Half the world — nearly three billion people — live on less than $2 a day.
30,000 children die each day due to poverty.
The developing world now spends $13 on debt repayment for every $1 it receives in grants.
The “Make Poverty History” campaign was a grass roots movement targeting the politicians of the eight largest economies of the world to pressure them to cancel third-world debt and remove trade barriers so that the poorest countries can trade their way out of poverty.
Monthly it seems there is some famine or some disaster or some war in Africa that threatens to wipe out a million people through starvation. And AIDS is insidiously destroying millions of Africans each year leaving in its wake widows and orphans and the destitute.
Nightly, we see the faces of children – the poorest children of the world - in TV adverts for World Vision or TEAR fund – seeking sponsors to give a dollar a day to change these young lives.
At the other end of the spectrum:
We have TV programs about the rich and famous: how Brad spent 13 million on a new house; how Tom bought a watch for $100,000.
A few hundred millionaires now own as much wealth as the world’s poorest 2.5 billion people.
The combined wealth of the world’s 200 richest people is over $1 trillion while the combined incomes of the 582 million people living in the 43 least developed countries is $146 billion
That averages $5 Billion for each of the rich and $250 for each of the poor.
Bill Gates, Mr Microsoft, the richest man in the world is worth over $27 billion. And he started his business in a garage 30 years ago.
How are Christians to react to these extremes of poverty and these extremes of wealth? Are we OK because we’re middle-class – neither poor nor rich?
Of course, compared to most people living in Bangladesh we’re extravagantly rich. To live just under a government-specified “poverty line” is quite different from dying of starvation. But even within New Zealand there is a government benchmark for poverty – and those of us that fall below it are deemed to be living in poverty. An OECD economist said: “The children of stay-home mothers are almost three times as likely to be poor as those whose parents both work … mothers who interrupt their careers to care for children are at higher risk of poverty when they are older.”
How do we respond to the extremes of poverty and the extremes of wealth? What, if anything, should we do – could we do – to change our world? And what about ourselves – do I live in poverty? Or am I one of the wealthy?
With great insight, the wise man Agur, in Proverbs 30, writes:
Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonour the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:8-9)
In this series we’re going to try and sketch out what the Bible has to say about poverty and riches – and see where we fit into the picture. This is a huge subject area – the scope of books and numerous sermons - which means that I’ll need to paint with a broad brush – but hopefully in a way that gives us some of the dimensions of the issues.
So firstly we’re thinking about poverty. Deep poverty is never pleasant. And what we mean by “poverty” is immensely variable. There are different kinds of “poverty” in the world. Let's consider four types of poverty.
The Unfortunate Poor
Some people are poor because of unfortunate circumstances. Perhaps the breadwinner has been inflicted with a debilitating and incurable disease. Perhaps successive years of drought have brought destitution. Recall the story of Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi. Drought drove Naomi and her family out of Judah into Moab; three tragic deaths sent her back, along with her widowed daughter-in-law. In times of upheaval it is usually the poor who suffer most.
The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor. (Proverbs 10:15)
In a fallen world there will always be people whose poverty is the result of tragedy. But there can be little doubt how Christians ought to respond when they observe such poverty. From a biblical perspective, our first response should be compassion and material support.
There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open handed toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land (Deuteronomy 15:11).
When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this. (Deuteronomy 24: 19-22)
In a society of day labourers, wages were to be paid promptly (Leviticus 19:13).
The Law given by Moses stipulated that every third year a tenth of agricultural produce was to be set aside for the poor and the Levites (Deuteronomy 26:12ff.).
In the seventh year, when fields were to lie fallow, the poor were permitted to live on their produce (Exodus 23:10-11).
Ruth and Naomi benefited from the integrity of Boaz who observed such laws as these. The God of the Bible is the God in whose image each of us, rich and poor, has been created. That is why it is written:
“He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 17:5).
When a Tsunami, earthquake or flood strikes there is the trauma and tragedy of the event. But there is also the long, expensive road to recovery.
The Lazy Poor
Although the Book of Proverbs features most kinds of poverty, this kind is especially prominent.
