The psalmist knows it well. Even though situations suggest otherwise, God has a soft spot for the poor; and those who bear that in mind and consider the poor are on the winning side.
“1 Happy are those who consider the poor. The Lord delivers them in the day of trouble”. No doubt, many despise the poor, and often judge them to be lazy do-nothing people who will not use their brains or physical abilities to improve their situation. Those born with a gold spoon in the mouth, or those whose labours are rewarded with good fortune, often fail to see that there are others who, if we may say, are just “bad-lucky” people. They seem to attract affliction- sickness to add to poverty, lack of education, poor taste in clothing and physical surroundings, etc., as if one thing is not inherently linked to the other. Yes, some poor people make their way out of oppression and up the social ladder, but in most cases, they benefit from support of others.
So, why am I bringing this up? To encourage us to take seriously the psalmist who speaks for God in encouraging us to “consider the poor”. They are God’s people too. The writer pens his note from the perspective of one who needed God’s help in this regard. Hear him “5 My enemies wonder in malice when I will die, and my name perish”. “7 They imagine the worst for me.”
Are you one of those who would rather live in an environment purged of “dirty, lazy poverty”? Think again. As Jesus said, the poor we will have always. Maybe, just maybe, the poor remain with us to test us, or to help us test ourselves and see whether we are being agents of good in our own situation. Maybe all our wishes for the land to be purged of poor will not be granted, unless we are prepared to play our part in purging the land of greed and oppression that keeps too many subservient, that robs too many of the God given resources intended to be shared with them.
No; I am not on a movement to glorify poverty. Poverty sucks! The poor need the break! But so do rich ones too. So do those who have experienced social success which probably came at the expense of the poor. To whom much is given, from them is much expected.
Don’t waste time in blaming poor people unless you have tried, and they have refused your help to get out of their messy state of affairs. God sees it all and wants their prosperity. I believe that’s why the psalmist wrote, “2 The Lord protects them and keeps them, alive; they are called happy in the land. You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.”
If God keeps them in the land, then they must be worth keeping.