Proverbs: Wealth, Defense, and Justice

Biblical Wealth - Part 7 of 8

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2004-08-29

Synopsis: John Weaver teaches the biblical doctrine of charity, distinguishing it from sentimental or anarchistic views. He argues that charity is never promiscuous but always selective, based on God's own example of withholding pity from the wicked. The basic form of charity in the Bible was gleaning, which required work and gave self-respect. The poor tithe strengthened the unity of the faith. A clear distinction is made between works of mercy (humane acts toward anyone in need) and charity (undergirding the society of faith). False charity is theft, coercive, and blurs moral distinctions. Believers must steward resources according to God's commands, refusing to subsidize the ungodly.

[John Weaver] Alright, let's open our Bibles today to the Leviticus chapter 19 as a starter. Leviticus chapter 19. We're also going to look in Leviticus 23 and then Deuteronomy 24. So you can find all three passages. Leviticus chapter 19. And if you would look at verses 9 and 10. Leviticus 19 verses 9 and 10. And when you reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest, and thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of the vineyard, thou shalt leave them for the poor and the stranger.

[John Weaver] I am the Lord your God." Now in Leviticus chapter 23, if you will look at verse 22, Leviticus 23, verse 22, And when you reap the harvest of your lamb, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest. Neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest. Thou shalt leave them unto the poor and to the stranger. I am the Lord your God. Then in Deuteronomy 24, beginning there with verse 19, Deuteronomy 24, verse 19, When thou cuttest down thine harvest in the field, and hast forgotten a sheep in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow, that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gatherst the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterwards. It shall be for the stranger, and for the fatherless, and for the widow.

[John Weaver] And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt. Therefore I command thee to do this thing."

[John Weaver] Now we have been on the biblical doctrine of wealth for the last six weeks, and I hope that as you have followed me in this study that you have understood the sovereignty and the source of wealth, the sovereignty and the subjects of wealth, the purpose of wealth, and then of course we went over the three tithes that were mentioned in the Bible. There was the Levitical tithe, the poor tithe, and then the tithe of rejoicing or the festival tithe which I covered last week. Today we come to the subject of biblical wealth and the doctrine of charity. Now let me just tell you that the doctrine of charity is extremely important. In fact, today's views of charity are usually either sentimental or anarchistic. Now I'm going to explain the use of those two words for you when I say that today's views of charity are usually either sentimental or anarchistic. Now, I use the word sentimental because in one sense a lot of people's views on charity are simply based upon their own feelings, or their own sentiments, or their own emotions.

[John Weaver] For instance, usually when you see some type of advertisement for world relief or children relief that is advertised on TV. They show you the picture of a starving child, pot belly, flies all around him, or the child with the ribs showing and still the flies all around. In other words, what they're doing is appealing to your emotions, appealing to your sentiments, and they want you to give. And by the way, Usually a lot of people do give based upon that, but then after the pictures cease, then also the giving ceases because all it was was based upon pure sentiment or emotions and that was it.

[John Weaver] Now, especially during the seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas, we are inundated with sermons, editorials, cartoons, and articles that suggest How dare we enjoy the abundance which God has given us when there are so many in the world that are poor, hungry, and starving. The interesting thing is this, it never occurs to most people that God does bless covenantal obedience and individual responsibility, and that God does curse covenantal disobedience and individual irresponsibility.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. I want you to think about this. Shall we despise God and His graciousness just simply because some people are covenantally disobedient and individually irresponsible? Shall you and I despise the riches of God's grace just simply because God does not choose to give to everyone equally? Now, I want you to stop and think about that. In fact, let me show you a Scripture.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 20. And notice what our Lord says in verse 15. Here He's talking about giving of his own gifts. And notice what he says in Matthew chapter 20, because when one of the workers begins to complain that he has blessed the one who has worked one hour equally with the one that has worked eight hours. Notice what our Lord says in Matthew 20 and verse 15. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?

[John Weaver] Is thine eye evil because I am good? Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Let me ask you a question. Are you obligated to reach in your pocket and just give me a $50 bill? No. Are you obligated to reach in your pocket and give Henry a $100 bill? No. The very fact that you do happen to give to me or happen to give to Henry is really and truly an act of grace.

[John Weaver] It is not a duty. It is not an obligation. And the fact is, God really and truly does not owe anyone anything but justice. And when God gives His grace, and when God gives His gifts and His blessings, it's based upon His own sovereignty. and he has the sovereign right to do with his own as he pleases. So when I talk about our views of charity being sentimental, I mean on the one hand, there are many individuals who give based only upon sentiment, based only upon their feelings, and based only upon their emotions. Now I also use the word anarchistic because usually On the opposite hand, if the view of charity is not sentimental, usually it is anarchistic. And by that I mean it is contrary to the law of God. An excellent example of anarchistic charity is the foreign aid programs that are instituted by our own government.

[John Weaver] By our government, by governmental decree, we must have pity upon all human need, even if it happens to be Pity upon our enemies who are planning and devising our own destruction. Witness the numerous welfare programs that maintain promiscuous pity and charity for everyone, regardless of their character, conduct, and indolence.

[John Weaver] Now, if there was ever a time when we need a clear understanding of what the Bible teaches on charity, it certainly is today. Now, we've got to understand two words. The first one is compassion and the second one is pity. Because compassion and pity are fundamental to the biblical doctrine of charity.

[John Weaver] Now the word compassion is very easily explained. You look at our English word compassion, com, as a preposition which means with and passion to suffer. So we say the word compassion simply means to suffer with. But I particularly like the Greek word. I never will forget when I learned this word 40 years ago, I guess it was. It became one of my all-time favorite Greek words. I used to love to say it. The Greek word for compassion is the word splognizomai. You say, why in the world are you like that? Well, let me tell you what the word splognizomai means. It means to yearn with all your vowels.

[John Weaver] You see, the ancients believe, now listen to me, the ancients believe the seat of the affections was in the bowels. I told my wife coming over here this morning, I said, I want to tell you something. I've probably never told you this before. She said, what is it? I said, I love you with all my guts. She says, you know, somehow I just don't think that's romantic. I said, well, if I say I love you with all my bowels, does that help? No, she said, it's still not romantic. I'd rather hear hard, you know. But that's what the word compassion literally means. It means to have a yearning of the bowels because they believed that the seed of affections was in the bowels. Now, the word pity just simply means to be gracious or kind or have loving kindness. So the word compassion and the word pity and the word pity, those two words are essential then to the elements in biblical charity.

[John Weaver] Now, let me begin and tell you the very first point. Charity is never promiscuous on God's part. It is always selective.

[John Weaver] Now let me say that again. Charity is never promiscuous on God's part. It is always selective. Therefore, it should be that way on ours, which I shall demonstrate in just a moment.

[John Weaver] Now look in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Proverbs, chapter 19, and look at verse 17. Proverbs 19, verse 17. Proverbs 19, verse 17. The Scripture says, He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord. And that which he hath given will he repay him again. So he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord. So when we have pity unto the poor, God says we're lending unto the Lord. And that which he hath given, that is to the poor, he, God, will pay him again. I want you to understand that Proverbs 19 and verse 17 is what you and I would call a general principle. What is a general principle? A general principle is something that is applicable most of the time, but it is not applicable all of the time.

[John Weaver] In other words, it is true, generally speaking, but there are exceptions. We've got numerous. General principles in the Bible, the two that I always tell you is, he that giveth a wife giveth a good thing and obtaineth favor of the Lord. Generally that's true. But some men have gotten a wife, didn't get a good thing. Some women got a husband, didn't get a good thing. That's a general principle. I know some men that have gone through living hell. Some women too. How about this one?

[John Weaver] Beat thy child with a rod. If thou beatest him with a rod, he shall not die, thou shalt deliver his soul from hell. Does that mean every child that's ever been beat with a rod is going to heaven? Well, of course not. It's a general principle that means that if you discipline your child the way God tells you and bring that child up the way God tells you, generally speaking, the child will be converted. Not necessarily every time.

[John Weaver] I've known children that have been disciplined, brought up in church, in a Christian school, in a Christian household, and are mean as a devil and lost as a hound dog. It's a general principle.

[John Weaver] Now, it is true, generally speaking, that when we give to the poor, we're lending unto the Lord. But I'm here to tell you that there are some poor that God does not expect us to give unto. He does not expect us to give unto the wicked and the evil poor. When we give to the wicked and the evil, we're not working for the Lord or lending to the Lord, we're working against the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now let me begin by making a statement, and I'll show it to you from Scripture. It'll shock you. But here it is. There are certain individuals in the Bible that God forbids us to have pity or compassion upon. Now listen to that. There are certain individuals upon whom God forbids us to have pity or compassion upon.

[John Weaver] Now that is not part-heartedness. It is a matter of principle. Biblical charity is always exercised in accordance with Scripture. For instance, look in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 13 and verse 8. I'm just showing you that there are numerous individuals upon whom we are not to have compassion. Without me going into the context of Deuteronomy chapter 13, here is someone in your own family that is seeking to seduce you and turn you away from the worship of the one true and the living God, and get you to worship idols. Look what God says. Deuteronomy 13, verse 8, Thou shalt not consent unto Him, nor hearken unto Him, neither shalt Thine eye pity Him, neither shalt Thou spare, neither shalt Thou conceal Him, but Thou shalt surely kill Him. Thine hand shall be first upon Him to put Him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

[John Weaver] Now, if you'll go back up to verse 6, He said, If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or thy wife, or thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee saying. What is God saying? It doesn't matter if someone is close to you. He says, If they try to seduce you into idolatry, verse 8, thou shalt not consider them, nor hearken to them, neither shall thine eye pity him.

[John Weaver] What are you to do? God says you're to turn him over to the elders where he can have a trial and be put to death. So God says you are not to have pity or compassion upon someone who is trying to seduce you into idolatry. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 19 and verse 13. Deuteronomy 19 verse 13. Here's a man that has premeditatedly murdered. What does God say? Deuteronomy 19 verse 13, Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee. Now skip back up to verse 11. But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth unto one of these cities, that is, a city of refuge, then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him hence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. Thine eye shall not pity him." What's God saying?

[John Weaver] Here's someone that murders another man premeditatedly. And the court sentences him to death in the electric chair. And someone says, I feel so sorry for that man. I don't. God said he's to have no pity. No compassion. Execute him. Put him to death. Look in your Bibles to verse 21 there of chapter 19. Chapter 19, verse 21. God said, I shall not pity, but life shall go for life eye for eye, tooth for tooth, Hand for hand, foot for foot.

[John Weaver] Now, in this instance, God is talking about delivering justice. God is saying, Thine eye shall not pity. You're not to pity a poor man in his cause. If a poor man is done wrong, he's not received pity just because he's poor. God says you're to deliver justice, not pity, not compassion. Look in Deuteronomy 25 and verse 12. Deuteronomy 25 verse 12. Here's a woman that has done something she should not have done. God says, Thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her. There are individuals upon whom we are not to have pity. Now listen to me. God does not always have pity himself. Therefore, We should not always have pity either. Let me show you. There comes a time when God will have no pity and no compassion. Look in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 13 and verse 14. Jeremiah 13 and verse 14. Look what God says. Jeremiah 13 and verse 14. Now God is speaking, and here's what God says.

[John Weaver] And I will dash them one against another. Even the fathers and the sons together, saith the Lord, I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them." What did God say that He's going to do to the wicked? He said He's going to destroy them. He will not have pity upon them. By the way, all you have to do is read the book of Lamentations, chapters 2 and 3, and see what God did there to those people. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 5 and verse 11. Ezekiel chapter 5 and verse 11. This doesn't occur just simply one time, but it occurs over and over in the Bible. Ezekiel 5, notice if you would please verse 11. Ezekiel 5 verse 11 God says, Wherefore, as I lift up the Lord God, surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thy abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee, neither shall mine eyes spare, neither will I have any pity." Sounds like to me there's a time when God will not exercise pity or compassion.

[John Weaver] Then if you look to the book of Zechariah chapter 11, right before the book of Malachi, Zechariah 11 and verse 6. Zechariah 11 and verse 6. Look what God says. Zechariah 11 and verse 6. God says, For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord. But, lo, I will deliver the men, every one, into his neighbor's hands, and into the hand of his king, and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them. I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land." There comes a time when even God Himself does not exercise pity or compassion.

[John Weaver] Now, while it is true that God's blessings generally speaking are upon all. Don't you remember Matthew 5 and verse 45 where he said he calls it the sun to rise upon the just and the unjust alike. He says it's rain upon the just and the unjust alike. Yet God reserves his pity and his compassion towards those who are godly. God does not dispense his charity promiscuously. He is always selective.

[John Weaver] And therefore we should be like Him. Now, secondly, I want you to follow with me because I'm going to tie these things together for you. The basic form of charity in the Bible was gleaning. That's why I begin by reading Leviticus 19 verses 9 and 10. Leviticus 23 verse 22. Deuteronomy 24, verses 19 through 22, where God says, you're not to glean the corners of your field.

[John Weaver] If you drop the sheep, don't go back and pick it up, leave it. Why? It's for the poor. It's for the fatherless. It's for the widow. It's for the strangers.

[John Weaver] Now, there is a law of gleaning in the Bible. And in that law, landowners were forbidden an absolute total harvest in the sense they could not go back over and continue Gleaning the fields until they got every grain, and every ear of corn, and every olive, and every grape that was there. No, the leftovers were for the strangers, the poor, and the widows.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Ruth, and let me show you something. Although gleaning was a form of charity, Gleaning was a privilege and not a right. What do I mean by that? Well, let's suppose Henry owns 200 acres of land. And he has 200 acres of corn planted on that land. And he's reaped that corn. He's harvested it. And there's some corn just simply lying around on the ground. Just because something's lying around on the ground, does that mean I have the absolute right to go on his property and pick it up and take it without his knowledge and without his permission? What's the answer? No, that'd be theft. Now, watch what happens in Ruth chapter 2, beginning there with verse 5. Everyone knows this story.

[John Weaver] Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, whose damsel is this? And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab. And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So she came and continued even from the morning until now that she tarried a little in the house. Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maid. Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them.

[John Weaver] Have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? And when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn." Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath been fully showed me all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband, and how thou hast left thy father, and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art coming unto the people which thou knewest not. Heretofore, the Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given unto thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note That first of all, Ruth asked permission to glean. Look in verse 7. She said, I pray you, let me glean after the reapers among the sheaves. So she had to ask permission. She asked permission from the head steward. But I want you to note something. When Boaz, who owned the land, came and saw her, what did he do? He asked the steward, whose damsel is this?

