Poverty In The Old Testament

From the Old Testament through the New Testament, we see how God uses poverty to show us that life is more important than being wealthy. As we look at scripture we will notice that poverty is something that many people go through and it is not entirely bad. Today, we can use scriptures that talk about poverty to help keep us humble. Poverty plays an important role in the Bible that helps show God’s character. One thing that we learn early in the Old Testament is that if you’re poor you are still able to make sacrifices for your sin even if you cannot afford a lamb. God makes provisions for people who are in need. Leviticus 5:7 says, “But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation for the sin that he has …show more content…
Just as Jesus helps the poor we also should be helping the poor. This could be done in many different ways. Jeremiah 22:3 says, “Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place” (ESV). Isaiah 1:17 states, “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow 's cause” (ESV). As followers of Christ, we are to seek the oppressed and help them in any way that we can. By turning your back on a brother you are hating them. We know that God wants us to love our neighbors. We do not see stipulations under that. God has blessed many people with wealth. We can use this wealth to help other people become Christians. You can take someone who is poor out to lunch and while doing so share the gospel. Giving to the poor is something that we should always be seeking. Some people are poor in faith, what do we give them to help them out? Money is not what they need, but maybe encouragement and uplifting behavior is something that they want to see. We can share the gospel to people who are poor not just by word but also by