Proverbs: Wealth, Defense, and Justice

Are You Poor and Needy?

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2024-02-21

Synopsis: John Weaver examines the biblical concept of being 'poor and needy,' moving beyond material poverty to a spiritual posture of total dependence on God. Using Deuteronomy 24:14-15 as a starting point, he contrasts the sluggard with the diligent, warns against oppressing the truly poor, and shows that even wealthy figures like David and Job declared themselves poor and needy because they recognized their nothingness without God. The sermon calls believers to embrace this humble dependence, which brings God's help, deliverance, and provision.

[John Weaver] Deuteronomy chapter 24. I want you to read with me verses 14 and 15. The title of the message happens to be a question. Are you poor and needy? So look in Deuteronomy chapter 24. Begin there with verse 14. The Word of God says this, thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren or thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates. At his day thou shalt give him his hire. Neither shall the sun go down upon it, for he is poor, and set his heart upon it, lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee. So the pressing question is are you poor and needy? Now when we hear that question, are you poor and needy, our minds immediately think of money. We either think that we have a sufficient amount for the time being, or we think that we do not have a sufficient amount. If we cannot pay our bills, provide for our families, and secure what you and I would refer to as the necessities of life, we would consider that we were poor and needy.

[John Weaver] There are many people, I think, that believe they're poor and needy, when in reality, they are not poor and needy. Oftentimes, those who are loaded with money think that they're poor and needy because they don't think that they have enough money. And thus, they would consider themselves poor and needy. It's kind of like one wealthy landowner that I read about, Someone accused him of wanting to own the world.

[John Weaver] He said, that's a lie. He does not want to own the world. All he wants to do is own the land that's next to his. Now think about it. Pretty soon, he would indeed own the world, that is for sure.

[John Weaver] Now there are some that are poor and needy due to their own slothfulness, idleness, laziness, and they refuse to work. Those are the ones, I believe, that should not be helped financially in any way whatsoever. In fact, I would say not help them in any way, period. If you look in your Bibles, hold Deuteronomy, we're coming back there. But if you look in your Bibles to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, and look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 10, look what the Apostle Paul says. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, and look at it at verse 10. Here it is. He said, for even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

[John Weaver] For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now then, them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that they with quietness, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread.

[John Weaver] Now look what he said in verse 10. For even when we were with you, This we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. I have no sympathy for a man who will not work. It does not matter whether he is a professing Christian or not. If he will not work, God says, let him starve. I am assured in my own mind that most people would learn to work before they would starve.

[John Weaver] But there are many scriptures in the Bible that condemn laziness and what you and I would call being a sluggard. So if you look in your Bibles, and follow me very quickly, to Proverbs chapter 6. Look in Proverbs chapter 6, and let's begin there with verse 6, and we'll look at several passages very quickly. Because God condemns a man that is a sluggard. That is, he's lazy, he's indolent, he will not work whatsoever. So in Proverbs 6 and verse 6, God says, go to the aunt thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise. Here's what the aunt does, which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provide their meat in the summer and gather their food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou rise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep, So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man. So God sends us to the ant to learn, and he says those that will not lay up, those that will not work, those that will not provide, are nothing more than a sluggard.

[John Weaver] So if you'll look in Proverbs chapter 10 and verse 26, Proverbs 10 verse 26, God says, as vinegar to the teeth and as smoke to the eyes, So is the slugger to them that send him. In other words, vinegar hurts your teeth and smoke hurts your eyes. And God says, if you send a slugger to do a job, you're going to be hurt. It's just that simple. Look, if you would, in Proverbs chapter 13 and verse four, I've always liked this verse because it is so easily illustrated. The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 13 and verse four, The soul of the slugger desireth and hath nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

[John Weaver] So in every city, just about, you have people who will sit around a fire drum or sit around on a bench somewhere, and they desire everything they see. They see that good Lincoln Town car. They see that big, high Silverado truck. Man, I'd like to have one of those, but they'll never have anything like that, because they won't work. And that's exactly what he's saying, The soul of the sluggard always desires and he hath nothing, but then he said the soul of the diligent, that is the one who's going to work and save and provide, he shall be made fat. Then if you look very quickly in Proverbs chapter 20 and verse four, again he says this, the sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold, therefore shall he beg and harvest and have nothing. In other words, the sluggard is someone who does not want to be inconvenience, he doesn't want to work when it's cold, didn't want to work when it's hot, and so therefore God says he'll beg and harvest and he'll have nothing.

[John Weaver] One more, look if you would in Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 16, Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 16. Here he says the sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. In other words, you can't argue with a sluggard. You're not going to win, because he's so wise in his own conceit, he is not going to listen whatsoever.

[John Weaver] Now, the truth of the matter is this. There are some people that find it easier to beg, deceive, and defraud than to work. It is true it is a violation of the Eighth Commandment, thou shalt not steal. But these people always try to get something for nothing. Years ago, not too far back, but Alice and I used to go from Pahrump, Nevada to California because I'd be preaching in California.

[John Weaver] And on the way, there's this one little dinky town with about two or three service stations in it, and that's about it. And here we would pass this one Volkswagen van with a woman and three or four little kids running around. and she's holding up a sign and the sign reads that she needs gas money to get home. The interesting thing is she must have never, ever gotten home because she was there at that same spot every year, three or four years in a row. So, I mean, clearly, I mean, She never could make it home.

[John Weaver] Well, you know what the truth is. The truth is she lived nearby. And that was just her way of getting money and making money. It's just that simple.

[John Weaver] Now, Alice and I both have passed folks standing where you have to stop at a red light or stop at a stop sign. And they're holding signs saying, need food. And in here, they are smoking cigarettes. Well, I figure if you can buy a pack of cigarettes, you can buy a hamburger. I mean, cigarettes cost more than a hamburger. And I'm just simply saying I'm not interested in helping someone who's standing there smoking, telling me they need money, when in reality they do not. Usually, or at least one time recently, Alice and I passed a decently dressed man in a decent truck. I mean, a truck nicer than mine. And he was standing beside the road, holding up a sign at a stop sign, saying that he needed gas money to get home. So I looked at Alice, I said, I have some questions. Did he need to return home before he ever left? Well, if he needed to return home before he ever left, why did he not take enough money to make sure that he got back home?

[John Weaver] Secondly, if he didn't have enough money to get back home, why did he leave to begin with? Thirdly, if he really needed money and was out of gas and had to do it, why did he not call a family member? Why did he not call a close friend? Why in the world would he try to place a burden on absolute strangers? You see, the Bible says, and it is true in Galatians chapter 6 and verse 2, bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. But in the same passage, Galatians chapter 6 verses 4 and 5, But let every man rejoice in his own work or prove his own work.

[John Weaver] Then he shall have rejoicing in himself alone. Let every man bear his own burden. So I have a responsibility to do what I can do. And I have a responsibility not to expect Steve to do for me what I can do for myself. What I can't do, I can ask him to help me do. But I have a responsibility not to be a burden on anyone else.

[John Weaver] The problem is that most people, even most professing Christians, do not understand what is known as a biblical work ethic. I've often been exasperated, not just with young people, but also with adults that cannot work, that will not work, do not care whether they work or not, and if they do work, they have absolutely no concern of what kind of work that they produce. In other words, it's just backing up to get a paycheck, and they don't care anything about the work or the quality of the work.

[John Weaver] Now, if you don't believe what I'm talking about, you just compare equipment today with that which was made 30 and 40 years ago. Alice and I have a freezer that we got from her parents after her father died in 1997. And before he got the freezer, it belonged to his mother. So Alice and I were trying to figure out and figure out how old that freezer was. And the truth is, it was pretty close to 50 years. It's still running. It's still working. I bought a brand new freezer last year. It didn't last six months. Now they did replace it, but I'm just simply saying I'm wary now of the replacement because brand new and did not even last six months. So the point I'm trying to make is the workmanship today is so shoddy, and the parts are so shoddy. And when you stop and consider the fact, listen carefully, it's oftentimes cheaper to replace an item than it is to repair an item. I've had computers fail. I can buy a new computer cheaper than someone can fix it.

[John Weaver] We don't have TV sets, but used to. When I had a TV set and it would go bad, I had the man tell me, he said, I can fix it. He said, I can assure you I can fix it. But he said, it's going to cost you more than a new one. I said, well, I don't want either one of them then. Trash it. I don't care.

[John Weaver] So I'm just simply pointing out the fact Martin Luther said it like this. He said the Christian shoemaker does not demonstrate his Christianity by placing little crosses on his shoes. He demonstrates his Christianity by making good shoes. And that's a fact. So what we have forgotten is Colossians chapter three and verse 24, knowing that we serve the Lord and you shall receive the reward of your inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ.

[John Weaver] So God then forbids taking advantage of people, and especially those who are truly poor and needy. So I want you to look back to Deuteronomy chapter 24, because I ask this question, are you poor and needy? I want you to look again at verses 14 and 15. God says, thou shalt not oppress an hired servant, that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, so he could be a Hebrew, or of thy strangers that are in the high land within thy gates, could be a stranger. Now look what he said, at his day thou shalt give him his hire, because neither shall the sun go down upon it, for he is poor, and set his heart upon it, lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee. So what he's saying, it's a sin then to take advantage of those who cannot protect themselves or fight back simply because they're poor and needy.

[John Weaver] I've known individuals, and I'm thinking of one right now, who lost a house just simply because he did not understand how the system worked. He was a poor man. He was a needy man. I didn't even find out about it until after the house was already gone. But that's the way people are. They just simply take advantage of the poor. They take advantage of the needy.

[John Weaver] Now, it's interesting what God says about individuals like that. So if you look in your Bibles to Psalm 37, Psalm 37, and look, if you would please, at verse 14. And then we'll go to Psalm 109. But look in Psalm 37, Psalm 37, verse 14. Look what he said. The wicked have drawn out the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and the needy, and to slay such as be in an upright conversation." So God says it's the wicked then who take advantage of the poor and needy and slay such as be in an upright heart. If you would turn right over to Psalm 109, you will find out how David prays against these individuals. So look in Psalm 109. At verses 15 and 16, look what he says. Psalm 109 verse 15.

[John Weaver] Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. In other words, let God kill them, get them out of the earth, let everybody forget. Why? Because that he remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and the needy man that he might even slay the broken in heart. Wow. If you will turn over in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel, this is one of the reasons that God judged those people so strenuously during the days of the Babylonian captivity. So in Ezekiel chapter 22 and verse 29, God says this, the people of the land, it was everybody, not just the rulers now, The people of the land have used oppression and exercised robbery and have vexed the poor needy.

[John Weaver] Yea, they've oppressed the stranger wrongfully. So even the people then were involved in this sin.

[John Weaver] Now, since you're in the book of Ezekiel, I want to ask you a question. Do you know what the sin of Sodom was? Now, most people are going to say, well, of course I know the sin of Sodom was sodomy. Well, that is part of the sin of Sodom. That is not all. If you look back in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 16, and look, if you would please, at verse 49, Ezekiel 16, verse 49. Look at what the Bible says. Ezekiel 16 verse 49. He says, Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom.

[John Weaver] Pride, fullness of bread, an abundance of idleness was in her and her daughters. Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy. So actually, their perversion was a result of all this other pride, fullness of bread, idleness, and an unconcern for the poor and the needy.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm going to ask that you turn to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 22. Okay? I want to make a statement, and I want you to see this from the Bible. This may surprise you, but here it is. We must understand that our treatment of others reflects our regard for God and his truth as well as their persons. So let me say that again. We must understand that our treatment of others reflects our regard for God and his truth as well as their persons. So in Jeremiah, chapter 22, look, if you would please, at verse 13.

[John Weaver] God says, Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong, that useth his neighbor's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work? That saith, I will build me a wide house. How is he doing this? By defrauding others. That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutting them out windows, and it is sealed with cedar and painted with vermilion.

[John Weaver] Now look at this question. shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar. Did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him? He judged the cause of the poor needy, then it was well with him. Here it is, was not this to know me, saith the Lord. So our treatment of others reflects our regard for God and his truth. If we have no regard for God, if we have no regard for his truth, we're not going to have any regard for others.