[John Weaver] I don't know this woman. Why did you let her glean in my field? And then when the man explained, well, this is the Moabitish woman that came back with Naomi, then said Boaz, oh, Miss Ruth, I'll tell you what you do. You stay right here by my reapers. You drink of the water that my young men have drawn. Nobody's going to touch you. You refresh yourself here. And here's why. I know that you left your father and your mother. I know that you've taken care of your mother-in-law. I know that you've come to trust under the wings of the sovereign God of Israel. I know everything about your honor and your integrity and heretofore all that you've done, and so I want you to glean in my fields. Now, I want you to note what else he did. He also told his reapers, told his young men to give her a special blessing.

[John Weaver] Look in verses 15 and 16. And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not. And let some also fall handfuls of purpose for her, that she may believe them, and rebuke her not.

[John Weaver] Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. Although gleaning was charity, it was only given to the deserving poor.

[John Weaver] Now, a question has got to be asked. What happened to the undeserving poor? What happened to the drunkard, the slothful, and the lazy man that was poor? Well, it's simple. They either shaped up or starved to death. Isn't that simple? What does the Bible say in 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 10? You can quote it. If any will not work, what? neither should he eat. So you had a choice. You could either be honorable and have some character and integrity and do what was right if you were poor and work and glean or you could still be lazy and slothful and wicked and starve. It's just that simple.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to understand something. Gleaning was charity. But gleaning was also work. It was hard, back-breaking work. Gleaning was harder and more difficult than regular harvesting due to the scarcity of the product that one was gleaning. However, one who was diligent could always secure enough food to keep himself from starving. Are you listening? Biblical charity is designed to give the recipient self-respect and satisfaction. Biblical charity requires work. Here's the individual that's out gleaning. He has worked hard to get what little bit he has gotten. And yet he's gotten enough to support his family so they will not starve. He has self-respect in the fact that he knows he's worked for it. He has satisfaction in the fact that he's fulfilled the needs of his family, and he did it himself.

[John Weaver] Now, everyone, I think, nose of the fraudulent, vile, and wicked welfare system in America. We are traitors to our own constitution in the fact that we aid our enemies. We promote fornication and adultery by subsidizing immorality. We encourage laziness, idleness, and slothfulness in giving to those who either do not want to work or will not work. And we penalize those who will work by coercive confiscation of their assets in order to give to those who will not work.

[John Weaver] That, dear friend, is not charity. That is theft. Plain and simple. Walter Williams wrote an article entitled, Socialism is Evil. Let me give you just a short quote. Here's what he wrote. He argued it. that it was immoral not to mention a constitutional act for Congress through the tax code to confiscate the earnings of one American to give to another American in the forms of prescription drugs, social security, food stamps, foreign subsidies, or airline bailouts. It is immoral because it forcibly uses one person to serve the purposes of another. Indeed, that's one way to define slavery and other forms of servitude."

[John Weaver] He hit the nail on the head. I want you to understand that clearly such a system is contrary to the law of God. God's law demands work, and work teaches self-respect, which leads to individual satisfaction. Do you realize one of the main reasons we have widespread dissatisfaction among the welfare recipients is because they think they want more, they think they deserve more, And when you give them more, they're still never satisfied. Because the more they get, the more they want. And the more they think they deserve to have. They'll never be satisfied. Because the welfare system in America is a violation of God's law and God's orderly way. Do you realize there are people on welfare in this country that have been on welfare their entire lives that have never, ever worked. Not only that, there are generations that have been raised on welfare like that. Did you realize it is a commonly known fact that a man who has never worked before he is 25, will never work.

[John Weaver] He'll be a parasite all of his life. Now let me tell you something. There's an old Hebrew adage, and I want to tell you what it is, and it is so true. The old Hebrew adage went like this. He who will not teach his son the law and a trade That is God's law. And a trade, that is an occupation. He who will not teach his son the law and a trade teaches him to be a crook and a thief. And folks, let me tell you, that's where we are in this country. That's where we are.

[John Weaver] We have sired a generation of crooks and thieves who are immoral, and wicked and think they deserve to have everything handed to them on a silver platter. Gleaning was the most basic form of charity, but it was work. It was hard work. It was not just money handed to someone. They had to work.

[John Weaver] Thirdly, and I'm only just mentioning this because I dealt with this two weeks ago, but the poor tithe was and is an essential part of biblical charity. You'll find that discussed in Deuteronomy chapter 14, but let me tell you what that poor tithe basically did. It taught us to be mindful of others. It was charity. It was an aspect of charity, but it was used for a specific purpose. It insisted upon and taught the unity of the people of God, whether rich or poor, as one people under God. That's why when that poor tithe was used, you invited the poor, the fatherless, the widows, who were of the faith.

[John Weaver] And you ate with them and they ate with you. It was an illustration of Proverbs 22 in verse 2, when the Bible says, the rich and poor meet together, the Lord is maker of them all. Let's suppose Doc is a multi-millionaire. He's not, but let's suppose he is. Let's suppose he's a multi-millionaire, and here's Brother Ernie over here, who just barely ekes by. Both of them are saved by the grace of God. Which one is more saved than the other? Neither! In other words, there is an equality in standing before the Lord. And that poor tithe, what it did basically was this.

[John Weaver] It undergirded the unity of the faith. It was not based upon sentimentality. It was not based upon anarchism, but it was designed on a biblical principle to strengthen and protect the people of God in their ties of faith. So, Doc, who could be a multi-millionaire, and Ernie, who could be a poor man, could fellowship together and worship the same God through biblical charity, and it is strengthening the ties of that godly society. Now, I showed you, first of all, that biblical charity is never promiscuous. It is always selective. I've showed you, secondly, that the most basic form of biblical charity was gleaning. It meant work. By the way, do you realize very few people who ask for money today are willing to work for it. I've had all kinds of people ask me for money and I would say, well you know, I have some wood that needs to be cut and I'll be more than glad to pay you if you'll go out and cut my wood or do this or do that.

[John Weaver] You know, all of a sudden they're not interested. They don't want to do that. Most people just want you to give them money they don't want to work. Okay? Gleaning was hard work. The poor tithe was there, but it was there for a reason. It was to undergird the tithes in the society of faith.

[John Weaver] Fourthly, now listen because here is a clear distinction, the work of mercy to man and beast differs in purpose from charity. The work of mercy is included under the work of charity, but in reality they are different. It's different purposes. Sometimes they might be intertwined just a little, but you must draw a distinction, which I'll explain, between biblical mercy and biblical charity. Let me take you to the Bibles. to your Bibles, go to Deuteronomy 22 and to Exodus 23. Deuteronomy 22 and to Exodus 23. We'll read Deuteronomy 22 first. Deuteronomy 22, notice if you would please verse 1.

[John Weaver] Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his ass go astray, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. If thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it into thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it unto him again. And like manner shalt thou do with his ass, so shalt thou do with his raiment. For the all-lost thing of thy brother, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, Shalt thou do likewise, thou mayest not hide thyself. Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again."

[John Weaver] Now, without me going into this, I've preached on this in time past, but I want you to note what God says. God says if you just see your brother's ox, his ass, his horse, anything going astray, God says you can't hide yourself. You must help him get those animals back in. If you happen to see that ox or a horse in danger, God said you may not hide yourself. I had a horse one time that I was riding.

[John Weaver] There was a beautiful creek of water. And the horse wanted some water, and so I gave him his head, and the horse stepped down to get water, and when he stepped down, the ground gave way and he sunk up to his chest in mud and muck. Sand on top, but muddy muck underneath. I was able to get the saddle off. I was able to get off. It took me an hour to get that horse out of there.

[John Weaver] Could I have used some help? You bet. Would I have appreciated some help? Yes.

[John Weaver] Now God says if you pass by and see someone in a situation like that, you cannot just hide yourself. You cannot ignore that. You must help that man with that fallen animal.

[John Weaver] Now you say, brother, I'm willing to do that because the Bible says Thou shalt not see thy brother's oxen. That's my brother. That's my Christian friend. Sure I would help him save his animal. Well, look in Exodus chapter 23 if you would. And let's begin reading there with verse 4. Exodus 23 verse 4. Now God says, If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hated thee lying under his burden and was forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help them." Ah, that's no longer your brother, now it's your enemy. God said if you see your enemy's ass going astray, you've got to help him get him back. If you see your enemy's ass lying under burden, that is delivering a foal and having difficulty, God says you can't hide yourself, you must help. Now, what in the world is God doing? He is demonstrating in this passage our responsibility to help save and preserve life.

[John Weaver] Actually what it is, it is an argument from the lesser to the greater. If you and I are obligated to help save the animals of our brother, how much more are we obligated to help save his life? If we're obligated to help save the animals of our enemy, how much more are we obligated to help save his life? In other words, it's an argument from the lesser to the greater.

[John Weaver] Now, look in your Bibles to the book of Luke chapter 10. Let me show you the application of it. This is known as a work of mercy. It differs from charity. Look in Luke chapter 10. And let's begin reading there with verse 25. Luke 10. One of the most familiar stories in the Bible, Luke 10 verse 25. Let's see. Verse 25. Yes. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

[John Weaver] And he said unto him, What is written in the law? How readiest thou? And he answering, said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, with all thy might, and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right. This doing thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at that place, came and looked on him, and he passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, now watch, He had compassion on him, and he went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him out on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care

[John Weaver] of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three thinkest thou was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go and do thou likewise. But no, and he said, He that showed mercy upon him.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to understand that charity is selective. And charity involves work on the part of the recipient. And it has as its purpose the strengthening of a godly society and the protection of that society. The purpose of charity is to unify the people of a common faith and enable the poor of that faith to enjoy everything as well. However, a work of mercy differs. How does work of mercy differ? Well, I want you to note what our Lord says. Here's this man.

[John Weaver] He has gone down the road and he's been attacked. He's stripped, he's wounded, he's left half dead.

[John Weaver] Now, we are assuming that the man was a Judahite. Because, where was he going? From Jerusalem to Jericho. Okay? So he was someone probably in the tribe of Judah. He's a Judahite. There passed by a priest, the highest in the Levitical order, And what did he do? He looked over, he saw him, and he snuck past on the other side. Why? I don't know. Maybe he was afraid the robbers were still there. Maybe he just didn't want to get involved. I don't know. But the next man that passed by was a Levite. A Levite was to be a teacher of the law of God. He certainly knew what the law of mercy was all about. And yet, he passed by on the other side. And our Lord said the third man was a Samaritan.

[John Weaver] Now you remember what the Judahites called the Samaritans. They called them dogs. Why? Because they were half-breeds. They had intermarried with the heathen. The Samaritans had their own religion. They worshipped on Mount Gerizim. They didn't go to Jerusalem to worship. And here was a Samaritan who saw this Judaite laying on the road, and he went over and took care of him, poured oil and wine into his wounds, lifted him up, put him on his old ass, took him to an inn, took care of him, and the next day, when he had to

[John Weaver] leave, he gave two more days worth of money for the care of this man who he did not even know and had never seen in his entire life. And then he told the innkeeper, if you spend anything else, I'll be glad to give it to you when I come back by this way.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point out the difference between an act of charity and an act of mercy. An act of charity is the undergirding and the strengthening of the society of faith. An act of mercy is just simply a humane act. It is helping someone who is in desperate need. You see, the Samaritan, when he helped this Judahite, was under no obligation to change his religious views. Nor was he under any obligation to have any further dealing with that Judahite.

[John Weaver] invite the man into his own home or to come live with him. No, in other words, here was a man in need and he helped.

[John Weaver] Now, you see, mercy is a humane act. It requires no further involvement than the act of mercy itself, whereas charity presupposes a fundamental identity with the recipient and affirmed and furthered by the donor. Charity is supra-personal, it is religious. Works of mercy are personal and humane. If I see a wreck and a car is on fire apt to explode any moment, I don't run up to the car and say, now, are there any Christians in this vehicle? No!

[John Weaver] I open the door and I snatch them out regardless of who they are. Am I rescuing them as an act of mercy? Suppose the cars loaded with Muslims. I'm not under any obligation to become a Muslim just because I snatched them out of a burning car. I don't identify with that faith just because I saved four or five of them. No. It's just simply an act of mercy in the sense I snatched somebody out of a burning car.

[John Weaver] It could be an atheist. That's just simply an act of mercy. You rescue them regardless of their faith. If I rescue them, I'm not subsidizing their alien faith, nor their lack of faith. All I'm doing is saving their lives. And thus, I'm responsible to save lives, even the lives of my enemies. So here's the distinction then between charity and a work of mercy. If you look in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 11, let me go a little bit further, Acts chapter 11.

[John Weaver] Notice if you would please, beginning there in verse 27. Acts 11 verse 27. Look what is said. And in those days came prophets from Jerusalem to Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be a great girth throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea, which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul." So here was a great dearth. That is a great famine. And what did the disciples determine to do? That they were going to send to Jerusalem to help those brethren there.

[John Weaver] Well, was that an act of charity? Yes. But what about some who were starving that were not believers that may have gotten some of that? Well, that would have been an act of mercy. You follow me? I could give food to a starving child. If that child was an atheist, I could give that child food that might save his life. That would be a work of mercy. However, if that is a Christian child, and I not only feed him then, but I take him and train him and provide for him, that's charity.

[John Weaver] I'm undergirding the faith of the brethren. I'm strengthening the society Now, let me show you again. Look in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 5. In 1 Timothy chapter 5, you have an example of biblical charity. Look, if you would please, at verse 3. 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 3. Paul says, Honor widows that are widows indeed, but if any widow have children or nephews, let them first let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents, for that is good and acceptable before God. Now she that is widow indeed and desolate trusteth in God, and continueth in supplication and prayers night and day." Now, here is what you and I would call an example of biblical charity. Now, God says there are some widows that need to be supported.

[John Weaver] Now, those who are excluded is if they have families. It's the family's obligation to take care of their widows. Then there are other qualifications given on down in there. But now, look what he says in verse 16. If any man or woman that believeth hath widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged, that it may relieve them that are widows indeed. Now, let's suppose we have a widow woman that meets all the qualifications of a widow in 1 Timothy chapter 5.