The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied … He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honoured. (Proverbs 13:4, 18)
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. (Proverbs 14:23)
Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry. (Proverbs 19:15)
Sometimes laziness is coupled with other vices: “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags” (Proverbs 23:20-21). The poverty of the younger son in Jesus’ parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-16) was the result of his own decadent self-indulgence.
This is an area where sweeping generalizations are almost always out of place and where judgments must be made on a case-by-case basis.
People who cannot find work, suffering layoffs in a major recession, may become so discouraged that they drift to drink and laziness, even though they did not start that way. They remain responsible for their attitudes, but there can be no reasonable doubt that losing their jobs has contributed not a little to the breakdown in their moral fibre.
At the same time, there is more and more evidence that mere handouts in such cases, even when motivated by the deepest compassion, are not what is needed. Such charity may breed a sense of dependence that proves debilitating. If large numbers of people in any cultural group experience this same thing, that group is on its way toward long-term structural poverty.
Meanwhile, subtler forms of laziness can do desperate damage to a nation. Where we demand more and more money for less and less work; where there is neither pride in labour nor integrity in performing a full day’s labour for a full day’s pay; where there is no concern for the competitive productivity that must prevail if an industry is to compete in the international marketplace - there too will the fruit of laziness ultimately manifest itself in doomed industries, massive unemployment, and a decaying culture.
The sin factor can be strong. Personal laziness and lack of discipline are offences before God. Where idleness has been stimulated by loss of employment, the sins of others may also be involved, or even the unfortunate circumstance, as when a coal face runs out and forces a lot of miners out of work (the first kind of poverty). The Bible warns that: “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth” (Proverbs 10:4).
The Oppressed Poor
Probably this is the most frequently mentioned category in the Old Testament. Such poverty stems from the thoughtless or malicious exploitation of others.
“A poor man’s field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away” (Proverbs 13:23).
Again the Bible has the story of Naboth who was murdered and his vineyard stolen by King Ahab. Also the prophets can denounce the monopolistic greed that squeezes out the little man:
“Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land” (Isaiah 5:8).
The profoundly dehumanizing effects of all poverty are perhaps increased with this kind, for cynicism is added to all the other evils. It is doubtful if anyone has ever been more cynical than the writer of Ecclesiastes as he projects the perspective of a man who simply observes what takes place “under the sun”:
I saw the tears of the oppressed - and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors - and they have no comforter … If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and right denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields. Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 4:1; 5:8-10)
Here poverty is the direct result of sin - someone else’s sin. As in the first kind of poverty, the unfortunate poverty, sin is involved, but now not as the background that attracts judgment on a fallen world but as immediate oppression.
The Old Testament asserts, as all modern analyses demonstrate, that only a tiny fraction of poverty is “accidental”. Mostly, people are made poor by the actions of others – directly or indirectly. Poverty is caused. And the primary cause is the exploitation of others by those whose own selfish interests are served by keeping other poor.
The G8, the eight riches countries of the world, have promised to halve world poverty by 2015. Rightly or wrongly the politicians believe that the levers for change are within easy human grasp. We can make global change within a decade. There may still be some question as to why God “allows” such evil, but there can be little doubt that the evil itself is the work of human beings. If we human beings are morally responsible creatures - and we are - we had better look to ourselves first.
In many cases, the most we personally can offer to victims of oppression is compassion mingled with charity. But what the poor really need in these cases is justice; and where we can provide it, we ought to do so.
The righteous care about justice for the poor; but the wicked have no such concern. (Proverbs 29:7)
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:9)
It might be better if we spent less time blaming God for the problem of poverty, and more time remembering that we must give an account to the God of justice:
The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both. If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure. (Proverbs 29:13-14)
Over the last century it has been the massive, grinding poverty - brought about through oppressors: be they
colonial powers that have stripped the wealth from nations or
the imperialism of 3rd World debt or
national leaders who have fleeced their own people through greed, corruption, injustice or religious systems
that have maintained and reinforced the impoverishment of whole classes of people.
Over the last century as the poor in this or that country have been seen as the global poor – victims together of oppressive regimes – some have spoken of God’s preference for the poor: that God sides with the oppressed against their oppressors and that God has a bias for the poor.
