these provisions, however, poverty and oppression were always a problem in Israel. We can see this by how frequently the Psalms speak about this issue. At first it might seem surprising that a king like David, who became increasingly wealthy during his lifetime, would be so concerned about such social issues. But David probably never forgot that his great-grandmother, Ruth, was a foreigner in Israel and had to glean in the fields. He never forgot that he himself had been a fugitive for many years, a hunted man living in caves and foraging for food.
It might have seemed strange for Israelites to sing psalms written by their king, saying, “I am poor and needy” (Psalm 70:5), but a psalm like that brings all of us to the same level before God, which is where we need to be.
To comfort and to bless, to find a balm for woe,
To tend the lone and fatherless is angels’ work below.
And we believe thy word, though dim our faith may be:
Whate’er for thine we do, O Lord, we do it unto thee.
WILLIAM W. HOW
How did David the psalmist deal with the needy and handicapped? Read the story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 4:4 and 2 Samuel 9.
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