[John Weaver] And she has no family. You say, well, Brother Weaver, just giving that woman money to live on. Man, that's not charity. That's just pure welfare. Oh, no. It's charity because charity requires work. Well, you say, what kind of work? Well, look what the Bible says in verse 5.

[John Weaver] Now, she that is a widow indeed and desolate trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day. When the church supports a widow, That widow is obligated then to maintain a spirit of prayer and fasting and supplication on behalf of that church and all the members therein. Moreover, do you remember what the Bible says that the elder women are to do in Titus chapter 2? Go there. You're just close by. Look in Titus chapter 2.

[John Weaver] And let's begin there with verse 3. Titus 2 verse 3. The aged women likewise that they be in behaviors becoming holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things, that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blaspheming.

[John Weaver] What else is a widow to do besides pray? She teaches the younger women how to be a holy, godly woman, how to keep house, how to cook, how to sew, how to clean. In other words, she's working. See, that's charity. That's when you're undergirding the faith of society, the society of believers, by providing sustenance for someone who could not sustain themselves and yet at the same time they are working and there is self-respect and there is satisfaction involved. I want you to understand that contrasted with biblical charity is false charity. False charity is theft, plain and simple. I want you to turn in your Bibles to John chapter 12. You could also find this in Mark 14, but we'll look in John 12. And I want to show you where the average charitable institution is today. I can also show you where the average governmental charity is today. John chapter 12, beginning there with verse 1. John 12, verse 1.

[John Weaver] Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus, who was dead, whom he raised from the dead, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the odor of that ointment. Then said one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor? Why are you wasting this on our Lord's feet? Three hundred pence, that's three hundred days of sustenance. Why was this money not given to the poor?

[John Weaver] Verse 6, This said he, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, let her alone. Against the day of my bearing hath she kept this. For the poor always you have with you, but me you have not always. Note what is said. This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief. and he had the bag and he buried what was there in it.

[John Weaver] Now the interesting thing for you to find out is this, when you give 100 bucks to a charity, find out how much of that 100 bucks actually goes to the people for whom it was intended.

[John Weaver] False charity is theft. Pure, plain, and simple. Now, listen carefully. False charity would not permit any luxury at all while the poor exist. And what did our Lord say? The poor you're going to have with you always. False charity hates joy, happiness, luxury, and abundance. False charity denies the person the right to use his own property in light of his own conscience. According to false charity, the rights of the poor to a man's property and wealth far exceed the man who owns the property and the wealth. According to false charity, success becomes a crime and can only be atoned for by a share the wealth program a la socialism, communism, welfarism. False charity is hypocritical and it destroys society. The only way false charity can be maintained is by destroying the contrast between God and Satan, good and evil, truth and error, right and wrong. False charity is anti-God and anti-Christ. Why?

[John Weaver] Because it blurs the distinction which God Himself has made and strikes at the very nature of God. It involves confusion and makes no difference between right and wrong, good and evil. False charity is theft. And when God stated, Thou shalt not steal, That command applies to governments as well as individuals. Coercive charity is not charity, it is theft, no matter what form it takes or where it originates.

[John Weaver] I remember years ago, Alice was working when I was in the university, and they were putting the pressure on her to donate to UNICEF. We want to have a 100%. I told her, we can't give to UNICEF. That's United Nations. That's communist to the core. So she told her boss, I can't give. And I won't give. Well, he said, could we give something in your name? Just so we could have 100%.

[John Weaver] My wife said, of course not. You may not give in my name. You have to be satisfied 99%. You see, what if she had buckled under and had given? Would it have been charity? Well, of course not. Coercive charity is nothing but theft. We must understand that we have a moral and a biblical obligation to be without pity and without compassion and without charity towards some. I want to give you one last verse in closing. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 19. 2 Chronicles chapter 19.

[John Weaver] I have two messages on this text. I'm not going to preach them right now. So look in 2 Chronicles chapter 19. And Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. He had been up to Samaria, hobnobbing with the wicked king of Samaria. promising him help. Watch verse 2. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. What? Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?

[John Weaver] There's a difference, folks, between an act of mercy an act of charity. You cannot subsidize the wicked. You know, what really got me is when old Jehoshaphat told Ahab, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people. No, I am not as a wicked man, and God's people are not as a wicked nation. We must understand that there are some people that God forbids us to have pity or compassion upon. We must also understand that everything that we have, whatever we have, however much we have, is a stewardship. And we must use what we have in light of God's directives and God's commands. God gave it to us and God can take it from us.

[John Weaver] 1 Corinthians 4 says, moreover, it's required of a steward that a man be found faithful. So we must faithfully use what God has given us according as he's laid down in his word. Is there biblical charity? Yes. Is there an act of mercy? Yes. Are there unbiblical acts of charity? Yes. And God forbids us to engage in those. Let's pray. Father, we ask you today to help us, to teach us, to make us holy, to make us godly, and to build us up in the most holy faith. Lord, thou art God and thou art God alone.

[John Weaver] We thank thee for all that you've done and all that you're going to do in Christ's name. Amen.

Biblical Wealth - Part 7 of 8

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	83004203721
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Wealth, Defense, and Justice
Genre	Sermon
Date	2004-08-29
Dictation Name
Book	Book 052: Biblical Wealth — Chapter 7
Source Timed Segments	91

Formatted Transcript

Opening

Alright, let's open our Bibles today to Leviticus chapter 19 as a starter. Leviticus chapter 19. We're also going to look in Leviticus 23 and then Deuteronomy 24. So you can find all three passages. Leviticus chapter 19. And if you would look at verses 9 and 10. Leviticus 19 verses 9 and 10:

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 19:9-10

"And when you reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest, and thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of the vineyard, thou shalt leave them for the poor and the stranger.

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 23:22

I am the Lord your God." Now in Leviticus chapter 23, if you will look at verse 22, Leviticus 23, verse 22: "And when you reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest. Neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest. Thou shalt leave them unto the poor and to the stranger. I am the Lord your God."

Then in Deuteronomy 24, beginning there with verse 19, Deuteronomy 24, verse 19: "When thou cuttest down thine harvest in the field, and hast forgotten a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow, that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterwards. It shall be for the stranger, and for the fatherless, and for the widow.

And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt. Therefore I command thee to do this thing."

Introduction: The Need for Biblical Charity

Weaver introduces the topic of charity, noting that modern views are either sentimental (based on emotions) or anarchistic (contrary to God's law). He emphasizes the need for a clear biblical understanding.

Now we have been on the biblical doctrine of wealth for the last six weeks, and I hope that as you have followed me in this study that you have understood the sovereignty and the source of wealth, the sovereignty and the subjects of wealth, the purpose of wealth, and then of course we went over the three tithes that were mentioned in the Bible. There was the Levitical tithe, the poor tithe, and then the tithe of rejoicing or the festival tithe which I covered last week. Today we come to the subject of biblical wealth and the doctrine of charity. Now let me just tell you that the doctrine of charity is extremely important. In fact, today's views of charity are usually either sentimental or anarchistic. Now I'm going to explain the use of those two words for you when I say that today's views of charity are usually either sentimental or anarchistic. Now, I use the word sentimental because in one sense a lot of people's views on charity are simply based upon their own feelings, or their own sentiments, or their own emotions.

For instance, usually when you see some type of advertisement for world relief or children relief that is advertised on TV, they show you the picture of a starving child, pot belly, flies all around him, or the child with the ribs showing and still the flies all around. In other words, what they're doing is appealing to your emotions, appealing to your sentiments, and they want you to give. And by the way, usually a lot of people do give based upon that, but then after the pictures cease, then also the giving ceases because all it was was based upon pure sentiment or emotions and that was it. Now, especially during the seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas, we are inundated with sermons, editorials, cartoons, and articles that suggest, "How dare we enjoy the abundance which God has given us when there are so many in the world that are poor, hungry, and starving." The interesting thing is this: it never occurs to most people that God does bless covenantal obedience and individual responsibility, and that God does curse covenantal disobedience and individual irresponsibility.

Now let me ask you a question. I want you to think about this. Shall we despise God and His graciousness just simply because some people are covenantally disobedient and individually irresponsible? Shall you and I despise the riches of God's grace just simply because God does not choose to give to everyone equally? Now, I want you to stop and think about that. In fact, let me show you a Scripture. Look in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 20. And notice what our Lord says in verse 15. Here He's talking about giving of His own gifts. And notice what He says in Matthew chapter 20, because when one of the workers begins to complain that He has blessed the one who has worked one hour equally with the one that has worked eight hours, notice what our Lord says in Matthew 20 and verse 15:

Scripture Reading — Matthew 20:15

"Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?

Is thine eye evil because I am good?" Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Let me ask you a question. Are you obligated to reach in your pocket and just give me a $50 bill? No. Are you obligated to reach in your pocket and give Henry a $100 bill? No. The very fact that you do happen to give to me or happen to give to Henry is really and truly an act of grace.

It is not a duty. It is not an obligation. And the fact is, God really and truly does not owe anyone anything but justice. And when God gives His grace, and when God gives His gifts and His blessings, it's based upon His own sovereignty, and He has the sovereign right to do with His own as He pleases. So when I talk about our views of charity being sentimental, I mean on the one hand, there are many individuals who give based only upon sentiment, based only upon their feelings, and based only upon their emotions. Now I also use the word anarchistic because usually on the opposite hand, if the view of charity is not sentimental, usually it is anarchistic. And by that I mean it is contrary to the law of God. An excellent example of anarchistic charity is the foreign aid programs that are instituted by our own government.

By our government, by governmental decree, we must have pity upon all human need, even if it happens to be pity upon our enemies who are planning and devising our own destruction. Witness the numerous welfare programs that maintain promiscuous pity and charity for everyone, regardless of their character, conduct, and indolence. Now, if there was ever a time when we need a clear understanding of what the Bible teaches on charity, it certainly is today. Now, we've got to understand two words. The first one is compassion and the second one is pity. Because compassion and pity are fundamental to the biblical doctrine of charity.

Charity Is Never Promiscuous but Always Selective

God's charity is selective, not given to all. Scripture commands withholding pity from certain individuals, such as idolaters and murderers. God Himself sometimes refuses pity.

Now let me say that again. Charity is never promiscuous on God's part. It is always selective. Therefore, it should be that way on ours, which I shall demonstrate in just a moment.

Now look in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Proverbs, chapter 19, and look at verse 17. Proverbs 19, verse 17. Proverbs 19, verse 17. The Scripture says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 19:17

"He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord. And that which he hath given will he repay him again."

So he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord. So when we have pity unto the poor, God says we're lending unto the Lord. And that which he hath given, that is to the poor, He, God, will pay him again. I want you to understand that Proverbs 19 and verse 17 is what you and I would call a general principle. What is a general principle? A general principle is something that is applicable most of the time, but it is not applicable all of the time.

In other words, it is true, generally speaking, but there are exceptions. We've got numerous general principles in the Bible. The two that I always tell you is, "He that giveth a wife giveth a good thing and obtaineth favor of the Lord." Generally that's true. But some men have gotten a wife, didn't get a good thing. Some women got a husband, didn't get a good thing. That's a general principle. I know some men that have gone through living hell. Some women too. How about this one?

"Beat thy child with a rod. If thou beatest him with a rod, he shall not die, thou shalt deliver his soul from hell." Does that mean every child that's ever been beat with a rod is going to heaven? Well, of course not. It's a general principle that means that if you discipline your child the way God tells you and bring that child up the way God tells you, generally speaking, the child will be converted. Not necessarily every time. I've known children that have been disciplined, brought up in church, in a Christian school, in a Christian household, and are mean as a devil and lost as a hound dog. It's a general principle.

Now, it is true, generally speaking, that when we give to the poor, we're lending unto the Lord. But I'm here to tell you that there are some poor that God does not expect us to give unto. He does not expect us to give unto the wicked and the evil poor. When we give to the wicked and the evil, we're not working for the Lord or lending to the Lord, we're working against the Lord.

Now let me begin by making a statement, and I'll show it to you from Scripture. It'll shock you. But here it is. There are certain individuals in the Bible that God forbids us to have pity or compassion upon. Now listen to that. There are certain individuals upon whom God forbids us to have pity or compassion upon.

Now that is not hard-heartedness. It is a matter of principle. Biblical charity is always exercised in accordance with Scripture. For instance, look in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 13 and verse 8. I'm just showing you that there are numerous individuals upon whom we are not to have compassion. Without me going into the context of Deuteronomy chapter 13, here is someone in your own family that is seeking to seduce you and turn you away from the worship of the one true and the living God, and get you to worship idols. Look what God says. Deuteronomy 13, verse 8:

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 13:8

"Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him, neither shalt thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him, but thou shalt surely kill him. Thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

Now, if you'll go back up to verse 6, He said, "If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or thy wife, or thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee saying..." What is God saying? It doesn't matter if someone is close to you. He says, if they try to seduce you into idolatry, verse 8, "thou shalt not consent unto them, nor hearken to them, neither shall thine eye pity him." What are you to do? God says you're to turn him over to the elders where he can have a trial and be put to death. So God says you are not to have pity or compassion upon someone who is trying to seduce you into idolatry. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 19 and verse 13. Deuteronomy 19 verse 13. Here's a man that has premeditatedly murdered. What does God say? Deuteronomy 19 verse 13:

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:13

"Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee."

Now skip back up to verse 11: "But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth unto one of these cities," that is, a city of refuge,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:13

"then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him hence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. Thine eye shall not pity him."

What's God saying? Here's someone that murders another man premeditatedly. And the court sentences him to death in the electric chair. And someone says, "I feel so sorry for that man." I don't. God said he's to have no pity. No compassion. Execute him. Put him to death. Look in your Bibles to verse 21 there of chapter 19. Chapter 19, verse 21. God said,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:13

"Thine eye shall not pity, but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

Now, in this instance, God is talking about delivering justice. God is saying,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:21

"Thine eye shall not pity."

You're not to pity a poor man in his cause. If a poor man is done wrong, he's not to receive pity just because he's poor. God says you're to deliver justice, not pity, not compassion. Look in Deuteronomy 25 and verse 12. Deuteronomy 25 verse 12. Here's a woman that has done something she should not have done. God says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:21

"Thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her."

