Rich vs. Poor

Psalm 12

English Standard Version (ESV)

12 Save, O Lord, for ^(A)the godly one is gone;
    for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
² Everyone ^(B)utters lies to his neighbor;
    with ^(C)flattering lips and ^(D)a double heart they speak.

³ May the Lord cut off all ^(E)flattering lips,
    the tongue that makes ^(F)great boasts,
⁴ those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
    our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

⁵ “Because ^(G)the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
    ^(H)I will now arise,” says the Lord;
    “I will place him in the ^(I)safety for which he longs.”
^6 (J)The words of the Lord are pure words,
    like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.

⁷ You, O Lord, will keep them;
    you will guard us^[b] from this generation forever.
⁸ On every side the wicked prowl,
    as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2012&version=ESV)

When everything around you seems to be falling apart, when your friends let you down, lie to you, talk behind your back, when evil is all around; rest assured the Lord is the only One who can save you.  He tells us that He will rise because of the poor are taken advantage of,  He will rise because the poor are afflicted.

The poor, who are they?  The rich, who are they?  I really have to stop and think about this.  I always have a picture of the poor as being the person that has their hand out, always looking for a free meal, always trying to bum something off of someone who has more.  In this case though it is not the poor that are taking advantage, it is the rich.  The poor, as I read it are the ones whose lives are being destroyed by the rich.  The ones who have lost everything because someone higher up decided to lie, cheat and steal from them. 

I have to fast forward to the New Testament and think of the Pharisees who prayed their elaborate prayers and encouraged everyone to give their tithe.  Who dropped their large coins in the offering while still not giving as much as they required everyone else to give.  The Pharisees who thought more about what they had, the power they had, the lifestyle they lived that they did not recognize the One true God in Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Now, I have to stop and think am I the rich or the poor?  I have been afforded a lot in this life.  I was raised in a Christian home.  I never went to bed hungry, I only wanted for the better toy, the better instrument and the coolest car.  I was born into a rich heritage of people who loved the Lord.  By all means I should consider myself rich so I better be willing to take care of the poor, the less fortunate, the ones who struggle in this world.  For sure, I better not take advantage of them, lie to them, even still from them.  I should be giving them the hope of salvation.

Does that mean that everyone that is poor is godly or that everyone who is rich is ungodly?  No, by no means.  Some people are poor by choice, by their own actions, as a result of poor decisions.  They deserve to be given the opportunity to make better choices, to be taught to discern, to be given opportunities to succeed, yet often times the rich, the ones who think they are one up on them, write them off,  throw them away.  It is up to them whether they choose a life with Christ or if they choose to remain poor but it is our responsibility to give them the opportunity to change.  It is strange to me that the ones who have the most are the ones that steal from the poor.  Wouldn’t you think it would be the other way around?  Yet every time that we don’t share of the love of Christ with anyone who does not know Him, we are stealing from them.  OUCH, I don’t like that thought!

There are the poor like Naomi and Ruth who were poor due to circumstance and we see the correct reaction from a man who had wealth.  I can remember a time in our lives when my husband and I had lost everything we had worked for.  People with money took advantage of us but then there were some with money who blessed us.  As a Christian, I believe it is our duty to be the ones who are truthful, who bring to the poor the hope of salvation. 

The poor could be the richest person you know or it could be the slum in the street.  The rich could be the richest person you know or the family with no food.  The point is, we need to be truthful and honest, give God the glory, and seek Him with all our hearts because He is the One who is in full control.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila