I don't understand why nations in the Old Testament
times didn't just help the poor and needy. It's so easy to not be under God's
judgment.
Why didn't they just tell them, "Get a better
paying job."
Or "Go get an education if you want to make
more than minimum wage and have enough money to live on. You understand that
raising minimum wage would just make everything cost more."
Or "I can't just give you a handout because
that would be enabling you."
Or "If you want health care, you should
probably go and get a job that provides it. It's not a right that you should be
taken care of when you are sick."
Or "We wouldn't be able to keep you safe with
all of our military spending unless we cut spending on the food we give to
you."
It's easy to help the poor. I just wonder why the
nations that received God's judgment didn't see the easy solutions we have come
up with these days.
"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister
Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease,
but did not aid the poor and needy." Ezekiel 16:49 (ESV)
Or maybe we're just Sodomites too?
**
After talking with a friend who read this post, I guess I should clarify.
The point isn't to be inspired to say what the poor can do to help themselves. The point is to be inspired to ask ourselves what we can do to love the poor. All too often we would like the easy path of dictating to others what they should do rather than living sacrificially to love others.
God didn't judge nations who didn't help the poor and needy because they didn't give good advice to the poor and needy. He judged them because they didn't actually help the poor and needy.
The only reason we don't have people destitute and starving to death all around us is because of the social programs we have as a society. A minimum wage worker relies on these programs to survive.
The solution is to either have companies pay living wages or to keep the social programs in place. But to fight against living wages and against the social programs is something a Christian should not do. That would be unloving to the poor and needy. Unless we are willing and able to take up the slack. If we aren't willing to take up the slack, it's not too Christlike of us to actually fight against the poor and needy receiving the help that they need.
As for what you should do, I can't give you particulars. I can say this though. If we define "love" as being "not loving", then we make it very easy for us to feel like we are loving even when we are not. That is what I was addressing. We can disagree all day on how to actually love. But if we are actually trying to do something about it, seeking God's will in the matter, rather than justifying away our desire to not love, then we are heading in the right direction.
Although I do believe that we all may be into sodomy a little too much. That's the Ezekiel definition of sodomy where we see that the reason Sodom was judged was because they didn't love the poor and needy. We have more in common with the Sodomites than we would like to admit.
**
After talking with a friend who read this post, I guess I should clarify.
The point isn't to be inspired to say what the poor can do to help themselves. The point is to be inspired to ask ourselves what we can do to love the poor. All too often we would like the easy path of dictating to others what they should do rather than living sacrificially to love others.
God didn't judge nations who didn't help the poor and needy because they didn't give good advice to the poor and needy. He judged them because they didn't actually help the poor and needy.
The only reason we don't have people destitute and starving to death all around us is because of the social programs we have as a society. A minimum wage worker relies on these programs to survive.
The solution is to either have companies pay living wages or to keep the social programs in place. But to fight against living wages and against the social programs is something a Christian should not do. That would be unloving to the poor and needy. Unless we are willing and able to take up the slack. If we aren't willing to take up the slack, it's not too Christlike of us to actually fight against the poor and needy receiving the help that they need.
As for what you should do, I can't give you particulars. I can say this though. If we define "love" as being "not loving", then we make it very easy for us to feel like we are loving even when we are not. That is what I was addressing. We can disagree all day on how to actually love. But if we are actually trying to do something about it, seeking God's will in the matter, rather than justifying away our desire to not love, then we are heading in the right direction.
Although I do believe that we all may be into sodomy a little too much. That's the Ezekiel definition of sodomy where we see that the reason Sodom was judged was because they didn't love the poor and needy. We have more in common with the Sodomites than we would like to admit.
