Key biblical understandings of poverty are encompassed both socially and spiritually. Jeremiah 22:3 tells us “what is just and right,” according to the Lord: Believers are to “rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.” Walking sequentially through Scripture, readers can see the multitude of faces poverty envelopes. The basic rule of the Mosaic Law was that if they obeyed God’s Law, which included specific instructions in relation to finances and the use of property, they would enjoy God’s blessing in the form of prosperity, and freedom from illness (Deuteronomy 6:1-3, 7:12-15). Despite Deuteronomy …show more content…
In 1 Samuel, Hannah's prayer exposes the circumstances of the poor alongside their dependence upon the Lord (2:5-8). In Nathan's parable to David in 2 Samuel, shows the nature of oppression, relativity of poverty, and the king’s concern to provide justice for the poor (12:1-4). Later, as the monarchy develops in 1 Kings, Solomon’s economic policies eventually strain Israel’s resources and increases the level of poverty (12:4). This situation was further accentuated with the influx of idolatry and increase of injustice during the divided monarchy. A striking example from the northern kingdom shows the predicament of an indebted woman who, having lost her husband, was about to lose her sons to a creditor. Also in 2 Kings, provision from God through Elisha is but one example of his "listening" to the cry of the poor in the Bible …show more content…
Because of the book's didactic nature, the primary focus is upon controllable circumstances although other reasons are included. According to Proverbs, poverty is a result of: laziness (6:10-11; 10:4; 20:13; 24:33-34), lack of discipline (13:18), idleness (14:23; 28:19), haste (21:5), excess (21:17; 23:20-21), and injustice (13:23). Poverty is realistically portrayed in Job 24, where the poor are identified as hungry, naked, and thirsty. Job also includes accounts of suffering from various injustices and oppression such as the loss of life, poverty, and family. Yet obedience to the Lord is more important than riches, which is seen in the comparison of poverty to all other areas of