Leviticus 23:22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God.
This passage of scripture shows us God's care for the poor and the less fortunate by providing a means whereby they could be helped on a continual basis. The instruction here given was for all people, not merely for the Jews, and it was to be carried out every time a person reaped his field or earned his wages. The performance of this duty was also to be deliberate, and not to be done by proxy, whenever one felt like doing so. When this statute is observed there is a steady flow of resources available to take care of members of the human family that have fallen on hard times, with no difference being made as to whether it is someone we know, or a complete stranger, for the injunction specifically states that the gleanings of the harvest must be left for the poor and the stranger.
Often in our own experiences the giving to the less fortunate is left up to chance, and not done in a deliberate, consistent manner. The principle of systematic benevolence will guide us to make a deliberate allowance for the poor, not based on our own bills and expenditures, but rather on the God-given principle that is enjoined upon all working classes. For instance, if a person's salary is $300.00 per week, then after he returns a faithful tithe and offering to God, a percentage of his earnings will be set aside for the less fortunate, and that sum should not be interfered with, even though one may have pressing bills. But the tendency to help the needy only after we have done all our shopping, paid all our bills, and have done our hair, nails and other extras, is not pleasing to God, and is a violation of the instruction given in the passage for today.
The privilege of helping those who are in need should not be looked upon as a requirement that will cause us loss, but rather as a sacred duty to be done with a willing mind and a cheerful spirit, for God loves a cheerful giver. Furthermore, the habit of hoarding all of one's wealth or earnings is productive of great evil, both to the hoarder and the needy, for hoarding violates the very principle of life. We inhale and then we exhale, our hearts take in blood to pump more blood, and the trees take in the sunshine and the rain, only to produce fruit and flowers for the service of man. Even in our water systems, there are inflow pumps and outflow pumps that bring clear water to our taps, and none of these benefits would accrue if the systems mentioned were based on the principle of hoarding. Hence the reason why the following texts should receive our due consideration. Let's read:
Proverbs 11:24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. 25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
In our own personal finances, let us therefore make a deliberate allowance to contribute to the uplifting of humanity in the person of the poor and needy, for it is a life-giving principle to live and let live. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which demonstrates the attitude we should ever cultivate in helping those who are in need, and if by the grace of God, benevolence is practiced on a continual basis and with the right spirit, it will go a long way in uprooting the selfishness that often stains otherwise sterling characters. Let's read:
2nd Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!