Bible Verses About The Poor

“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dump to seat them with nobles, with the princes of His people.”

God is pictured lifting the needy from the dust and seating them among princes. He reverses the world's ranking.

“Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.”

Oppressing a poor person insults their Maker, and kindness to them honors him. How we treat the vulnerable is a statement about God.

“He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free, the LORD opens the eyes of the blind, the LORD lifts those who are weighed down, the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD protects foreigners; He sustains the fatherless and the widow, but the ways of the wicked He frustrates.”

The psalm lists what the Lord does: justice for the oppressed, food for the hungry, freedom for prisoners, care for foreigners and widows. It is a portrait of God's character and a pattern for his people.

“Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

Jesus turns to his disciples and calls the poor blessed because the kingdom of God is theirs. Readers debate how literally to take poor here, but it is certainly good news for the needy.

“If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother. Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin. Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything to which you put your hand. For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.”

Israel is told not to harden its heart or close its hand toward a needy neighbor, and to give freely. The text admits the poor will always be around, which is exactly why generosity must be a habit.

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.”

Farmers were told to leave the edges of the field and the fallen grapes for the poor and the foreigner. Provision was built into ordinary work so that the needy could gather food with dignity.

“Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.”

Being kind to the poor is described as lending to the Lord, who promises to repay. Generosity is treated as a trustworthy investment in God himself.

“Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke? Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”

God tells his people that the fast he wants is freeing the oppressed, sharing bread with the hungry and sheltering the homeless. Religious practice means little without it.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Micah sums up what the Lord requires in three short things: to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. Care for others and closeness to God are held together.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’”

In Jesus' picture of the final judgment, feeding the hungry and visiting the stranger are done to him. Christians differ on who exactly the least of these are, but the call to practical mercy is plain.

““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 liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.””

Jesus reads a passage from Isaiah in the synagogue and says it describes his mission, which begins with good news for the poor. His ministry is aimed first at those with the least.

“Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side. So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’ But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’ ‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also end up in this place of torment.’ But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’ Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’””

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus warns against ignoring a needy person at your own gate. The problem was not the man's wealth alone but his blindness to a suffering neighbor.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Paul points to Christ, who was rich yet became poor so that others might become rich in him. The gospel itself is a story of generous self-giving.

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need.”

The first believers held things in common and shared with anyone in need. The scene shows what a community shaped by Jesus can look like.

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that? So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.”

James asks what good it is to wish a hungry person well while doing nothing for them. Real faith shows itself in concrete help.

“If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.”

John asks how God's love can be in someone who sees a brother or sister in need and closes their heart. Love is measured in actions and truth, not only in words.