There are individuals upon whom we are not to have pity. Now listen to me. God does not always have pity Himself. Therefore, we should not always have pity either. Let me show you. There comes a time when God will have no pity and no compassion. Look in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 13 and verse 14. Jeremiah 13 and verse 14. Look what God says. Jeremiah 13 and verse 14. Now God is speaking, and here's what God says.

"And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the Lord, I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them." What did God say that He's going to do to the wicked? He said He's going to destroy them. He will not have pity upon them. By the way, all you have to do is read the book of Lamentations, chapters 2 and 3, and see what God did there to those people. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 5 and verse 11. Ezekiel chapter 5 and verse 11. This doesn't occur just simply one time, but it occurs over and over in the Bible. Ezekiel 5, notice if you would please verse 11. Ezekiel 5 verse 11 God says, "Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thy abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee, neither shall mine eyes spare, neither will I have any pity." Sounds like to me there's a time when God will not exercise pity or compassion.

Then if you look to the book of Zechariah chapter 11, right before the book of Malachi, Zechariah 11 and verse 6. Zechariah 11 and verse 6. Look what God says. Zechariah 11 and verse 6. God says, "For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord. But, lo, I will deliver the men, every one, into his neighbor's hands, and into the hand of his king, and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them. I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land." There comes a time when even God Himself does not exercise pity or compassion.

Now, while it is true that God's blessings generally speaking are upon all—don't you remember Matthew 5 and verse 45 where He said He causes the sun to rise upon the just and the unjust alike, He sends rain upon the just and the unjust alike—yet God reserves His pity and His compassion towards those who are godly. God does not dispense His charity promiscuously. He is always selective. And therefore we should be like Him. Now, secondly, I want you to follow with me because I'm going to tie these things together for you. The basic form of charity in the Bible was gleaning. That's why I begin by reading Leviticus 19 verses 9 and 10, Leviticus 23 verse 22, Deuteronomy 24, verses 19 through 22, where God says, you're not to glean the corners of your field.

The Basic Form of Charity: Gleaning

Gleaning was the primary biblical charity, requiring work from the recipient. It was a privilege, not a right, and only given to the deserving poor. The undeserving poor faced starvation.

If you drop the sheaf, don't go back and pick it up, leave it. Why? It's for the poor. It's for the fatherless. It's for the widow. It's for the strangers.

Now, there is a law of gleaning in the Bible. And in that law, landowners were forbidden an absolute total harvest in the sense they could not go back over and continue gleaning the fields until they got every grain, and every ear of corn, and every olive, and every grape that was there. No, the leftovers were for the strangers, the poor, and the widows. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Ruth, and let me show you something. Although gleaning was a form of charity, gleaning was a privilege and not a right. What do I mean by that? Well, let's suppose Henry owns 200 acres of land. And he has 200 acres of corn planted on that land. And he's reaped that corn. He's harvested it. And there's some corn just simply lying around on the ground. Just because something's lying around on the ground, does that mean I have the absolute right to go on his property and pick it up and take it without his knowledge and without his permission? What's the answer? No, that'd be theft. Now, watch what happens in Ruth chapter 2, beginning there with verse 5. Everyone knows this story.

"Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, 'Whose damsel is this?' And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, 'It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab. And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So she came and continued even from the morning until now that she tarried a little in the house.' Then said Boaz unto Ruth, 'Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens. Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them. Have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? And when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.' Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, 'Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?' And Boaz answered and said unto her, 'It hath been fully showed me all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband, and how thou hast left thy father, and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.'

Now, I want you to note that first of all, Ruth asked permission to glean. Look in verse 7. She said, 'I pray you, let me glean after the reapers among the sheaves.' So she had to ask permission. She asked permission from the head steward. But I want you to note something. When Boaz, who owned the land, came and saw her, what did he do? He asked the steward, 'Whose damsel is this?'

"I don't know this woman. Why did you let her glean in my field?" And then when the man explained, "Well, this is the Moabitish woman that came back with Naomi," then said Boaz, "Oh, Miss Ruth, I'll tell you what you do. You stay right here by my reapers. You drink of the water that my young men have drawn. Nobody's going to touch you. You refresh yourself here. And here's why. I know that you left your father and your mother. I know that you've taken care of your mother-in-law. I know that you've come to trust under the wings of the sovereign God of Israel. I know everything about your honor and your integrity and heretofore all that you've done, and so I want you to glean in my fields." Now, I want you to note what else he did. He also told his reapers, told his young men to give her a special blessing.

Look in verses 15 and 16. "And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, 'Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not. And let some also fall handfuls of purpose for her, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.'" Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. Although gleaning was charity, it was only given to the deserving poor.

Now, a question has got to be asked. What happened to the undeserving poor? What happened to the drunkard, the slothful, and the lazy man that was poor? Well, it's simple. They either shaped up or starved to death. Isn't that simple? What does the Bible say in 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 10? You can quote it. "If any will not work, what? Neither should he eat." So you had a choice. You could either be honorable and have some character and integrity and do what was right if you were poor and work and glean, or you could still be lazy and slothful and wicked and starve. It's just that simple.

Now, I want you to understand something. Gleaning was charity. But gleaning was also work. It was hard, back-breaking work. Gleaning was harder and more difficult than regular harvesting due to the scarcity of the product that one was gleaning. However, one who was diligent could always secure enough food to keep himself from starving. Are you listening? Biblical charity is designed to give the recipient self-respect and satisfaction. Biblical charity requires work. Here's the individual that's out gleaning. He has worked hard to get what little bit he has gotten. And yet he's gotten enough to support his family so they will not starve. He has self-respect in the fact that he knows he's worked for it. He has satisfaction in the fact that he's fulfilled the needs of his family, and he did it himself.

The Poor Tithe as an Essential Part of Charity

The poor tithe taught mindfulness of others and strengthened the unity of God's people, allowing rich and poor to fellowship together as equals before God.

Thirdly, and I'm only just mentioning this because I dealt with this two weeks ago, but the poor tithe was and is an essential part of biblical charity. You'll find that discussed in Deuteronomy chapter 14, but let me tell you what that poor tithe basically did. It taught us to be mindful of others. It was charity. It was an aspect of charity, but it was used for a specific purpose. It insisted upon and taught the unity of the people of God, whether rich or poor, as one people under God. That's why when that poor tithe was used, you invited the poor, the fatherless, the widows, who were of the faith.

And you ate with them and they ate with you. It was an illustration of Proverbs 22 in verse 2, when the Bible says, "The rich and poor meet together, the Lord is maker of them all." Let's suppose Doc is a multi-millionaire. He's not, but let's suppose he is. Let's suppose he's a multi-millionaire, and here's Brother Ernie over here, who just barely ekes by. Both of them are saved by the grace of God. Which one is more saved than the other? Neither! In other words, there is an equality in standing before the Lord. And that poor tithe, what it did basically was this.

It undergirded the unity of the faith. It was not based upon sentimentality. It was not based upon anarchism, but it was designed on a biblical principle to strengthen and protect the people of God in their ties of faith. So, Doc, who could be a multi-millionaire, and Ernie, who could be a poor man, could fellowship together and worship the same God through biblical charity, and it is strengthening the ties of that godly society. Now, I showed you, first of all, that biblical charity is never promiscuous. It is always selective. I've showed you, secondly, that the most basic form of biblical charity was gleaning. It meant work. By the way, do you realize very few people who ask for money today are willing to work for it. I've had all kinds of people ask me for money and I would say, "Well you know, I have some wood that needs to be cut and I'll be more than glad to pay you if you'll go out and cut my wood or do this or do that."

Distinction Between Works of Mercy and Charity

Works of mercy are humane acts to save life, even for enemies, without requiring religious identification. Charity presupposes a shared faith and aims to strengthen the believing community.

Fourthly, now listen because here is a clear distinction: the work of mercy to man and beast differs in purpose from charity. The work of mercy is included under the work of charity, but in reality they are different. It's different purposes. Sometimes they might be intertwined just a little, but you must draw a distinction, which I'll explain, between biblical mercy and biblical charity. Let me take you to the Bibles. To your Bibles, go to Deuteronomy 22 and to Exodus 23. Deuteronomy 22 and to Exodus 23. We'll read Deuteronomy 22 first. Deuteronomy 22, notice if you would please verse 1.

"Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his ass go astray, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. If thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it into thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it unto him again. And like manner shalt thou do with his ass, so shalt thou do with his raiment. For all lost thing of thy brother, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise, thou mayest not hide thyself. Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again."

Now, without me going into this, I've preached on this in time past, but I want you to note what God says. God says if you just see your brother's ox, his ass, his horse, anything going astray, God says you can't hide yourself. You must help him get those animals back in. If you happen to see that ox or a horse in danger, God said you may not hide yourself. I had a horse one time that I was riding.

There was a beautiful creek of water. And the horse wanted some water, and so I gave him his head, and the horse stepped down to get water, and when he stepped down, the ground gave way and he sunk up to his chest in mud and muck. Sand on top, but muddy muck underneath. I was able to get the saddle off. I was able to get off. It took me an hour to get that horse out of there. Could I have used some help? You bet. Would I have appreciated some help? Yes.

Now God says if you pass by and see someone in a situation like that, you cannot just hide yourself. You cannot ignore that. You must help that man with that fallen animal. Now you say, "Brother, I'm willing to do that because the Bible says 'Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox...' That's my brother. That's my Christian friend. Sure I would help him save his animal." Well, look in Exodus chapter 23 if you would. And let's begin reading there with verse 4. Exodus 23 verse 4. Now God says,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 23:4-5

"If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hated thee lying under his burden and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help them."

Ah, that's no longer your brother, now it's your enemy. God said if you see your enemy's ass going astray, you've got to help him get him back. If you see your enemy's ass lying under burden, that is delivering a foal and having difficulty, God says you can't hide yourself, you must help. Now, what in the world is God doing? He is demonstrating in this passage our responsibility to help save and preserve life.

Actually what it is, it is an argument from the lesser to the greater. If you and I are obligated to help save the animals of our brother, how much more are we obligated to help save his life? If we're obligated to help save the animals of our enemy, how much more are we obligated to help save his life? In other words, it's an argument from the lesser to the greater.

Now, look in your Bibles to the book of Luke chapter 10. Let me show you the application of it. This is known as a work of mercy. It differs from charity. Look in Luke chapter 10. And let's begin reading there with verse 25. Luke 10. One of the most familiar stories in the Bible, Luke 10 verse 25. Let's see. Verse 25. Yes. "And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, 'Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?'

And he said unto him, 'What is written in the law? How readest thou?' And he answering, said, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, with all thy might, and thy neighbor as thyself.' And he said unto him, 'Thou hast answered right. This doing thou shalt live.' But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?' And Jesus answering said, 'A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at that place, came and looked on him, and he passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, now watch, he had compassion on him, and he went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care

of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, 'Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more when I come again, I will repay thee.' Which now of these three thinkest thou was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, 'He that showed mercy on him.' Then said Jesus unto him, 'Go and do thou likewise.' But note, and he said, 'He that showed mercy upon him.' Now, I want you to understand that charity is selective. And charity involves work on the part of the recipient. And it has as its purpose the strengthening of a godly society and the protection of that society. The purpose of charity is to unify the people of a common faith and enable the poor of that faith to enjoy everything as well. However, a work of mercy differs. How does work of mercy differ? Well, I want you to note what our Lord says. Here's this man.

He has gone down the road and he's been attacked. He's stripped, he's wounded, he's left half dead. Now, we are assuming that the man was a Judahite. Because, where was he going? From Jerusalem to Jericho. Okay? So he was someone probably in the tribe of Judah. He's a Judahite. There passed by a priest, the highest in the Levitical order, and what did he do? He looked over, he saw him, and he snuck past on the other side. Why? I don't know. Maybe he was afraid the robbers were still there. Maybe he just didn't want to get involved. I don't know. But the next man that passed by was a Levite. A Levite was to be a teacher of the law of God. He certainly knew what the law of mercy was all about. And yet, he passed by on the other side. And our Lord said the third man was a Samaritan.

Now you remember what the Judahites called the Samaritans. They called them dogs. Why? Because they were half-breeds. They had intermarried with the heathen. The Samaritans had their own religion. They worshipped on Mount Gerizim. They didn't go to Jerusalem to worship. And here was a Samaritan who saw this Judahite laying on the road, and he went over and took care of him, poured oil and wine into his wounds, lifted him up, put him on his own ass, took him to an inn, took care of him, and the next day, when he had to

leave, he gave two more days' worth of money for the care of this man who he did not even know and had never seen in his entire life. And then he told the innkeeper, "If you spend anything else, I'll be glad to give it to you when I come back by this way." Now, let me point out the difference between an act of charity and an act of mercy. An act of charity is the undergirding and the strengthening of the society of faith. An act of mercy is just simply a humane act. It is helping someone who is in desperate need. You see, the Samaritan, when he helped this Judahite, was under no obligation to change his religious views. Nor was he under any obligation to have any further dealing with that Judahite.

invite the man into his own home or to come live with him. No, in other words, here was a man in need and he helped. Now, you see, mercy is a humane act. It requires no further involvement than the act of mercy itself, whereas charity presupposes a fundamental identity with the recipient and affirmed and furthered by the donor. Charity is supra-personal, it is religious. Works of mercy are personal and humane. If I see a wreck and a car is on fire apt to explode any moment, I don't run up to the car and say, "Now, are there any Christians in this vehicle?" No!

I open the door and I snatch them out regardless of who they are. Am I rescuing them as an act of mercy? Suppose the car's loaded with Muslims. I'm not under any obligation to become a Muslim just because I snatched them out of a burning car. I don't identify with that faith just because I saved four or five of them. No. It's just simply an act of mercy in the sense I snatched somebody out of a burning car.

It could be an atheist. That's just simply an act of mercy. You rescue them regardless of their faith. If I rescue them, I'm not subsidizing their alien faith, nor their lack of faith. All I'm doing is saving their lives. And thus, I'm responsible to save lives, even the lives of my enemies. So here's the distinction then between charity and a work of mercy. If you look in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 11, let me go a little bit further, Acts chapter 11.

Notice if you would please, beginning there in verse 27. Acts 11 verse 27. Look what is said.

Scripture Reading — Acts 11:27-30

"And in those days came prophets from Jerusalem to Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be a great dearth throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea, which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul."

So here was a great dearth, that is a great famine. And what did the disciples determine to do? That they were going to send to Jerusalem to help those brethren there.

