I stumbled across a Bible verse this morning, concerning the poor. I know I've read it before, but it had never really jumped out at me. (The amazing thing about the Bible is that you learn something new each and every time you read it.
Now, I confess, the book of Jeremiah is not my favorite. It's sad. There was a reason he was called the weeping prophet. He saw ruin come to the country he loved, and there was so little he could do about it, because the people would not heed the warning of God.
In the verses below, Jeremiah was warning an evil king, while citing why the king's father, Josiah, had not seen evil in his day. (Because....the evil king Jehoiakim was almost the polar opposite in belief and behavior of his good father Josiah, and thus ruination was coming upon the country for the king's acts, as well as the godlessness of the people.)
Jeremiah gives several reasons why Josiah was a good king, but the one that jumped out at me was this:
"He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?”
declares the Lord." Jeremiah 22:16
(Some translations have "defended the cause" replaced with "took up the cause" "plead the cause" or "judged the cause.")
Josiah, a king, a ruler, who had found favor in the eyes of the Lord, had championed the cause of the poor...and "so all went well."
He saw the needy and defended them. Plead their cause. Saw they got justice. And so...it went well with him. His son would exploit the poor and the laborers, in order to live lavishly...and all did *not* go well for him.
But the most remarkable, to me, part of the verse is next:
"Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the Lord.
Is that not what it means to know me. I paused over that line. I keep going back to it.
The Bible is rich in commandments and urgings to help the needy, the poor, the outcast. It really isn't an option if you want to be a follower of Christ; you have to help others. It isn't that works will save you, because only faith in Christ is what saves you, but a true faith will cause love to swell up in you, and you'll want to reach out and help others.
First John 3:17 states that, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”
God asked, “Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood” (Isaiah 58:7)? We also need to “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 31:8-9). In fact, “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern” (Prov 29:7)
There are a many other verses just like those above, telling us we must help the poor and needy if we seek to follow God's heart.
A child often mimics their parents when learning. You see it in the games they play, in the manner in which they attempt to speak like their parents (for good or ill), often even in what they choose to like or dislike. I grew up a Dodgers fan because my father is a Dodgers fan; I dislike the SF Giants because my father dislikes the Giants. I grew up matching many of the steps and ideas of my parents because I love them, and so took on many of their outlooks for my own.
As a child of God, I do much the same thing. I read the Bible, I study the writings of church members of the past, read the commentaries, pray and ponder so that I may grow in understanding of my heavenly Father's heart, and thus mimic and follow His steps.
When we take on God's causes as our own, out of love for Him, then that shows God that we are seeking to know Him. To be like Him. It is a way in which our childlike faith can reflect back to Him how much He means to us.
Josiah, the good king that Jeremiah used as a standard, understood this. He took God's causes to his own heart, he championed the causes of the poor and needy, because that is what God's Word commands us to do. And by doing the will of God, out of love for God, he showed that he knew God.
Do your actions show that you know God? That you love God? That you seek to do His will, love His people, and follow His heart?
""Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the Lord.
I want to know the Lord. I want to walk with Him. He fills me with wonderment, delight, compassion, anguish (for the broken and fallen all around), peace and love. I know I have a *long* way to go in my walk, I stumble so often. But God is patient, and picks me back up and sets me on my way again. He knows that I long to know Him the best I can. And I know He'll keep putting people in front of me that can be helped, prayed for, wept with, laughed with, cherished, taught and learned from....for when we reach out to others, trying to be God's love to them.....then we get a glimpse of what it means to know the Lord.
Be blessed, my friends, and may you be a blessing unto others,
-Beth Haynes Butler
Now, I confess, the book of Jeremiah is not my favorite. It's sad. There was a reason he was called the weeping prophet. He saw ruin come to the country he loved, and there was so little he could do about it, because the people would not heed the warning of God.
In the verses below, Jeremiah was warning an evil king, while citing why the king's father, Josiah, had not seen evil in his day. (Because....the evil king Jehoiakim was almost the polar opposite in belief and behavior of his good father Josiah, and thus ruination was coming upon the country for the king's acts, as well as the godlessness of the people.)
Jeremiah gives several reasons why Josiah was a good king, but the one that jumped out at me was this:
"He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?”
declares the Lord." Jeremiah 22:16
(Some translations have "defended the cause" replaced with "took up the cause" "plead the cause" or "judged the cause.")
Josiah, a king, a ruler, who had found favor in the eyes of the Lord, had championed the cause of the poor...and "so all went well."
He saw the needy and defended them. Plead their cause. Saw they got justice. And so...it went well with him. His son would exploit the poor and the laborers, in order to live lavishly...and all did *not* go well for him.
But the most remarkable, to me, part of the verse is next:
"Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the Lord.
Is that not what it means to know me. I paused over that line. I keep going back to it.
The Bible is rich in commandments and urgings to help the needy, the poor, the outcast. It really isn't an option if you want to be a follower of Christ; you have to help others. It isn't that works will save you, because only faith in Christ is what saves you, but a true faith will cause love to swell up in you, and you'll want to reach out and help others.
First John 3:17 states that, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”
God asked, “Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood” (Isaiah 58:7)? We also need to “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 31:8-9). In fact, “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern” (Prov 29:7)
There are a many other verses just like those above, telling us we must help the poor and needy if we seek to follow God's heart.
A child often mimics their parents when learning. You see it in the games they play, in the manner in which they attempt to speak like their parents (for good or ill), often even in what they choose to like or dislike. I grew up a Dodgers fan because my father is a Dodgers fan; I dislike the SF Giants because my father dislikes the Giants. I grew up matching many of the steps and ideas of my parents because I love them, and so took on many of their outlooks for my own.
As a child of God, I do much the same thing. I read the Bible, I study the writings of church members of the past, read the commentaries, pray and ponder so that I may grow in understanding of my heavenly Father's heart, and thus mimic and follow His steps.
When we take on God's causes as our own, out of love for Him, then that shows God that we are seeking to know Him. To be like Him. It is a way in which our childlike faith can reflect back to Him how much He means to us.
Josiah, the good king that Jeremiah used as a standard, understood this. He took God's causes to his own heart, he championed the causes of the poor and needy, because that is what God's Word commands us to do. And by doing the will of God, out of love for God, he showed that he knew God.
Do your actions show that you know God? That you love God? That you seek to do His will, love His people, and follow His heart?
""Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the Lord.
I want to know the Lord. I want to walk with Him. He fills me with wonderment, delight, compassion, anguish (for the broken and fallen all around), peace and love. I know I have a *long* way to go in my walk, I stumble so often. But God is patient, and picks me back up and sets me on my way again. He knows that I long to know Him the best I can. And I know He'll keep putting people in front of me that can be helped, prayed for, wept with, laughed with, cherished, taught and learned from....for when we reach out to others, trying to be God's love to them.....then we get a glimpse of what it means to know the Lord.
Be blessed, my friends, and may you be a blessing unto others,
-Beth Haynes Butler
No comments:
Post a Comment