“There Will Always Be Poor People In The Land; So What Do We Do?”(Dt.15:7-11).
“If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: ‘The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,’ so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.” Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this, the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”
Poverty alleviation is a process. Poverty is a perennial concern. Both Moses and the Lord Jesus Christ affirmed that the poor and needy will always be there. So we are told to stretch helping hands to the poor and needy of our communities.
But Mr Trust died because Bad Pay poisoned him.
Openhanded people are quite often called “Money Miss Road” or “Mugu Money Spender(MMS) by the very people they have helped. When they lend to people, the people renege on the payment in the spirit of entitlement. Openhanded people can suddenly become hardhearted and become tightfisted due to negative recompense. However, one does not abandon the farm to the monkeys simply because monkeys ate some of the maize. “The leopard does not change its spot” is also positive. If you are an openhanded person, do not let the ignorant behaviour of some ingrates cause you to become hardhearted.
Lend to the poor and needy without usury.(Ex.22:25). God had asked Israel to cancel all debts in the seventh year(Dt.15:1-2). The rich became reluctant to lend money in the sixth year since it had to be cancelled the following year.
The rate at which some African countries are incurring debts is as if they expect the seventh year or the Jubilee year to be reinstated. Children who have not yet been conceived will spend their years paying the loans that we have acquired. This is sin because the LORD had said that parents can not eat sour grapes and the children’s teeth are on edge.
Worst of all, the lenders are not kindhearted and openhanded! They are predators throwing corn as a bait to catch the fowl for the fire and eventually human stomachs! If they refuse us the loan and we cry out to the LORD, he may not hear us if our intentions are not godly.
My friends, the poor and needy, are always going to be in our midst. We may not be operating in the context of a cancellation of debts in the seventh year. Yet, we have to show generosity and kindness to the less fortunate amongst us. We have said it more than once that the short bed in the farm is neither because the farmer was lazy nor that there was not enough ground. Even in so-called developed societies, there are indigenes who stand in need of the generosity and kindness of the privileged ones. Of course, if money and wealth are all you have, it means you are very poor! My people sing: “If you fill a house with money, I will take a human being because human beings are more than money.” Riches and wealth can not help you in emergencies unless there are people to take you to where you can be helped. Let us be good and continue to show kindness and generosity.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, inspire me to be kind and generous to the kins who are less fortunate than me. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.
04/02/2026.