Well, was that an act of charity? Yes. But what about some who were starving that were not believers that may have gotten some of that? Well, that would have been an act of mercy. You follow me? I could give food to a starving child. If that child was an atheist, I could give that child food that might save his life. That would be a work of mercy. However, if that is a Christian child, and I not only feed him then, but I take him and train him and provide for him, that's charity.

I'm undergirding the faith of the brethren. I'm strengthening the society. Now, let me show you again. Look in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 5. In 1 Timothy chapter 5, you have an example of biblical charity. Look, if you would please, at verse 3. 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 3. Paul says, "Honor widows that are widows indeed, but if any widow have children or nephews, let them first learn to show piety at home, and to requite their parents, for that is good and acceptable before God. Now she that is widow indeed and desolate trusteth in God, and continueth in supplication and prayers night and day." Now, here is what you and I would call an example of biblical charity. Now, God says there are some widows that need to be supported.

Biblical Charity Illustrated: Widows in 1 Timothy 5

Supporting qualified widows is charity because they work through prayer and teaching younger women, maintaining self-respect and satisfaction.

Now, those who are excluded is if they have families. It's the family's obligation to take care of their widows. Then there are other qualifications given on down in there. But now, look what he says in verse 16.

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 5:3-16

"If any man or woman that believeth hath widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged, that it may relieve them that are widows indeed."

Now, let's suppose we have a widow woman that meets all the qualifications of a widow in 1 Timothy chapter 5. And she has no family. You say, "Well, Brother Weaver, just giving that woman money to live on. Man, that's not charity. That's just pure welfare." Oh, no. It's charity because charity requires work. Well, you say, "What kind of work?" Well, look what the Bible says in verse 5.

"Now she that is a widow indeed and desolate trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day." When the church supports a widow, that widow is obligated then to maintain a spirit of prayer and fasting and supplication on behalf of that church and all the members therein. Moreover, do you remember what the Bible says that the elder women are to do in Titus chapter 2? Go there. You're just close by. Look in Titus chapter 2. And let's begin there with verse 3. Titus 2 verse 3. "The aged women likewise that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things, that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

What else is a widow to do besides pray? She teaches the younger women how to be a holy, godly woman, how to keep house, how to cook, how to sew, how to clean. In other words, she's working. See, that's charity. That's when you're undergirding the faith of society, the society of believers, by providing sustenance for someone who could not sustain themselves and yet at the same time they are working and there is self-respect and there is satisfaction involved. I want you to understand that contrasted with biblical charity is false charity. False charity is theft, plain and simple. I want you to turn in your Bibles to John chapter 12. You could also find this in Mark 14, but we'll look in John 12. And I want to show you where the average charitable institution is today. I can also show you where the average governmental charity is today. John chapter 12, beginning there with verse 1. John 12, verse 1.

"Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the odor of that ointment. Then said one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who should betray him, 'Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor?' Why are you wasting this on our Lord's feet? Three hundred pence, that's three hundred days of sustenance. Why was this money not given to the poor?

False Charity Is Theft

False charity, including coercive government programs, is theft. It hates luxury, denies property rights, and blurs moral distinctions. Judas's objection to the ointment exemplifies false charity.

Verse 6, 'This said he, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.' Then said Jesus, 'Let her alone. Against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always you have with you, but me you have not always.' Note what is said. This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and he had the bag and he bare what was put therein.

Now the interesting thing for you to find out is this: when you give 100 bucks to a charity, find out how much of that 100 bucks actually goes to the people for whom it was intended.

False charity is theft. Pure, plain, and simple. Now, listen carefully. False charity would not permit any luxury at all while the poor exist. And what did our Lord say? "The poor you're going to have with you always." False charity hates joy, happiness, luxury, and abundance. False charity denies the person the right to use his own property in light of his own conscience. According to false charity, the rights of the poor to a man's property and wealth far exceed the man who owns the property and the wealth. According to false charity, success becomes a crime and can only be atoned for by a share-the-wealth program à la socialism, communism, welfarism. False charity is hypocritical and it destroys society. The only way false charity can be maintained is by destroying the contrast between God and Satan, good and evil, truth and error, right and wrong. False charity is anti-God and anti-Christ. Why?

Because it blurs the distinction which God Himself has made and strikes at the very nature of God. It involves confusion and makes no difference between right and wrong, good and evil. False charity is theft. And when God stated, "Thou shalt not steal," that command applies to governments as well as individuals. Coercive charity is not charity, it is theft, no matter what form it takes or where it originates.

Conclusion: Stewardship and Refusal to Help the Ungodly

Believers must steward resources faithfully, refusing to subsidize the wicked. Jehoshaphat's rebuke for helping the ungodly serves as a warning.

I remember years ago, Alice was working when I was in the university, and they were putting the pressure on her to donate to UNICEF. "We want to have a 100%." I told her, "We can't give to UNICEF. That's United Nations. That's communist to the core." So she told her boss, "I can't give. And I won't give." Well, he said, "Could we give something in your name? Just so we could have 100%." My wife said, "Of course not. You may not give in my name. You have to be satisfied with 99%." You see, what if she had buckled under and had given? Would it have been charity? Well, of course not. Coercive charity is nothing but theft. We must understand that we have a moral and a biblical obligation to be without pity and without compassion and without charity towards some. I want to give you one last verse in closing. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 19. 2 Chronicles chapter 19.

I have two messages on this text. I'm not going to preach them right now. So look in 2 Chronicles chapter 19. "And Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem." He had been up to Samaria, hobnobbing with the wicked king of Samaria, promising him help. Watch verse 2. "And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, 'Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.'" What? "Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?"

There's a difference, folks, between an act of mercy and an act of charity. You cannot subsidize the wicked. You know, what really got me is when old Jehoshaphat told Ahab, "I am as thou art, and my people as thy people." No, I am not as a wicked man, and God's people are not as a wicked nation. We must understand that there are some people that God forbids us to have pity or compassion upon. We must also understand that everything that we have, whatever we have, however much we have, is a stewardship. And we must use what we have in light of God's directives and God's commands. God gave it to us and God can take it from us.

1 Corinthians 4 says, "Moreover, it's required of a steward that a man be found faithful." So we must faithfully use what God has given us according as He's laid down in His word. Is there biblical charity? Yes. Is there an act of mercy? Yes. Are there unbiblical acts of charity? Yes. And God forbids us to engage in those. Let's pray. Father, we ask you today to help us, to teach us, to make us holy, to make us godly, and to build us up in the most holy faith. Lord, thou art God and thou art God alone.

We thank thee for all that you've done and all that you're going to do in Christ's name. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Selectivity of Biblical Charity

Summary: Charity is never promiscuous; it is always selective, mirroring God's own selective pity and compassion.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Charity is never promiscuous on God's part. It is always selective.' He cites Deuteronomy 13:8, 19:13, and others where God forbids pity.

Work as a Requirement for Charity

Summary: Biblical charity, exemplified by gleaning, requires work from the recipient, fostering self-respect and satisfaction.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'Gleaning was charity. But gleaning was also work. It was hard, back-breaking work.' He contrasts this with modern welfare.

Distinction Between Mercy and Charity

Summary: Works of mercy are humane acts to preserve life, even for enemies, while charity strengthens the faith community and requires shared identity.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'An act of charity is the undergirding and the strengthening of the society of faith. An act of mercy is just simply a humane act.'

False Charity as Theft

Summary: Coercive or promiscuous charity is theft, violating God's law and blurring moral distinctions.

Evidence: Weaver declares, 'False charity is theft, plain and simple.' He references Judas's criticism of Mary's ointment.

Stewardship and Accountability

Summary: All wealth is a stewardship from God, and believers must use it according to His commands, refusing to help the ungodly.

Evidence: Weaver concludes, 'Everything that we have... is a stewardship. And we must use what we have in light of God's directives.'

Key Arguments

God's Charity Is Selective, Not Universal

Summary: God does not always have pity; He commands withholding pity from certain sinners, and His charity is reserved for the godly.

Evidence: Weaver cites Jeremiah 13:14, Ezekiel 5:11, and Zechariah 11:6 to show God refusing pity, and argues we should imitate Him.

Gleaning Was Charity That Required Work

Summary: The biblical law of gleaning provided for the poor but demanded hard work, ensuring only the deserving poor benefited.

Evidence: Weaver explains from Leviticus 19, 23, and Deuteronomy 24 that gleaning was work, and Ruth had to ask permission.

The Poor Tithe Strengthened the Faith Community

Summary: The poor tithe was designed to unify rich and poor believers, not based on sentiment but on biblical principle.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'It undergirded the unity of the faith... to strengthen and protect the people of God in their ties of faith.'

Mercy Is Obligatory Even Toward Enemies

Summary: Scripture commands helping even an enemy's animal in distress, arguing from lesser to greater that we must save lives regardless of faith.

Evidence: Weaver references Exodus 23:4-5 and the Good Samaritan to show mercy is a humane act without religious strings.

Coercive Charity Is Theft and Destroys Society

Summary: Government welfare and forced giving are theft, penalize work, and blur the distinction between good and evil.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Walter Williams and states, 'Coercive charity is not charity, it is theft, no matter what form it takes.'

Believers Must Not Subsidize the Ungodly

Summary: 2 Chronicles 19:2 rebukes helping those who hate God; charity must not support wickedness.

Evidence: Weaver cites Jehoshaphat's rebuke: 'Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?'

Scripture References

Leviticus 19:9-10

Context: God commands leaving gleanings for the poor and stranger.

Leviticus 23:22

Context: Reiteration of the gleaning law for the poor and stranger.

Deuteronomy 24:19-22

Context: Gleaning law extended to forgotten sheaves, olives, and grapes for the stranger, fatherless, and widow.

Matthew 20:15

Context: Jesus asserts His sovereign right to do as He wills with His own, illustrating God's selective generosity.

Proverbs 19:17

Context: He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, a general principle with exceptions.

Deuteronomy 13:8

Context: God forbids pity on a family member who entices to idolatry; they must be put to death.

Deuteronomy 19:13

Context: No pity for a premeditated murderer; justice requires execution.

Deuteronomy 19:21

Context: No pity in delivering justice; life for life, eye for eye.

Deuteronomy 25:12

Context: No pity for a woman whose hand must be cut off for a specific offense.

Jeremiah 13:14

Context: God declares He will not pity, spare, or have mercy but destroy the wicked.

Ezekiel 5:11

Context: God will not spare or have pity because of defilement and abominations.

Zechariah 11:6

Context: God will no more pity the inhabitants of the land.

Ruth 2:5-16

Context: Ruth asks permission to glean; Boaz grants it because of her character, illustrating selective charity.

2 Thessalonians 3:10

Context: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.

Deuteronomy 22:1-4

Context: Command to help a brother's lost or fallen animal, not hiding oneself.

Exodus 23:4-5

Context: Command to help even an enemy's animal in distress.

Luke 10:25-37

Context: The Good Samaritan shows mercy to a wounded man, illustrating a work of mercy.

Acts 11:27-30

Context: Disciples send relief to brethren in Judea during a famine, an act of charity.

1 Timothy 5:3-16

Context: Instructions on supporting widows indeed, who work through prayer and teaching.

John 12:1-8

Context: Judas objects to the ointment being sold for the poor, but his motive was theft, illustrating false charity.

Historical References

Walter Williams article 'Socialism is Evil'

Context: Weaver quotes Williams arguing that coercive taxation for welfare is immoral and akin to slavery.

Old Hebrew adage

Context: Weaver cites an adage: 'He who will not teach his son the law and a trade teaches him to be a crook and a thief.'

Important Quotes

Charity is never promiscuous on God's part. It is always selective.

Significance: Core thesis that biblical charity is not universal but based on God's selective pattern.

Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?

Significance: Jesus' words affirming God's sovereign right to distribute blessings as He chooses.

Gleaning was charity. But gleaning was also work. It was hard, back-breaking work.

Significance: Highlights that biblical charity requires effort from the recipient, unlike modern welfare.

An act of charity is the undergirding and the strengthening of the society of faith. An act of mercy is just simply a humane act.

Significance: Key distinction between charity (faith-based community support) and mercy (life-saving help for anyone).

False charity is theft, plain and simple.

Significance: Blunt condemnation of coercive or promiscuous giving that violates God's law.

Coercive charity is not charity, it is theft, no matter what form it takes or where it originates.

Significance: Applies the eighth commandment to government welfare and forced giving.

Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?

Significance: Rebuke to Jehoshaphat, used to warn against subsidizing wickedness.

Discussion Questions

How does the selectivity of God's charity challenge common assumptions about Christian giving?

Context: Weaver argues that God does not always have pity and forbids pity on certain sinners.

In what ways does the gleaning law provide a model for charity that promotes work and self-respect?

Context: Gleaning required hard work from the poor, unlike modern handouts.

What is the difference between a work of mercy and an act of charity, and why is this distinction important?

Context: Weaver distinguishes between humane life-saving acts and faith-strengthening support.

How should the church apply the principles of 1 Timothy 5 in supporting widows today?

Context: Widows supported by the church are expected to work through prayer and teaching.

Why does Weaver call false charity 'theft,' and how does this apply to government welfare programs?

Context: Coercive taking from one to give to another violates the eighth commandment.

What are the dangers of helping the ungodly, as illustrated by Jehoshaphat's rebuke?

Context: Helping those who hate God can bring wrath and blur moral distinctions.

Applications

Evaluate giving practices by biblical selectivity

Summary: Believers should not give promiscuously but assess the character and faith of recipients, following God's example.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'There are certain individuals in the Bible that God forbids us to have pity or compassion upon.'

Require work from those seeking help

Summary: When possible, structure charity to involve work, preserving the recipient's dignity and ensuring genuine need.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'Biblical charity requires work... He has self-respect in the fact that he knows he's worked for it.'

Distinguish between mercy and charity in personal giving

Summary: Perform acts of mercy (e.g., emergency aid) for anyone, but reserve ongoing charity for those who share the faith.

Evidence: Weaver explains the Good Samaritan as mercy, while Acts 11 relief was charity for brethren.

Reject coercive or government-mandated 'charity'

Summary: Recognize that forced wealth redistribution is theft and resist participation in systems that violate God's law.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Coercive charity is not charity, it is theft, no matter what form it takes.'

Do not subsidize the ungodly

Summary: Avoid financial support that enables wickedness or promotes anti-Christian agendas.

