What Does the Bible Say About Poverty?

What does the Bible say about faith in the context of giving? About God’s heart for the poor?

The Bible is rich in wisdom about God’s love for people living in poverty — and about our responsibility to help. We love the way Jesus showed us how to care for vulnerable and marginalized people. Reflect on these Bible verses about giving and pray for children, families, and communities in need. Here’s what the Bible says about poverty.

“Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.”
Deuteronomy 15:10 (NIV)

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
Proverbs 19:17 (NIV)

“The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.”
Proverbs 22:9 (NIV)

“And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”
Isaiah 58:10 (NIV)

“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 14:13–14 (NIV)

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:6–7 (NIV)

In reflecting on what the Bible says about faith, let these Scriptures on giving guide our actions and hearts toward compassion and generosity.

My Thoughts

I prefer to give the poor a “hand up” instead of a “handout.” I am firmly ensconced in the middle class and have been in this social position for most of my life. I have never had to go without necessities, nor have any of our children. But I have seen poverty up close and it is not a pretty sight. When my husband and I were gifted with money from my deceased aunt, we used it to take the trip I had dreamed about since I was a teen and we went to Spain. Part of the tour we were in had an excursion to Morocco. There on a hill overlooking one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen was a huge palace, spread out on several city blocks and a gleaming white that seemed to say, “look at me.” But just outside of the palace there were so many poor people, dressed in rags and begging for whatever you could give them. I was struck by the great disparity in wealth here that was so prominent that no one could miss it. The king enriched himself and seemed to have built a showcase home to boast about himself. I was outraged that such poverty like this could even exist in a county that has the kind of riches displayed by the king. But I should not have been surprised since I saw the same kind of poverty in Guatemala when I went on a missions trip there as well as in every large city I have visited. I wish that there were a solution to poverty, but the only solution I know is when God lifted up poor Lazarus and condemned the rich man who did not help him. We need to have the Lord’s eyes for the poor and see them as people just like ourselves who may have made some wrong choices and as a result they are homeless, impoverished and without hope. The hope that we can offer is not just monetary; we offer them a hope for eternity if we will just speak up and truly give them a “hand up” towards heaven.