He that is gracious to the poor lendeth unto Jehovah; and what he hath bestowed will he repay unto him.
Proverbs gives startling financial advice. Money handed to someone who can never repay is not lost. It goes to the safest borrower there is. Two questions follow: how can God treat a gift to a beggar as a loan to Himself, and how does He repay?
Care for the poor runs through the whole Bible
Israel's law provided for the needy, and the New Testament carries that concern on. One summary traces it back to a work in the heart:
Morrish Bible DictionaryIt was said in the Old Testament that "there will never cease to be poor in the land," and in the laws He gave, the LORD cared for them. … Other passages show that the working of the love of God in the soul results in a special regard for the poor. Of the Lord Jesus it is said that though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor.
God makes Himself the borrower
The gift leaves your hand and goes to a person who can give nothing back. God treats that as business done with Him. The lines below use an older wording of the verse:
William KellyIn such a world of disorder, violence and corruption, we always have the poor with us. No one with eyes or ears can fail to meet them. This tests the heart in a practical way. To say, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," and not give them what the body needs, cheats us just as much as it cheats them. Man was to represent God, who loves a cheerful giver in a wilderness world. Here He encourages a person to pity those who have nothing. "He who pities," or is gracious to, "the poor lends to the LORD," as He is pleased to count it; "and what he gives He will pay him back." What security can match this? Think too of the honour of being a creditor to Him!
From lending to giving
The word "lends" fits a world where the law regulated loans to a poor neighbour. Believers now stand on different ground:
Leslie M. GrantIsraelites are told to "open wide your hand," without the least grudging, and willingly lend a poor person whatever he needs. This was under law. The person had to pay it back if he was able, though the seventh year released the debt. In the New Testament believers are encouraged to give, not just to lend. If we give as to the Lord, the Lord will take full account, as we see even in Proverbs 19:17. … So how good it is to give gladly with no strings attached. Faith can simply depend on the Lord.
The size of the repayment
If God is the borrower, the interest is worth calculating:
Hamilton SmithThe way to lay up is to lay out. Other parts of your estate you leave behind, but what is given to Christ's poor is stored up in heaven. That is a blessed kind of giving, which, though it makes the purse lighter, makes the crown heavier. You have good security. … He will pay you back with more besides. For a wedge of gold you have parted with, you will have a weight of glory. For a cup of cold water you will have rivers of pleasure that flow at God's right hand for evermore. The interest comes to infinitely more than the principal.
Choosing where to give
Since God repays, the people to seek out are those who cannot repay:
VariousOne thing needs to be kept in mind: we should help the needy, not those who can and will repay us here on earth. If we want to be repaid at the resurrection of the just, we must seek out the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind, as the Lord Himself did. The principle is that we cannot have rewards from men as well as from God the Father.
Giving that reaches Christ Himself
Giving reaches further still when it goes to the Lord's own people:
The Bible TreasuryThere is something even more precious in the eyes of the Lord than giving to the poor of this world. It is expressed in these words: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." … In giving to the least of the saints, I am giving to Christ Himself. He was the real poor man, still poor as He appears in His saints.
Summary
- Sight. The poor are always within reach. Kind words without bread cheat the giver as much as the beggar.
- Transfer. God counts the gift as a loan made to Himself; the honour of the verse is being a creditor to God.
- Freedom. The law expected repayment. Believers give outright, with no strings, and let faith rest on the Lord.
- Reach. Give where no one can repay you. You cannot collect rewards from people and reward from the Father too.
- Return. A lighter purse buys a heavier crown. A cup of cold water brings back rivers of pleasure, and the interest far exceeds the principal.