Evidence: Weaver cites 2 Chronicles 19:2 and the UNICEF example.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T00:56:29Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:11:03Z

Clean Transcript

Biblical Wealth - Part 7 of 8

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Alright, let's open our Bibles today to Leviticus chapter 19 as a starter. Leviticus chapter 19. We're also going to look in Leviticus 23 and then Deuteronomy 24. So you can find all three passages. Leviticus chapter 19. And if you would look at verses 9 and 10. Leviticus 19 verses 9 and 10: "And when you reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest, and thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of the vineyard, thou shalt leave them for the poor and the stranger.
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I am the Lord your God." Now in Leviticus chapter 23, if you will look at verse 22, Leviticus 23, verse 22: "And when you reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest. Neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest. Thou shalt leave them unto the poor and to the stranger. I am the Lord your God." Then in Deuteronomy 24, beginning there with verse 19, Deuteronomy 24, verse 19: "When thou cuttest down thine harvest in the field, and hast forgotten a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow, that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterwards. It shall be for the stranger, and for the fatherless, and for the widow.
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And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt. Therefore I command thee to do this thing."
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Now we have been on the biblical doctrine of wealth for the last six weeks, and I hope that as you have followed me in this study that you have understood the sovereignty and the source of wealth, the sovereignty and the subjects of wealth, the purpose of wealth, and then of course we went over the three tithes that were mentioned in the Bible. There was the Levitical tithe, the poor tithe, and then the tithe of rejoicing or the festival tithe which I covered last week. Today we come to the subject of biblical wealth and the doctrine of charity. Now let me just tell you that the doctrine of charity is extremely important. In fact, today's views of charity are usually either sentimental or anarchistic. Now I'm going to explain the use of those two words for you when I say that today's views of charity are usually either sentimental or anarchistic. Now, I use the word sentimental because in one sense a lot of people's views on charity are simply based upon their own feelings, or their own sentiments, or their own emotions.
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For instance, usually when you see some type of advertisement for world relief or children relief that is advertised on TV, they show you the picture of a starving child, pot belly, flies all around him, or the child with the ribs showing and still the flies all around. In other words, what they're doing is appealing to your emotions, appealing to your sentiments, and they want you to give. And by the way, usually a lot of people do give based upon that, but then after the pictures cease, then also the giving ceases because all it was was based upon pure sentiment or emotions and that was it.
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Now, especially during the seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas, we are inundated with sermons, editorials, cartoons, and articles that suggest, "How dare we enjoy the abundance which God has given us when there are so many in the world that are poor, hungry, and starving." The interesting thing is this: it never occurs to most people that God does bless covenantal obedience and individual responsibility, and that God does curse covenantal disobedience and individual irresponsibility.
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Now let me ask you a question. I want you to think about this. Shall we despise God and His graciousness just simply because some people are covenantally disobedient and individually irresponsible? Shall you and I despise the riches of God's grace just simply because God does not choose to give to everyone equally? Now, I want you to stop and think about that. In fact, let me show you a Scripture.
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Look in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 20. And notice what our Lord says in verse 15. Here He's talking about giving of His own gifts. And notice what He says in Matthew chapter 20, because when one of the workers begins to complain that He has blessed the one who has worked one hour equally with the one that has worked eight hours, notice what our Lord says in Matthew 20 and verse 15: "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?
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Is thine eye evil because I am good?" Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Let me ask you a question. Are you obligated to reach in your pocket and just give me a $50 bill? No. Are you obligated to reach in your pocket and give Henry a $100 bill? No. The very fact that you do happen to give to me or happen to give to Henry is really and truly an act of grace.
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It is not a duty. It is not an obligation. And the fact is, God really and truly does not owe anyone anything but justice. And when God gives His grace, and when God gives His gifts and His blessings, it's based upon His own sovereignty, and He has the sovereign right to do with His own as He pleases. So when I talk about our views of charity being sentimental, I mean on the one hand, there are many individuals who give based only upon sentiment, based only upon their feelings, and based only upon their emotions. Now I also use the word anarchistic because usually on the opposite hand, if the view of charity is not sentimental, usually it is anarchistic. And by that I mean it is contrary to the law of God. An excellent example of anarchistic charity is the foreign aid programs that are instituted by our own government.
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By our government, by governmental decree, we must have pity upon all human need, even if it happens to be pity upon our enemies who are planning and devising our own destruction. Witness the numerous welfare programs that maintain promiscuous pity and charity for everyone, regardless of their character, conduct, and indolence.
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Now, if there was ever a time when we need a clear understanding of what the Bible teaches on charity, it certainly is today. Now, we've got to understand two words. The first one is compassion and the second one is pity. Because compassion and pity are fundamental to the biblical doctrine of charity.
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Now the word compassion is very easily explained. You look at our English word compassion, "com" as a preposition which means "with" and "passion" to suffer. So we say the word compassion simply means to suffer with. But I particularly like the Greek word. I never will forget when I learned this word 40 years ago, I guess it was. It became one of my all-time favorite Greek words. I used to love to say it. The Greek word for compassion is the word splagchnizomai. You say, why in the world are you like that? Well, let me tell you what the word splagchnizomai means. It means to yearn with all your bowels.
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You see, the ancients believe, now listen to me, the ancients believe the seat of the affections was in the bowels. I told my wife coming over here this morning, I said, "I want to tell you something. I've probably never told you this before." She said, "What is it?" I said, "I love you with all my guts." She says, "You know, somehow I just don't think that's romantic." I said, "Well, if I say I love you with all my bowels, does that help?" No, she said, "It's still not romantic. I'd rather hear 'heart,' you know." But that's what the word compassion literally means. It means to have a yearning of the bowels because they believed that the seat of affections was in the bowels. Now, the word pity just simply means to be gracious or kind or have loving kindness. So the word compassion and the word pity, those two words are essential then to the elements in biblical charity.
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Now, let me begin and tell you the very first point. Charity is never promiscuous on God's part. It is always selective.
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Now let me say that again. Charity is never promiscuous on God's part. It is always selective. Therefore, it should be that way on ours, which I shall demonstrate in just a moment.
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Now look in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Proverbs, chapter 19, and look at verse 17. Proverbs 19, verse 17. Proverbs 19, verse 17. The Scripture says, "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord. And that which he hath given will he repay him again." So he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord. So when we have pity unto the poor, God says we're lending unto the Lord. And that which he hath given, that is to the poor, He, God, will pay him again. I want you to understand that Proverbs 19 and verse 17 is what you and I would call a general principle. What is a general principle? A general principle is something that is applicable most of the time, but it is not applicable all of the time.
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In other words, it is true, generally speaking, but there are exceptions. We've got numerous general principles in the Bible. The two that I always tell you is, "He that giveth a wife giveth a good thing and obtaineth favor of the Lord." Generally that's true. But some men have gotten a wife, didn't get a good thing. Some women got a husband, didn't get a good thing. That's a general principle. I know some men that have gone through living hell. Some women too. How about this one?
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"Beat thy child with a rod. If thou beatest him with a rod, he shall not die, thou shalt deliver his soul from hell." Does that mean every child that's ever been beat with a rod is going to heaven? Well, of course not. It's a general principle that means that if you discipline your child the way God tells you and bring that child up the way God tells you, generally speaking, the child will be converted. Not necessarily every time.
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I've known children that have been disciplined, brought up in church, in a Christian school, in a Christian household, and are mean as a devil and lost as a hound dog. It's a general principle.
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Now, it is true, generally speaking, that when we give to the poor, we're lending unto the Lord. But I'm here to tell you that there are some poor that God does not expect us to give unto. He does not expect us to give unto the wicked and the evil poor. When we give to the wicked and the evil, we're not working for the Lord or lending to the Lord, we're working against the Lord.
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Now let me begin by making a statement, and I'll show it to you from Scripture. It'll shock you. But here it is. There are certain individuals in the Bible that God forbids us to have pity or compassion upon. Now listen to that. There are certain individuals upon whom God forbids us to have pity or compassion upon.
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Now that is not hard-heartedness. It is a matter of principle. Biblical charity is always exercised in accordance with Scripture. For instance, look in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 13 and verse 8. I'm just showing you that there are numerous individuals upon whom we are not to have compassion. Without me going into the context of Deuteronomy chapter 13, here is someone in your own family that is seeking to seduce you and turn you away from the worship of the one true and the living God, and get you to worship idols. Look what God says. Deuteronomy 13, verse 8: "Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him, neither shalt thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him, but thou shalt surely kill him. Thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
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Now, if you'll go back up to verse 6, He said, "If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or thy wife, or thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee saying..." What is God saying? It doesn't matter if someone is close to you. He says, if they try to seduce you into idolatry, verse 8, "thou shalt not consent unto them, nor hearken to them, neither shall thine eye pity him."
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What are you to do? God says you're to turn him over to the elders where he can have a trial and be put to death. So God says you are not to have pity or compassion upon someone who is trying to seduce you into idolatry. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 19 and verse 13. Deuteronomy 19 verse 13. Here's a man that has premeditatedly murdered. What does God say? Deuteronomy 19 verse 13: "Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee." Now skip back up to verse 11: "But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth unto one of these cities," that is, a city of refuge, "then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him hence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. Thine eye shall not pity him." What's God saying?
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Here's someone that murders another man premeditatedly. And the court sentences him to death in the electric chair. And someone says, "I feel so sorry for that man." I don't. God said he's to have no pity. No compassion. Execute him. Put him to death. Look in your Bibles to verse 21 there of chapter 19. Chapter 19, verse 21. God said, "Thine eye shall not pity, but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."
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Now, in this instance, God is talking about delivering justice. God is saying, "Thine eye shall not pity." You're not to pity a poor man in his cause. If a poor man is done wrong, he's not to receive pity just because he's poor. God says you're to deliver justice, not pity, not compassion. Look in Deuteronomy 25 and verse 12. Deuteronomy 25 verse 12. Here's a woman that has done something she should not have done. God says, "Thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her." There are individuals upon whom we are not to have pity. Now listen to me. God does not always have pity Himself. Therefore, we should not always have pity either. Let me show you. There comes a time when God will have no pity and no compassion. Look in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 13 and verse 14. Jeremiah 13 and verse 14. Look what God says. Jeremiah 13 and verse 14. Now God is speaking, and here's what God says.
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"And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the Lord, I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them." What did God say that He's going to do to the wicked? He said He's going to destroy them. He will not have pity upon them. By the way, all you have to do is read the book of Lamentations, chapters 2 and 3, and see what God did there to those people. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 5 and verse 11. Ezekiel chapter 5 and verse 11. This doesn't occur just simply one time, but it occurs over and over in the Bible. Ezekiel 5, notice if you would please verse 11. Ezekiel 5 verse 11 God says, "Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thy abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee, neither shall mine eyes spare, neither will I have any pity." Sounds like to me there's a time when God will not exercise pity or compassion.
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Then if you look to the book of Zechariah chapter 11, right before the book of Malachi, Zechariah 11 and verse 6. Zechariah 11 and verse 6. Look what God says. Zechariah 11 and verse 6. God says, "For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord. But, lo, I will deliver the men, every one, into his neighbor's hands, and into the hand of his king, and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them. I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land." There comes a time when even God Himself does not exercise pity or compassion.
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Now, while it is true that God's blessings generally speaking are upon all—don't you remember Matthew 5 and verse 45 where He said He causes the sun to rise upon the just and the unjust alike, He sends rain upon the just and the unjust alike—yet God reserves His pity and His compassion towards those who are godly. God does not dispense His charity promiscuously. He is always selective.
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And therefore we should be like Him. Now, secondly, I want you to follow with me because I'm going to tie these things together for you. The basic form of charity in the Bible was gleaning. That's why I begin by reading Leviticus 19 verses 9 and 10, Leviticus 23 verse 22, Deuteronomy 24, verses 19 through 22, where God says, you're not to glean the corners of your field.
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If you drop the sheaf, don't go back and pick it up, leave it. Why? It's for the poor. It's for the fatherless. It's for the widow. It's for the strangers.
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Now, there is a law of gleaning in the Bible. And in that law, landowners were forbidden an absolute total harvest in the sense they could not go back over and continue gleaning the fields until they got every grain, and every ear of corn, and every olive, and every grape that was there. No, the leftovers were for the strangers, the poor, and the widows.
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Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Ruth, and let me show you something. Although gleaning was a form of charity, gleaning was a privilege and not a right. What do I mean by that? Well, let's suppose Henry owns 200 acres of land. And he has 200 acres of corn planted on that land. And he's reaped that corn. He's harvested it. And there's some corn just simply lying around on the ground. Just because something's lying around on the ground, does that mean I have the absolute right to go on his property and pick it up and take it without his knowledge and without his permission? What's the answer? No, that'd be theft. Now, watch what happens in Ruth chapter 2, beginning there with verse 5. Everyone knows this story.
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"Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, 'Whose damsel is this?' And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, 'It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab. And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So she came and continued even from the morning until now that she tarried a little in the house.' Then said Boaz unto Ruth, 'Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens. Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them.
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Have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? And when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.' Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, 'Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?' And Boaz answered and said unto her, 'It hath been fully showed me all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband, and how thou hast left thy father, and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.'
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Now, I want you to note that first of all, Ruth asked permission to glean. Look in verse 7. She said, 'I pray you, let me glean after the reapers among the sheaves.' So she had to ask permission. She asked permission from the head steward. But I want you to note something. When Boaz, who owned the land, came and saw her, what did he do? He asked the steward, 'Whose damsel is this?'
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"I don't know this woman. Why did you let her glean in my field?" And then when the man explained, "Well, this is the Moabitish woman that came back with Naomi," then said Boaz, "Oh, Miss Ruth, I'll tell you what you do. You stay right here by my reapers. You drink of the water that my young men have drawn. Nobody's going to touch you. You refresh yourself here. And here's why. I know that you left your father and your mother. I know that you've taken care of your mother-in-law. I know that you've come to trust under the wings of the sovereign God of Israel. I know everything about your honor and your integrity and heretofore all that you've done, and so I want you to glean in my fields." Now, I want you to note what else he did. He also told his reapers, told his young men to give her a special blessing.
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Look in verses 15 and 16. "And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, 'Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not. And let some also fall handfuls of purpose for her, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.'"
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Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. Although gleaning was charity, it was only given to the deserving poor.
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Now, a question has got to be asked. What happened to the undeserving poor? What happened to the drunkard, the slothful, and the lazy man that was poor? Well, it's simple. They either shaped up or starved to death. Isn't that simple? What does the Bible say in 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 10? You can quote it. "If any will not work, what? Neither should he eat." So you had a choice. You could either be honorable and have some character and integrity and do what was right if you were poor and work and glean, or you could still be lazy and slothful and wicked and starve. It's just that simple.
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Now, I want you to understand something. Gleaning was charity. But gleaning was also work. It was hard, back-breaking work. Gleaning was harder and more difficult than regular harvesting due to the scarcity of the product that one was gleaning. However, one who was diligent could always secure enough food to keep himself from starving. Are you listening? Biblical charity is designed to give the recipient self-respect and satisfaction. Biblical charity requires work. Here's the individual that's out gleaning. He has worked hard to get what little bit he has gotten. And yet he's gotten enough to support his family so they will not starve. He has self-respect in the fact that he knows he's worked for it. He has satisfaction in the fact that he's fulfilled the needs of his family, and he did it himself.
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Now, everyone, I think, knows of the fraudulent, vile, and wicked welfare system in America. We are traitors to our own constitution in the fact that we aid our enemies. We promote fornication and adultery by subsidizing immorality. We encourage laziness, idleness, and slothfulness in giving to those who either do not want to work or will not work. And we penalize those who will work by coercive confiscation of their assets in order to give to those who will not work.
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That, dear friend, is not charity. That is theft. Plain and simple. Walter Williams wrote an article entitled, "Socialism is Evil." Let me give you just a short quote. Here's what he wrote. He argued that it was immoral, not to mention unconstitutional, for Congress through the tax code to confiscate the earnings of one American to give to another American in the forms of prescription drugs, social security, food stamps, foreign subsidies, or airline bailouts. It is immoral because it forcibly uses one person to serve the purposes of another. Indeed, that's one way to define slavery and other forms of servitude.
