Now if your countryman becomes destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can continue to live among you. Leviticus 25:35
“The duty here enjoined is giving to the poor: “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren…thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother… Thou shalt surely give him.” Here by “thy poor brother” is to be understood the same as in other places is meant by “neighbor.” It is explained in Leviticus 25:35 to mean not only those of their own nation, but even strangers and sojourners: “And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner.”
The Pharisees indeed interpreted it to signify only one of their own nation; but Christ condemns this interpretation (Luke 10:29) and teaches, in contradiction to their opinion, that the rules of charity in the Law of Moses are to be extended to the Samaritans, who were not of their nation, and between whom and the Jews there was the most bitter enmity, and who were a people very troublesome to the Jews.”
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (Pensacola: Chapel Library, 2022) 3-4.
I’ve had a fantastic and fruitful trip to Australia. Reply if you’d like a copy of my trip report.
This week we turn our attention to learn what is needful from Jonathan Edwards. Download the ebook of this classic work here.
Today we get a good reminder to aid those around us who are in need coupled with the biblical definition of neighbor. It’s not just people who are like us. It includes strangers and sojourners.
And maybe more important is to determine who the Pharisees are in the day in which we live. And akin to that is what the rules of charity are in our cultural settings. Let me explain.
Society pressures us to do certain things or support certain groups. For example, society might say, “Strangers are bad. Don’t talk to them.” Or, “watch out for foreigners. They are sketchy. Avoid them.”
The Old Testament Law of Moses and the New Testament example of Jesus call us to think and act differently.
We do well to open our minds and hearts to strangers. And we may actually receive blessing from extending hospitality to sojourners. Today I exhort you to show to others the care you would want shown to you.
This could be an immigrant, a refugee, a visitor to your country, or a person who’s just not from the place where you live. They often need a helping hand, a bit of advice, or some other form of assistance.
Pray about what it looks like to help them. While Jenni departs today for ten days of ministry in Rwanda, Jesus says to host a bloke from Costa Rica for a night and to buy a meal for a family visiting from Pakistan.
As I think about it, it represents the care I received from Aussies in both Adelaide and Melbourne. Generosity is a two-way street. Sometimes we receive care and other times we extend it.
For the sake of application, let’s all care for our neighbors, shall we? That includes strangers and sojourners. And simultaneously, let’s trust Jesus to care for us according to His riches in glory.