[John Weaver] You must remember that passage in Luke chapter 18, the unjust judge. There was in a certain city an unjust judge who feared not God, neither regarded man. So if you do not have any regard for God, you're not going to have any regard for man. And then, of course, in Proverbs 31 in verse 9, God commands this, open thy mouth wide, he said, open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and the needy.

[John Weaver] Now, I've asked this question, and I'm gonna answer it for you just momentarily. But the question was, are you poor or needy? And we've been talking about the poor and needy. And when I ask, are you poor or needy, most people think about money. But may I remind you again of this one truth, that your regard for other people reflects how you regard God and his truth.

[John Weaver] You remember that passage in Matthew chapter 25, where our Lord is talking and he put the sheep on the right and the goats on the left, and he tells those sheep, come ye inherit the kingdom prepared for you, and you fed men, You gave me water. You visited me when I was sick. You visited me when I was in prison. Lord, when did we do that? We don't ever remember seeing you in that condition. And what did our Lord say? Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you did the least of these, my brethren, you'd done it unto me. Now, when you get to verse 45, the wicked say, Lord, when did we see thee hungry, not feed thee? When did we see thee thirsty, not give thee water? When did we see thee in prison and not visit thee? And he said, verily, verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as you did it not to the least of these my brethren, you did it not unto me. So you have the positive and you have the negative there in Matthew chapter 25.

[John Weaver] Now, I gave you all of these scriptures to ask you one question. Here it is. Are you poor and needy? I can look around in this room and just about assure you that no one in this room has ever gone hungry. If you did, it was simply because you were on a diet and you chose to go on a diet. Most people in this room have never, ever gone hungry in their entire lives. No one in this room has been forced to sleep on the streets. Some have slept in the woods purposely, but nobody's been forced to sleep on the street.

[John Weaver] And the truth of the matter is this. You've never had to do without the necessities of life. I've said this before, and I'm not going to say I do this every night, but almost every night. Anytime I get the opportunity, and we do it every night, to soak in a tub of hot water, I just thank the Lord for hot water. I thank the Lord for a bath. And my mind goes to a lot of these people in other countries that not only they can't bathe, they don't even have hot water. Now, that's a blessing. So you never actually been forced to do any of these things and do without necessity.

[John Weaver] So let me tell you something. I've asked, are you poor or needy? Listen carefully. If you are not poor and needy, you're not in a position to be helped or blessed by our Lord. I'm going to make another statement. It may shock you, but I'm going to show it to you. You can be a multimillionaire and be poor and needy. You can. I want you to follow me in the Psalms. I want to show you four verses. And then we're going to show you another passage.

[John Weaver] But look in your Bibles to Psalm 40. And look, if you would, at verse 17. Psalm 40, verse 17. This is a Psalm of David. Psalm 40, verse 17. David says to the Lord, but I am poor and needy. Yet the Lord thinketh upon me. Thou art my help and my deliverer. Make no tearing, O my God. Now look at that, but I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon me. Turn right over, if you would, to Psalm 70. Psalm 70, look in verse 5. Psalm 70, verse 5. Again, this is the Psalm of David. He says in verse 5, but I am poor and needy, Make help, make haste to help me, or make haste unto me, O God, for thou art my help and my deliverer, O Lord, make no tarrying." Again, David said, but I am poor and needy. Make haste unto me, O God, thou art my help and my deliverer, O Lord, make no tarrying. Look in Psalm 86 and verse 1, Psalm 86 and verse 1, another prayer of David.

[John Weaver] David prays bow down thine ear O Lord hear me for I am poor and needy Wow Hear me for I am poor and needy and then if you will look in Psalm 109 and verse 22 Psalm 109 verse 22 David says for I am poor and needy and my heart is wounded within me Four times, David has said, I am poor and needy. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Chronicles chapter 29. 1 Chronicles chapter 29. I want to remind you that David was king of Israel. David was exceedingly rich. David had more real money than you and I could ever think of and ever dream about. He had more than you and I could ever imagine. So look in 1 Chronicles 29, verse 1, because David is talking about the temple and how he's prepared for it.

[John Weaver] This is before his death, when Solomon has been anointed and was going to take over the throne and build the temple. Furthermore, David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God had chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great. For the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.

[John Weaver] Now I am prepared with all my might for the house of my God, the gold for the things to be made of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the brass for the things of brass, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, onyx stones and stones to be set, blistering stones and of diverse colors, and all manner of precious stones and marbles, stones in abundance.

[John Weaver] Now watch what he's saying. Moreover, because I've set my affection to the house of my God, I have of my own personal good. This is out of David's personal money. This is out of David's personal wealth. I'm going to tell you the difference just momentarily. He said, I have of my own personal good of gold and silver, which I've given to the house of my God over and above all that I've prepared for the holy house.

[John Weaver] So there was preparation before for the temple. Now David says, in light of all that preparation, here's something out of my own money that I'm given. So what is he given? Even 3,000 talents of gold of the gold of Ophir, which is the best gold, and 7,000 talents of refined silver to overlay the walls of the house withal. The gold of the things of gold. silver for the things of silver and for the manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers and who that is willing to Consecrate his service this day unto the Lord Now here is the interesting thing if you would look in your Bibles whole 1st Chronicles 29 but back to 1st Chronicles 26 and look at verse 27 1st Chronicles 26 and verse 27 The Bible says this, out of the spoils won in battles did they dedicate to maintain the house of the Lord. So think of all those people that David conquered, all the wealth that he acquired, all of the spoils, most of it went to prepare for the temple.

[John Weaver] Of course, David had money as well, and he got some of the booty, but most of it Went for the preparation to build the temple out of the spoils won in battle, but now David said Because of his great affection and love for the house of God out of his own proper good He's given all of these things now Note if you would look back if you would please in verse 3 and 4 He says, moreover, because I've set my affection to the house of my God, I have of my own proper good of gold and silver, which I've given to the house of my God over and above all that I've prepared for the holy house. That is, over and above all the spoils that he's taken. Even 3,000 talents of gold and 7,000 talents of refined silver. Now, a talent.

[John Weaver] was the heaviest weight or the heaviest unit of weight in the Bible. I checked in one article that I just recently read said a talot was 75 pounds or 35 kilos.

[John Weaver] Now if David said I've given 3,000 talots of gold And a talent with 75 pounds, that means he is given 22,500 pounds of gold out of his own personal wealth. And when you consider today that gold is right now over $2,000 an ounce, an ounce, not a pound, an ounce. And he's given 22,500 pounds of the best gold. And then he gave 7,000 talents of silver. That would be 52,500 pounds of silver. Silver today is about approximately $25 an ounce. This does not include all the precious stones that he gave. It does not include the brass, it does not include the wood, it does not include the marble.

[John Weaver] So here's a good question. In light of David's exceptional and vast wealth, in light of his great monetary wealth, how could David truthfully say, I am poor and needy? You remember I asked you this question, are you poor and needy? You remember I told you that a multi-millionaire could be poor and needy? Four times, and I showed it to you in scripture, in the Psalms, David said, I am poor and needy. When someone is poor, he has nothing in himself. When someone is needy, he can do nothing for himself. If I remember correctly, our Lord said in John 15 verse 5, without me you can do how much? Nothing. Without Him, we are nothing. Without Him, we can do nothing.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look back in your Bibles to Psalm 40 and look, if you would, at verse 17. Psalm 40, verse 17. We read this earlier, but I want you to see this is the first time that David said this. Look what he said. But I am poor and needy. Yet the Lord thinketh upon me. Thou art my help and my deliverer. Make no tearing, O my God.

[John Weaver] So here's a couple of questions. Do you wish for God to think upon you? Do you wish for God to help you? Do you wish for God to deliver you? Do you wish for God to help you and deliver you speedily and without tearing? If so, you're poor and needy and you're totally dependent upon him. These other passages that we read where David said that he was poor and needy, all relate the same truth. We need God to hear us when we call. We need God to protect us. We need God to preserve us. We need God to provide for us. We need Him, period.