So in Luke’s gospel Jesus is recorded as saying: “Blessed are you who are poor, for your is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20). But in Matthew’s gospel Jesus says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). And the difference is explained this way: Jesus was on a mission to the poor – which Luke faithfully records, but Matthew spiritualises and softens it. Which is what rich Westerners do to avoid ministry to the poor. I believe that misunderstands both Luke and Matthew.
The Poor in Spirit
When go back to the Old Testament, some Hebrew words for “the poor” refer to those who because of sustained economic hardship and social distress have confidence only in God
Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. (Psalm 40:17)
For a king to speak repeatedly of himself as ‘poor and needy’ (or similar expressions; cf. Pss. 40:17; 69:29; 70:5; 86:1; 109:22) is somewhat strange if not downright silly, unless it is understood that he is not speaking in terms of possessions, but of status and honour. In fact, often in the psalms the threat to the king is that those who wish him harm “seek his life” and his response to them is that they, not he, will be “put to shame.” Here the “wealth” from which the king is in fear of being stripped is not primarily material possessions, but honour, status, even life itself.
Later in Israel’s history when so many of the wealthy and powerful were also the most corrupt and spiritually compromised (certainly not a unique period of history!), many writers could almost equate being “poor” and being “righteous.” This is not because grinding poverty is an intrinsic good. But if it helps someone come to God and ask for mercy, the intrinsic evil may in God’s providence turn out to be a means of grace.
“Poverty of spirit” may in many instances begin with poverty; if it leads to self-confessed bankruptcy of spirit and a humble plea to God for help, it may function as a great benefit. Old Testament writers are quick to point out that there are worse things than poverty; it is Western materialism that doubts it. “Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife” (Proverbs 17:1). But there is a deeper factor: the rich and powerful are often so self-satisfied and boastful that they never feel their need of grace; and if they do feel it, they have so much of a front to maintain that they will never admit it.
A poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich man answers harshly. (Proverbs. 18:23)
The poor may therefore develop a vein of insight that the rich can never mine:
A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him. (Proverbs 28:11)
Small wonder that Jesus repeatedly emphasises how hard it is for rich people to enter the kingdom; small wonder that he can cast the opening of his public ministry in the prophetic words of Isaiah 61:
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. (Luke 4:18-19)
The poor in spirit, then, turn to the Lord in their need, and find him to be bountiful in mercy. And so against this Old Testament background, both Luke and Matthew are saying essentially the same thing: blessed are the pious poor: those who through lack of material possessions have come to learn of their spiritual poverty.
And I think this is a reason to focus our mission energies in developing countries. Not because God is biased towards the poor. But because material poverty can on occasion help people see their spiritual poverty. There’s no guarantee here. The poor of this world can be just as hardened, just as blind, just as proud, just as rebellious and a rich person.
Conclusion
How are we to respond to all this? What should we be doing?
Well, I think we firstly have to see the world as it real is – broken. For millions and millions of people eking out a subsistence-living is all they know. And the globalisation of the world means that we now know as well. We can’t plead ignorance of their plight. We have journeyed on the Jericho road and seen the destitute victims – like the Samaritan it cannot be right to think we can pass by on the other side without doing something.
But if the poor in these 3rd world countries feel powerless – likewise we, in our 1st world country, feel powerless. What lever can I pull; what gift can I give; what sacrifice can I make – that will alleviate the poverty of billions scattered around the globe? They feel overwhelmed by the problem – so do we!
But we must do something though – so whatever the size of the beginning – let’s make a beginning.
If you are able to sponsor a World Vision child – great, do what you can.
Let’s use the privilege of participating in a democratic governmental system to call and vote for generosity with our tax dollars towards the poor – both within New Zealand and as foreign aid and foreign trade for the world’s poorest people.
Let’s be wise consumers – let’s use the power of our spending to encourage manufacturers and producers to pay fair wages to their workers.
And, because God in his providence has put us here let’s also do what we can – not what we can’t. We can give money towards the lessening of some poverty for some people.
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