In these posts I like to give some Scripture passages and study notes on money for reflection over the weekend.  This week there was some great discussion on my post Should You Give Money to a Homeless Person.  One reader left a comment with an interesting verse, Deuteronomy 15:7. 

The context of Deuteronomy 15 actually has to do with the Sabaatical Year for Israel, where God called Israel to forgive debts and release slaves every seven years.  In this age we are no longer held to that law, but the principle of generosity and forgiveness very much apply today.  Here are verses 7-11 and the study notes for reflection:

7 “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother,

8 but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.

9 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin.

10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.

11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

ESV Study Notes:

Deut. 15:9–11 unworthy thought in your heart. See note on 4:37-39. If the sabbatical year is close, then any money lent is less likely to be repaid. So the command is to lend what is needed, regardless of the date of the next sabbatical year. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging. This reiterates 15:8, emphasizing a heart of generosity. there will never cease to be poor. See v. 4 and note on vv. 4–6. Cf. Matt. 26:11.

I really like verse 11, “..Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.”  God commands Israel to live with open hands and loose grips on their money so they can give to the poor and needy.  

What are your thoughts on these verses?

Week Links

This was a great week for Redeeming Riches in terms of getting linked by others.  Here are a couple of Money Carnivals and other links this week:

Should You Give Money to a Homeless Person

• Bible Money Matters’s post Welcoming Life into the World: Newborn Babies and Link Roundup
• ChristianPF included links at the bottom of his post Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
• Suburban Dollar included this link in his Friday Finance Followers post.
• This post was also published on the front page of Tip’d - a community for financial news, ideas and tips. 

7 Things You Don’t Want to Be Caught Dead Without

• This post was included in the Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #100 at Cash Money Life
• Best of the Best in Money & Personal Finance at Len Penzo Dot Com where out of 133 articles this was chosen as one of the top 11!  Wow! Thanks Len!!
• Money Hacks Carnival #76 hosted by Moolanomy

How Much Do You Need to Retire

• This post was also published on the front page of Tipd

TIPS to Fight Inflation

This was my first post published on Personal Dividends – a regularly updated Blogzine that discusses topics integral to living a fulfiling and enriching personal life.

It’s happened to all of us.  We’re walking along, minding our own business or perhaps enjoying a conversation with a friend and out of the corner of our eye we catch sight of him.  There he is wearing layers of disheveled clothes, looking like he hasn’t showered in months and holding out a cup begging for change from every passerby.

“Ridiculous”, you think to yourself, “why doesn’t he just clean himself up and get a job?”   Then the “good” part of your conscience kicks in, “I should really give him something, what if he really is desperate for food?  Ah, he’ll probably just buy drugs or booze anyways.  I wouldn’t want to contribute to his problems”.  And so you walk by feeling justified in your own mind.

I know I’ve certainly been there.  So what is the right thing to do?  Should we give money to the homeless man or woman begging for help?

I think it’s a fair question because on the one hand we all have an innate sense to help others and on the other hand a lot of us have that feeling that the homeless person will not use the money to buy food, but rather on something he shouldn’t whether it be lottery tickets, drugs or alcohol.  These are legitimate concerns.

Seek First to Understand

According to a HUD Office of Policy & Development research study done in December 1999, there are various reasons contributing to homelessness and various reasons that keep a person in that lifestyle.  According to the survey, respondents were asked what the single most important thing they needed right now:

• Help finding a job was the most frequently cited need (42%)
• Help finding affordable housing (38%)
• Assistance with paying rent, mortgage, or utilities in relation to securing permanent housing (30%)
• Job training and medical care (13 % each)

The survey also asked homeless persons what their childhood was like:

Twenty-nine percent of homeless clients also report abuse or neglect in childhood from someone in their household (12 percent neglect, 22 percent physical abuse, and 13 percent sexual abuse). Thirty-three percent ran away from home and 22 percent were forced to leave home for at least 24 hours before they reached age 18. In addition, 21 percent report that their first period of homelessness predated their 18th birthday (this homelessness might have been with their family or on their own).

Does that come as any surprise?  We probably could have guessed there were various forms of abuse and neglect in their childhood.  At the very least, this data gives us a reference point.

The next time we see a homeless person and think, “Just clean yourself up” we might be able to have some compassion instead and think about the rough childhood they had or the abuse they’ve gone through and the people skills and job training they never received from parents who loved them.  Many of them have had a rough life.

Other Statistics

Food problems experienced by homeless clients included eating one meal a day or less (20 percent); being hungry in the past 30 days but not eating because they could not afford enough food (39 percent); and going a whole day without eating anything at all in the last 30 days (40 percent).

Additionally, thirty-eight percent of homeless persons reported being robbed, while another forty-one percent reported having money or other items stolen from a locker or other place of storage.  Seven percent reported being sexually assaulted or raped and another twenty-two percent were physically assaulted.

The Homeless Will Just Buy Drugs or Alcohol

This is a legitimate concern.  After all, if you are going to help you would like to know that your money is going to buy food or clothing or other items they need and not go towards fueling some addiction.

The NHSACP study reported that over the course of their lifetime, 62 percent of homeless respondents reported problems with alcohol use and 58 percent reported problems with the use of drugs.

We need to remind ourselves, however, that not every homeless person will buy drugs or alcohol.  We shouldn’t generalize and stereotype every homeless person.  To do so would be an insult to their personhood and worth much like you and I feel slighted when someone paints us with a broad brushstroke.

What Should Our Attitude Be Towards the Homeless?

I have to admit, I have a lot of growing to do in this area, but what stood out in my mind as I read this study is that in general homeless persons don’t want to be homeless, but as a result of many contributing factors they are many times unsure how or, in some cases, mentally or physically unable to break free from their lifestyle.

The other thing that impacted me in this study is the realization that many, if not all, of the homeless people we see today have had a rough life.  They haven’t had a good childhood or education.  Many of them have been abused and neglected, which means that I need to be more compassionate and understanding rather than judgmental and arrogant.

I was reminded recently from a friend that we shouldn’t be motivated by guilt to help the needy because guilt will eventually burn us out.

Instead, we should be motivated by the fact that we are the needy and the spiritually poor,  and Jesus has come and given us His life so that we can have eternal, abundant life through Him.  Because of what He’s done for us we can be a beacon of light and hope to others.

How Should We Help The Homeless?

It’s probably safe to admit that most of us have a desire to help people in need, but we’re just unsure how to go about it.  We want to do something to help them and not hurt them or add to their problems.  I don’t think we should stop giving money to the homeless, but certainly we can be a little discerning when we are giving.

I remember listening to a sermon some time ago where John Piper asked the question of whether or not God would hold you accountable because you gave the homeless man $20 and he spent it on alcohol or would He say “Thank you for having a heart and compassion for the weak and the poor”.

There are a number of things we can do to help the homeless.  If you feel uncomfortable with giving money, then why not buy them lunch or dinner.

You could always give them warmer clothes or buy them a cup of hot coffee on a cold day.

What about serving in a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter.  If you work in an area where you see the same homeless person on a regular basis, why not stop and talk to them and listen to their story?

You might find there’s an actual person under those disheveled clothes.

What About You?

I’d like to hear from you.  What do you think about giving money to the homeless?  What are other ways we can help the poor and needy?  What has been your experiences in this area?