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He hit the nail on the head. I want you to understand that clearly such a system is contrary to the law of God. God's law demands work, and work teaches self-respect, which leads to individual satisfaction. Do you realize one of the main reasons we have widespread dissatisfaction among the welfare recipients is because they think they want more, they think they deserve more, and when you give them more, they're still never satisfied. Because the more they get, the more they want. And the more they think they deserve to have. They'll never be satisfied. Because the welfare system in America is a violation of God's law and God's orderly way. Do you realize there are people on welfare in this country that have been on welfare their entire lives that have never, ever worked. Not only that, there are generations that have been raised on welfare like that. Did you realize it is a commonly known fact that a man who has never worked before he is 25, will never work.
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He'll be a parasite all of his life. Now let me tell you something. There's an old Hebrew adage, and I want to tell you what it is, and it is so true. The old Hebrew adage went like this: "He who will not teach his son the law and a trade"—that is God's law and a trade, that is an occupation—"He who will not teach his son the law and a trade teaches him to be a crook and a thief." And folks, let me tell you, that's where we are in this country. That's where we are.
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We have sired a generation of crooks and thieves who are immoral and wicked and think they deserve to have everything handed to them on a silver platter. Gleaning was the most basic form of charity, but it was work. It was hard work. It was not just money handed to someone. They had to work.
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Thirdly, and I'm only just mentioning this because I dealt with this two weeks ago, but the poor tithe was and is an essential part of biblical charity. You'll find that discussed in Deuteronomy chapter 14, but let me tell you what that poor tithe basically did. It taught us to be mindful of others. It was charity. It was an aspect of charity, but it was used for a specific purpose. It insisted upon and taught the unity of the people of God, whether rich or poor, as one people under God. That's why when that poor tithe was used, you invited the poor, the fatherless, the widows, who were of the faith.
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And you ate with them and they ate with you. It was an illustration of Proverbs 22 in verse 2, when the Bible says, "The rich and poor meet together, the Lord is maker of them all." Let's suppose Doc is a multi-millionaire. He's not, but let's suppose he is. Let's suppose he's a multi-millionaire, and here's Brother Ernie over here, who just barely ekes by. Both of them are saved by the grace of God. Which one is more saved than the other? Neither! In other words, there is an equality in standing before the Lord. And that poor tithe, what it did basically was this.
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It undergirded the unity of the faith. It was not based upon sentimentality. It was not based upon anarchism, but it was designed on a biblical principle to strengthen and protect the people of God in their ties of faith. So, Doc, who could be a multi-millionaire, and Ernie, who could be a poor man, could fellowship together and worship the same God through biblical charity, and it is strengthening the ties of that godly society. Now, I showed you, first of all, that biblical charity is never promiscuous. It is always selective. I've showed you, secondly, that the most basic form of biblical charity was gleaning. It meant work. By the way, do you realize very few people who ask for money today are willing to work for it. I've had all kinds of people ask me for money and I would say, "Well you know, I have some wood that needs to be cut and I'll be more than glad to pay you if you'll go out and cut my wood or do this or do that."
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You know, all of a sudden they're not interested. They don't want to do that. Most people just want you to give them money; they don't want to work. Okay? Gleaning was hard work. The poor tithe was there, but it was there for a reason. It was to undergird the ties in the society of faith.
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Fourthly, now listen because here is a clear distinction: the work of mercy to man and beast differs in purpose from charity. The work of mercy is included under the work of charity, but in reality they are different. It's different purposes. Sometimes they might be intertwined just a little, but you must draw a distinction, which I'll explain, between biblical mercy and biblical charity. Let me take you to the Bibles. To your Bibles, go to Deuteronomy 22 and to Exodus 23. Deuteronomy 22 and to Exodus 23. We'll read Deuteronomy 22 first. Deuteronomy 22, notice if you would please verse 1.
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"Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his ass go astray, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. If thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it into thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it unto him again. And like manner shalt thou do with his ass, so shalt thou do with his raiment. For all lost thing of thy brother, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise, thou mayest not hide thyself. Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again."
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Now, without me going into this, I've preached on this in time past, but I want you to note what God says. God says if you just see your brother's ox, his ass, his horse, anything going astray, God says you can't hide yourself. You must help him get those animals back in. If you happen to see that ox or a horse in danger, God said you may not hide yourself. I had a horse one time that I was riding.
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There was a beautiful creek of water. And the horse wanted some water, and so I gave him his head, and the horse stepped down to get water, and when he stepped down, the ground gave way and he sunk up to his chest in mud and muck. Sand on top, but muddy muck underneath. I was able to get the saddle off. I was able to get off. It took me an hour to get that horse out of there.
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Could I have used some help? You bet. Would I have appreciated some help? Yes.
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Now God says if you pass by and see someone in a situation like that, you cannot just hide yourself. You cannot ignore that. You must help that man with that fallen animal.
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Now you say, "Brother, I'm willing to do that because the Bible says 'Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox...' That's my brother. That's my Christian friend. Sure I would help him save his animal." Well, look in Exodus chapter 23 if you would. And let's begin reading there with verse 4. Exodus 23 verse 4. Now God says, "If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hated thee lying under his burden and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help them." Ah, that's no longer your brother, now it's your enemy. God said if you see your enemy's ass going astray, you've got to help him get him back. If you see your enemy's ass lying under burden, that is delivering a foal and having difficulty, God says you can't hide yourself, you must help. Now, what in the world is God doing? He is demonstrating in this passage our responsibility to help save and preserve life.
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Actually what it is, it is an argument from the lesser to the greater. If you and I are obligated to help save the animals of our brother, how much more are we obligated to help save his life? If we're obligated to help save the animals of our enemy, how much more are we obligated to help save his life? In other words, it's an argument from the lesser to the greater.
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Now, look in your Bibles to the book of Luke chapter 10. Let me show you the application of it. This is known as a work of mercy. It differs from charity. Look in Luke chapter 10. And let's begin reading there with verse 25. Luke 10. One of the most familiar stories in the Bible, Luke 10 verse 25. Let's see. Verse 25. Yes. "And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, 'Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?'
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And he said unto him, 'What is written in the law? How readest thou?' And he answering, said, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, with all thy might, and thy neighbor as thyself.' And he said unto him, 'Thou hast answered right. This doing thou shalt live.' But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?' And Jesus answering said, 'A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at that place, came and looked on him, and he passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, now watch, he had compassion on him, and he went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care
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of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, 'Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more when I come again, I will repay thee.' Which now of these three thinkest thou was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, 'He that showed mercy on him.' Then said Jesus unto him, 'Go and do thou likewise.' But note, and he said, 'He that showed mercy upon him.'
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Now, I want you to understand that charity is selective. And charity involves work on the part of the recipient. And it has as its purpose the strengthening of a godly society and the protection of that society. The purpose of charity is to unify the people of a common faith and enable the poor of that faith to enjoy everything as well. However, a work of mercy differs. How does work of mercy differ? Well, I want you to note what our Lord says. Here's this man.
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He has gone down the road and he's been attacked. He's stripped, he's wounded, he's left half dead.
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Now, we are assuming that the man was a Judahite. Because, where was he going? From Jerusalem to Jericho. Okay? So he was someone probably in the tribe of Judah. He's a Judahite. There passed by a priest, the highest in the Levitical order, and what did he do? He looked over, he saw him, and he snuck past on the other side. Why? I don't know. Maybe he was afraid the robbers were still there. Maybe he just didn't want to get involved. I don't know. But the next man that passed by was a Levite. A Levite was to be a teacher of the law of God. He certainly knew what the law of mercy was all about. And yet, he passed by on the other side. And our Lord said the third man was a Samaritan.
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Now you remember what the Judahites called the Samaritans. They called them dogs. Why? Because they were half-breeds. They had intermarried with the heathen. The Samaritans had their own religion. They worshipped on Mount Gerizim. They didn't go to Jerusalem to worship. And here was a Samaritan who saw this Judahite laying on the road, and he went over and took care of him, poured oil and wine into his wounds, lifted him up, put him on his own ass, took him to an inn, took care of him, and the next day, when he had to
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leave, he gave two more days' worth of money for the care of this man who he did not even know and had never seen in his entire life. And then he told the innkeeper, "If you spend anything else, I'll be glad to give it to you when I come back by this way."
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Now, let me point out the difference between an act of charity and an act of mercy. An act of charity is the undergirding and the strengthening of the society of faith. An act of mercy is just simply a humane act. It is helping someone who is in desperate need. You see, the Samaritan, when he helped this Judahite, was under no obligation to change his religious views. Nor was he under any obligation to have any further dealing with that Judahite.
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invite the man into his own home or to come live with him. No, in other words, here was a man in need and he helped.
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Now, you see, mercy is a humane act. It requires no further involvement than the act of mercy itself, whereas charity presupposes a fundamental identity with the recipient and affirmed and furthered by the donor. Charity is supra-personal, it is religious. Works of mercy are personal and humane. If I see a wreck and a car is on fire apt to explode any moment, I don't run up to the car and say, "Now, are there any Christians in this vehicle?" No!
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I open the door and I snatch them out regardless of who they are. Am I rescuing them as an act of mercy? Suppose the car's loaded with Muslims. I'm not under any obligation to become a Muslim just because I snatched them out of a burning car. I don't identify with that faith just because I saved four or five of them. No. It's just simply an act of mercy in the sense I snatched somebody out of a burning car.
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It could be an atheist. That's just simply an act of mercy. You rescue them regardless of their faith. If I rescue them, I'm not subsidizing their alien faith, nor their lack of faith. All I'm doing is saving their lives. And thus, I'm responsible to save lives, even the lives of my enemies. So here's the distinction then between charity and a work of mercy. If you look in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 11, let me go a little bit further, Acts chapter 11.
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Notice if you would please, beginning there in verse 27. Acts 11 verse 27. Look what is said. "And in those days came prophets from Jerusalem to Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be a great dearth throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea, which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul." So here was a great dearth, that is a great famine. And what did the disciples determine to do? That they were going to send to Jerusalem to help those brethren there.
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Well, was that an act of charity? Yes. But what about some who were starving that were not believers that may have gotten some of that? Well, that would have been an act of mercy. You follow me? I could give food to a starving child. If that child was an atheist, I could give that child food that might save his life. That would be a work of mercy. However, if that is a Christian child, and I not only feed him then, but I take him and train him and provide for him, that's charity.
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I'm undergirding the faith of the brethren. I'm strengthening the society. Now, let me show you again. Look in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 5. In 1 Timothy chapter 5, you have an example of biblical charity. Look, if you would please, at verse 3. 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 3. Paul says, "Honor widows that are widows indeed, but if any widow have children or nephews, let them first learn to show piety at home, and to requite their parents, for that is good and acceptable before God. Now she that is widow indeed and desolate trusteth in God, and continueth in supplication and prayers night and day." Now, here is what you and I would call an example of biblical charity. Now, God says there are some widows that need to be supported.
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Now, those who are excluded is if they have families. It's the family's obligation to take care of their widows. Then there are other qualifications given on down in there. But now, look what he says in verse 16. "If any man or woman that believeth hath widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged, that it may relieve them that are widows indeed." Now, let's suppose we have a widow woman that meets all the qualifications of a widow in 1 Timothy chapter 5.
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And she has no family. You say, "Well, Brother Weaver, just giving that woman money to live on. Man, that's not charity. That's just pure welfare." Oh, no. It's charity because charity requires work. Well, you say, "What kind of work?" Well, look what the Bible says in verse 5.
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"Now she that is a widow indeed and desolate trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day." When the church supports a widow, that widow is obligated then to maintain a spirit of prayer and fasting and supplication on behalf of that church and all the members therein. Moreover, do you remember what the Bible says that the elder women are to do in Titus chapter 2? Go there. You're just close by. Look in Titus chapter 2.
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And let's begin there with verse 3. Titus 2 verse 3. "The aged women likewise that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things, that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."
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What else is a widow to do besides pray? She teaches the younger women how to be a holy, godly woman, how to keep house, how to cook, how to sew, how to clean. In other words, she's working. See, that's charity. That's when you're undergirding the faith of society, the society of believers, by providing sustenance for someone who could not sustain themselves and yet at the same time they are working and there is self-respect and there is satisfaction involved. I want you to understand that contrasted with biblical charity is false charity. False charity is theft, plain and simple. I want you to turn in your Bibles to John chapter 12. You could also find this in Mark 14, but we'll look in John 12. And I want to show you where the average charitable institution is today. I can also show you where the average governmental charity is today. John chapter 12, beginning there with verse 1. John 12, verse 1.
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"Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the odor of that ointment. Then said one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who should betray him, 'Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor?' Why are you wasting this on our Lord's feet? Three hundred pence, that's three hundred days of sustenance. Why was this money not given to the poor?
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Verse 6, 'This said he, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.' Then said Jesus, 'Let her alone. Against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always you have with you, but me you have not always.' Note what is said. This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and he had the bag and he bare what was put therein.
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Now the interesting thing for you to find out is this: when you give 100 bucks to a charity, find out how much of that 100 bucks actually goes to the people for whom it was intended.
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False charity is theft. Pure, plain, and simple. Now, listen carefully. False charity would not permit any luxury at all while the poor exist. And what did our Lord say? "The poor you're going to have with you always." False charity hates joy, happiness, luxury, and abundance. False charity denies the person the right to use his own property in light of his own conscience. According to false charity, the rights of the poor to a man's property and wealth far exceed the man who owns the property and the wealth. According to false charity, success becomes a crime and can only be atoned for by a share-the-wealth program à la socialism, communism, welfarism. False charity is hypocritical and it destroys society. The only way false charity can be maintained is by destroying the contrast between God and Satan, good and evil, truth and error, right and wrong. False charity is anti-God and anti-Christ. Why?
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Because it blurs the distinction which God Himself has made and strikes at the very nature of God. It involves confusion and makes no difference between right and wrong, good and evil. False charity is theft. And when God stated, "Thou shalt not steal," that command applies to governments as well as individuals. Coercive charity is not charity, it is theft, no matter what form it takes or where it originates.
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I remember years ago, Alice was working when I was in the university, and they were putting the pressure on her to donate to UNICEF. "We want to have a 100%." I told her, "We can't give to UNICEF. That's United Nations. That's communist to the core." So she told her boss, "I can't give. And I won't give." Well, he said, "Could we give something in your name? Just so we could have 100%."
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My wife said, "Of course not. You may not give in my name. You have to be satisfied with 99%." You see, what if she had buckled under and had given? Would it have been charity? Well, of course not. Coercive charity is nothing but theft. We must understand that we have a moral and a biblical obligation to be without pity and without compassion and without charity towards some. I want to give you one last verse in closing. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 19. 2 Chronicles chapter 19.
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I have two messages on this text. I'm not going to preach them right now. So look in 2 Chronicles chapter 19. "And Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem." He had been up to Samaria, hobnobbing with the wicked king of Samaria, promising him help. Watch verse 2. "And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, 'Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.'" What? "Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?"
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There's a difference, folks, between an act of mercy and an act of charity. You cannot subsidize the wicked. You know, what really got me is when old Jehoshaphat told Ahab, "I am as thou art, and my people as thy people." No, I am not as a wicked man, and God's people are not as a wicked nation. We must understand that there are some people that God forbids us to have pity or compassion upon. We must also understand that everything that we have, whatever we have, however much we have, is a stewardship. And we must use what we have in light of God's directives and God's commands. God gave it to us and God can take it from us.
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1 Corinthians 4 says, "Moreover, it's required of a steward that a man be found faithful." So we must faithfully use what God has given us according as He's laid down in His word. Is there biblical charity? Yes. Is there an act of mercy? Yes. Are there unbiblical acts of charity? Yes. And God forbids us to engage in those. Let's pray. Father, we ask you today to help us, to teach us, to make us holy, to make us godly, and to build us up in the most holy faith. Lord, thou art God and thou art God alone.
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We thank thee for all that you've done and all that you're going to do in Christ's name. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T00:56:29Z

