Bible Questions Answered:
“I tithe my money to my church, but I
do not see any reason to give to charities beside. Does the Bible
cover such a subject?”
Aaron/ Los Angeles, California U.S.A.
Bible Answer:
Bible Text:
Amos 4:1-13 NLT (Israel’s
Failure, to care for the poor.)
1 Listen to Me, you fat cows] living
in Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy,
and who are always calling to your husbands,“Bring us another
drink!”
2 The Sovereign Lord has sworn this
by His holiness:
“The time will come when you will
be led away with hooks in your noses.
Every last one of you will be
dragged away like a fish on a hook!
3 You will be led out through the
ruins of the wall; you will be thrown from your fortresses, says the
Lord.
4 “Go
ahead and offer sacrifices to the idols at Bethel. Keep on disobeying
at Gilgal.
Offer sacrifices each morning,
and bring your tithes every three days.
5 Present your bread made with
yeast as an offering of thanksgiving. Then give your extra voluntary
offerings so you can brag about it everywhere! This is the kind of
thing you Israelites love to do,” says the Sovereign Lord.
Judgment:
6 “I brought hunger to
every city and famine to every town. But still you would not
return to Me,” says the Lord.
7 “I kept the rain from falling
when your crops needed it the most. I sent rain on one town but
withheld it from another. Rain fell on one field, while another field
withered away.
8 People staggered from town to town
looking for water, but there was never enough. But still you
would not return to Me,” says the Lord.
9 “I struck your farms and
vineyards with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured all your fig
and olive trees. But still you would not return to Me,” says the
Lord.
10 “I sent plagues on you
like the plagues I sent on Egypt long ago.
I killed your young men in war
and led all your horses away. The stench of death filled the air! But
still you would not return to Me,” says the Lord.
11 “I destroyed some of your
cities, as I destroyed[d] Sodom and Gomorrah. Those of you who
survived were like charred sticks pulled from a fire. But still you
would not return to Me,” says the Lord.
12 “Therefore, I will bring upon
you all the disasters I have announced.
Prepare to meet your God in
judgment, you people of Israel!”
13 For the Lord is the one who
shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals His thoughts to
mankind. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads on the
heights of the earth.
The Lord God of Heaven’s Armies is
His name!
Amos, of Judah, a
sheepherder, was called of God, to warn the northern kingdom of
Israel, of coming judgment.
What was their sin?
Amos 4:1,
oppressing the poor and crushing the needy!
Israel was a
prosperous nation with borders from Lebanon to the Dead Sea. And they
were zealous in religious works!
Amos 4:4,5 NLT
4...Offer
sacrifices each morning, and bring your tithes every three days.
5 Present your bread made with
yeast as an offering of thanksgiving. Then give your extra voluntary
offerings so you can brag about it everywhere!
But amidst all the religiosity, there was corruption, they
oppressed the poor and crush the needy,
and maintained idol, and Baal worship.
They weren't fooling God, and He sent Amos to tell them so!
The Poor, the
Word:
Exodus 23:10,11
NLT
10 “Plant and
harvest your crops for six years,
11 but let the
land be renewed and lie uncultivated during the seventh year. Then
let the poor among you harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave the
rest for wild animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and
olive groves.
Deuteronomy 15:7,8,10,11 NLT (Moses instructs the people of
God.)
7 “But if
there are any poor...in your towns when you arrive in the land the
Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted
toward them.
8 Instead, be
generous and lend them whatever they need.
10 Give
generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will
bless you in everything you do.
11 There will
always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding
you to share freely with the poor and with other...in need.
Job 36:6 KJV
He preserveth
not the life of the wicked: but giveth right (Justice)
to the poor.
Psalm 12:5 NLT
The Lord
replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have
heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as
they have longed for Me to do.”
Psalm 35:9,10
NLT
9 Then I will
rejoice in the Lord. I will be glad because He rescues me.
10 With every
bone in my body I will praise Him: “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the
helpless and poor from those who rob them?”
Psalm 40:17 KJV
But I am poor
and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my
deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
Psalm 41:1 KJV
Blessed is he
that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of
trouble.
Psalm 72:12,13
KJV
12 For He shall
deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no
helper.
13 He shall
spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
Psalm 82:3,4 NLT
3 “Give
justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the
oppressed and the destitute.
4 Rescue the
poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people.
Proverbs
14:20,21 KJV
20 The poor is
hated even of his own neighbor: but the rich hath many friends.
21 He that
despiseth his neighbor sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor,
happy is he.
Proverbs 17:5
KJV
Whoso mocketh
the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities
shall not be unpunished.
Proverbs 19:17
KJV
He that hath
pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath
given will He pay him again.
Proverbs 21:13
KJV
Whoso stoppeth
his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall
not be heard.
Proverbs 29:14
KJV
The king that
faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for
ever.
Isaiah 25:4 NLT
But you are a
tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy
in distress.
You are a
refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat..."
Isaiah 32:6-8
NLT
6 For fools
speak foolishness and make evil plans. They practice ungodliness and
spread false teachings about the Lord. They deprive the hungry of
food and give no water to the thirsty.
7 The smooth
tricks of scoundrels are evil. They plot crooked schemes. They lie to
convict the poor, even when the cause of the poor is just.
8 But generous
people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their
generosity.
Isaiah 41:17 KJV
When the poor
and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for
thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not
forsake them.
Jeremiah 20:13
KJV
Sing unto the
Lord, praise ye the Lord: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor
from the hand of evildoers.
Jeremiah 22:16
NLT
He gave justice
and help to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him.
Isn’t that what it means to know Me?” says the Lord.
Amos 5:11 NLT
You trample the
poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore,
though you build beautiful stone houses, you will never live in them.
Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from them.
Matthew 19:21
KJV
Jesus said unto
him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to
the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow
Me.
Matthew 26;11 KJV (Jesus)
For ye have the
poor always with you..."
Galatians 2:9,10
NLT
9 In fact,
James, Peter, and John, who were known as pillars of the church,
recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and
me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the
Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews.
10 Their only
suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always
been eager to do.
James 2:5-7 NLT
5 Listen to me,
dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world
to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the
Kingdom he promised to those who love Him? 6 But you dishonor the
poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
7 Aren’t they
the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?
