But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:3-4
While the main context of Yeshua's comment is in deriding acts of hypocrisy, within this pronouncement is a nugget of wisdom as it comes to helping others in need. While he denounces the proud and their showy acts of helping others, he is effectively saying that we should be privately and sincerely compassionate toward those in need. The need is real and when we give we should be quietly genuine in our acts of helping others. That is the type of compassionate giving that God honors.
2:22 Biblical entreaties to give to the poor
3:42 Blessings and curses associated with giving
6:14 An illustrative story of giving
7:20 The current state and causes of poverty
9:20 Provisions for the poor in ancient Israel
9:50 Gleanings
10:56 Third year offerings
11:46 Personal loans
Who is identified as the needy in the Bible?
14:15 Widows and orphans
15:06 Foreigners
16:15 Levites
17:53 Summary of whom we should be helping
18:37 Helping your neighbor
19:35 The commands provide intentionality
Be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
All music in this episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
MORE INFO:
Visit the blog articles and full podcast archive at: coreofthebible.org
Email questions or comments to Steve at: coreofthebible@gmail.com
MUSIC:
All music in today's episode: "Brittle Rille" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