Biblical Wealth - Part 7 of 8

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver teaches the biblical doctrine of charity, distinguishing it from sentimental or anarchistic views. He argues that charity is never promiscuous but always selective, based on God's own example of withholding pity from the wicked. The basic form of charity in the Bible was gleaning, which required work and gave self-respect. The poor tithe strengthened the unity of the faith. A clear distinction is made between works of mercy (humane acts toward anyone in need) and charity (undergirding the society of faith). False charity is theft, coercive, and blurs moral distinctions. Believers must steward resources according to God's commands, refusing to subsidize the ungodly.

Opening

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 19:9-10

"And when you reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest, and thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of the vineyard, thou shalt leave them for the poor and the stranger.

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 23:22

I am the Lord your God." Now in Leviticus chapter 23, if you will look at verse 22, Leviticus 23, verse 22: "And when you reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest. Neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest. Thou shalt leave them unto the poor and to the stranger. I am the Lord your God."

And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt. Therefore I command thee to do this thing."

Introduction: The Need for Biblical Charity

Scripture Reading — Matthew 20:15

"Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?

Charity Is Never Promiscuous but Always Selective

God's charity is selective, not given to all. Scripture commands withholding pity from certain individuals, such as idolaters and murderers. God Himself sometimes refuses pity.

Now let me say that again. Charity is never promiscuous on God's part. It is always selective. Therefore, it should be that way on ours, which I shall demonstrate in just a moment.

Now look in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Proverbs, chapter 19, and look at verse 17. Proverbs 19, verse 17. Proverbs 19, verse 17. The Scripture says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 19:17

"He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord. And that which he hath given will he repay him again."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 13:8

"Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him, neither shalt thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him, but thou shalt surely kill him. Thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:13

"Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:13

"then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him hence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. Thine eye shall not pity him."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:13

"Thine eye shall not pity, but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

Now, in this instance, God is talking about delivering justice. God is saying,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:21

"Thine eye shall not pity."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:21

"Thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her."

The Basic Form of Charity: Gleaning

Gleaning was the primary biblical charity, requiring work from the recipient. It was a privilege, not a right, and only given to the deserving poor. The undeserving poor faced starvation.

If you drop the sheaf, don't go back and pick it up, leave it. Why? It's for the poor. It's for the fatherless. It's for the widow. It's for the strangers.

The Poor Tithe as an Essential Part of Charity

The poor tithe taught mindfulness of others and strengthened the unity of God's people, allowing rich and poor to fellowship together as equals before God.

Distinction Between Works of Mercy and Charity

Works of mercy are humane acts to save life, even for enemies, without requiring religious identification. Charity presupposes a shared faith and aims to strengthen the believing community.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 23:4-5

"If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hated thee lying under his burden and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help them."

Notice if you would please, beginning there in verse 27. Acts 11 verse 27. Look what is said.

Scripture Reading — Acts 11:27-30

"And in those days came prophets from Jerusalem to Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be a great dearth throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea, which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul."

So here was a great dearth, that is a great famine. And what did the disciples determine to do? That they were going to send to Jerusalem to help those brethren there.

Biblical Charity Illustrated: Widows in 1 Timothy 5

Supporting qualified widows is charity because they work through prayer and teaching younger women, maintaining self-respect and satisfaction.

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 5:3-16

"If any man or woman that believeth hath widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged, that it may relieve them that are widows indeed."

False Charity Is Theft

False charity, including coercive government programs, is theft. It hates luxury, denies property rights, and blurs moral distinctions. Judas's objection to the ointment exemplifies false charity.

Now the interesting thing for you to find out is this: when you give 100 bucks to a charity, find out how much of that 100 bucks actually goes to the people for whom it was intended.

Conclusion: Stewardship and Refusal to Help the Ungodly

Believers must steward resources faithfully, refusing to subsidize the wicked. Jehoshaphat's rebuke for helping the ungodly serves as a warning.

We thank thee for all that you've done and all that you're going to do in Christ's name. Amen.

Biblical Wealth - Part 7 of 8

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	83004203721
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Wealth, Defense, and Justice
Genre	Sermon
Date	2004-08-29
Dictation Name
Book	Book 052: Biblical Wealth — Chapter 7
Source Timed Segments	91

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Need for Biblical Charity: Weaver introduces the topic of charity, noting that modern views are either sentimental (based on emotions) or anarchistic (contrary to God's law). He emphasizes the need for a clear biblical understanding.
Charity Is Never Promiscuous but Always Selective: God's charity is selective, not given to all. Scripture commands withholding pity from certain individuals, such as idolaters and murderers. God Himself sometimes refuses pity.
The Basic Form of Charity: Gleaning: Gleaning was the primary biblical charity, requiring work from the recipient. It was a privilege, not a right, and only given to the deserving poor. The undeserving poor faced starvation.
The Poor Tithe as an Essential Part of Charity: The poor tithe taught mindfulness of others and strengthened the unity of God's people, allowing rich and poor to fellowship together as equals before God.
Distinction Between Works of Mercy and Charity: Works of mercy are humane acts to save life, even for enemies, without requiring religious identification. Charity presupposes a shared faith and aims to strengthen the believing community.
Biblical Charity Illustrated: Widows in 1 Timothy 5: Supporting qualified widows is charity because they work through prayer and teaching younger women, maintaining self-respect and satisfaction.
False Charity Is Theft: False charity, including coercive government programs, is theft. It hates luxury, denies property rights, and blurs moral distinctions. Judas's objection to the ointment exemplifies false charity.
Conclusion: Stewardship and Refusal to Help the Ungodly: Believers must steward resources faithfully, refusing to subsidize the wicked. Jehoshaphat's rebuke for helping the ungodly serves as a warning.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

God's Charity Is Selective, Not Universal

God does not always have pity; He commands withholding pity from certain sinners, and His charity is reserved for the godly.

Weaver cites Jeremiah 13:14, Ezekiel 5:11, and Zechariah 11:6 to show God refusing pity, and argues we should imitate Him.

Gleaning Was Charity That Required Work

The biblical law of gleaning provided for the poor but demanded hard work, ensuring only the deserving poor benefited.

Weaver explains from Leviticus 19, 23, and Deuteronomy 24 that gleaning was work, and Ruth had to ask permission.

The Poor Tithe Strengthened the Faith Community

The poor tithe was designed to unify rich and poor believers, not based on sentiment but on biblical principle.

Weaver says, 'It undergirded the unity of the faith... to strengthen and protect the people of God in their ties of faith.'

Mercy Is Obligatory Even Toward Enemies

Scripture commands helping even an enemy's animal in distress, arguing from lesser to greater that we must save lives regardless of faith.

Weaver references Exodus 23:4-5 and the Good Samaritan to show mercy is a humane act without religious strings.

Coercive Charity Is Theft and Destroys Society

Government welfare and forced giving are theft, penalize work, and blur the distinction between good and evil.

Weaver quotes Walter Williams and states, 'Coercive charity is not charity, it is theft, no matter what form it takes.'

Believers Must Not Subsidize the Ungodly

2 Chronicles 19:2 rebukes helping those who hate God; charity must not support wickedness.

Weaver cites Jehoshaphat's rebuke: 'Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?'

Scripture References

Leviticus 19:9-10: God commands leaving gleanings for the poor and stranger.
Leviticus 23:22: Reiteration of the gleaning law for the poor and stranger.
Deuteronomy 24:19-22: Gleaning law extended to forgotten sheaves, olives, and grapes for the stranger, fatherless, and widow.
Matthew 20:15: Jesus asserts His sovereign right to do as He wills with His own, illustrating God's selective generosity.
Proverbs 19:17: He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, a general principle with exceptions.
Deuteronomy 13:8: God forbids pity on a family member who entices to idolatry; they must be put to death.
Deuteronomy 19:13: No pity for a premeditated murderer; justice requires execution.
Deuteronomy 19:21: No pity in delivering justice; life for life, eye for eye.
Deuteronomy 25:12: No pity for a woman whose hand must be cut off for a specific offense.
Jeremiah 13:14: God declares He will not pity, spare, or have mercy but destroy the wicked.
Ezekiel 5:11: God will not spare or have pity because of defilement and abominations.
Zechariah 11:6: God will no more pity the inhabitants of the land.
Ruth 2:5-16: Ruth asks permission to glean; Boaz grants it because of her character, illustrating selective charity.
2 Thessalonians 3:10: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.
Deuteronomy 22:1-4: Command to help a brother's lost or fallen animal, not hiding oneself.
Exodus 23:4-5: Command to help even an enemy's animal in distress.
Luke 10:25-37: The Good Samaritan shows mercy to a wounded man, illustrating a work of mercy.
Acts 11:27-30: Disciples send relief to brethren in Judea during a famine, an act of charity.
1 Timothy 5:3-16: Instructions on supporting widows indeed, who work through prayer and teaching.
John 12:1-8: Judas objects to the ointment being sold for the poor, but his motive was theft, illustrating false charity.

Historical References

Walter Williams article 'Socialism is Evil': Weaver quotes Williams arguing that coercive taxation for welfare is immoral and akin to slavery.
Old Hebrew adage: Weaver cites an adage: 'He who will not teach his son the law and a trade teaches him to be a crook and a thief.'

Important Quotes

Charity is never promiscuous on God's part. It is always selective.

Core thesis that biblical charity is not universal but based on God's selective pattern.

Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?

Jesus' words affirming God's sovereign right to distribute blessings as He chooses.

Gleaning was charity. But gleaning was also work. It was hard, back-breaking work.

Highlights that biblical charity requires effort from the recipient, unlike modern welfare.

An act of charity is the undergirding and the strengthening of the society of faith. An act of mercy is just simply a humane act.

Key distinction between charity (faith-based community support) and mercy (life-saving help for anyone).

False charity is theft, plain and simple.

Blunt condemnation of coercive or promiscuous giving that violates God's law.

Coercive charity is not charity, it is theft, no matter what form it takes or where it originates.

Applies the eighth commandment to government welfare and forced giving.

Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?

Rebuke to Jehoshaphat, used to warn against subsidizing wickedness.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the selectivity of God's charity challenge common assumptions about Christian giving?

[Context]

Weaver argues that God does not always have pity and forbids pity on certain sinners.

[Question]

In what ways does the gleaning law provide a model for charity that promotes work and self-respect?

[Context]

Gleaning required hard work from the poor, unlike modern handouts.

[Question]

What is the difference between a work of mercy and an act of charity, and why is this distinction important?

[Context]

Weaver distinguishes between humane life-saving acts and faith-strengthening support.

[Question]

How should the church apply the principles of 1 Timothy 5 in supporting widows today?

[Context]

Widows supported by the church are expected to work through prayer and teaching.

[Question]

Why does Weaver call false charity 'theft,' and how does this apply to government welfare programs?

[Context]

Coercive taking from one to give to another violates the eighth commandment.

[Question]

What are the dangers of helping the ungodly, as illustrated by Jehoshaphat's rebuke?

[Context]

Helping those who hate God can bring wrath and blur moral distinctions.

Applications

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