[John Weaver] Do not consider that your wealth, however great it may be, is sufficient. It is not sufficient. It will never redeem. It will never ever deliver. If you'd look in your Bibles, to Psalm 49 and look at verses six through eight. Psalm 49, beginning there with verse six, and then I'm gonna give you a good illustration. Look in Psalm 49, beginning there with verse six, God's talking about the wealth of a lot of men, the wicked especially. He says, they that trust in their wealth and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him, For the redemption of their soul is precious. It ceases forever. No amount of money is going to deliver anybody.

[John Weaver] It doesn't matter if you do own the world. You can't deliver your own soul. You can't deliver anybody.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn back in your Bibles to the book of Job, Job chapter 1. And I think you're going to see this illustration in the light that I'm just talking about. Look in Job, chapter 1, verse 1. And there was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. And that man was perfect and upright, or mature and upright, and one that feared God and eschewed evil. I love that word, eschewed.

[John Weaver] You know what it means, don't you? It means he spit it out. He couldn't swallow it. He couldn't stomach it. So he spit out evil. And they were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, that's 1,000, 500 she-asses, and a very great household. Now look at this. So that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East.

[John Weaver] There is no telling how wealthy Job really was. He had more than anyone in the land. So here's my question. Out of everything that Job had, this vast wealth that he possessed, How long did it take for Job to lose everything? One day. And one day, he lost 10 children. And one day, he lost every animal that he owned. One day. Wow. Do you realize that everything we are, we are by the grace of God. Everything we have, we have by the grace of God. Everything we ever will be is by the grace of God. Everything that we will ever have is by the grace of God. And if God does not protect us, and if God does not preserve us, then we will be like Job. We can lose everything in one day. Job understood this. So if you look in your Bibles to Job 1 and verse 21, the Bible says this and Job 3 verse 20.

[John Weaver] Then Job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped and said, Naked came out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Regardless of what Job possessed, like David, he was poor and needy. Regardless of what you possess, you are poor and needy. I want you to consider the opposite of being poor and needy right quickly.

[John Weaver] If you will turn in your Bibles to Psalm 75. Psalm 75. Look, if you would, beginning there with verse four. Psalm 75, verse 4. Look at this. Psalm 75, verse 4. I said unto the fools, deal not foolishly. And to the wicked, lift not up the horn. Lift not up your horn on high. Speak not with a stiff neck. Arrogant, proud, haughty, heady, high-minded, Why? For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

[John Weaver] But God is the judge. He putteth down one, and setteth up another. Therefore, he said, for in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red. It is full of mixture, and he poureth out of the same. But the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth, shall wring them out and drink them. No, he said, speak not. Not with a stiff neck, lift not up your horn on high. Lifting up the horn on high and speaking with a stiff neck is the apex of pride and arrogance.

[John Weaver] And when you think that you do not need God and you do not need anyone, that you're sufficient in and of yourself, you're just simply holding God in contempt and saying, I don't need you. I can take care of myself. And you'll find out. how soon you cannot take care of yourself. The Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 5, everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.

[John Weaver] Though hand joined in hand, he shall not go unpunished. Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. And the word abomination means a stench in God's nostrils. God can't stand Everyone that's proud in heart is an abomination to God though hand joined in hand. He shall not go unpunished The Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 19 better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud and Then God said in Proverbs 21 and verse 4 a high look a proud heart and the plowing of the

[John Weaver] wicked is seen in Anytime we have pride and arrogance in our lives, we're not being poor and needy. We're thinking we can do it. We have it. That's why the Bible says in the book of Galatians chapter six and verse three, when a man think of himself to be something, he deceived himself because he is nothing. I want to tell you. When we reach the place in our Christian life and we understand that we are nothing and we can do nothing in and of ourselves, we reach the right perspective in life.

[John Weaver] If I were to ask you, who was probably the greatest apostle in the New Testament? Most people would answer the Apostle Paul because he wrote most of the New Testament. But if you look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 12, I'll show you the Apostle Paul's estimate of himself. 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 Look if you would please there at verse 11 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 notice verse 11 The Apostle Paul said I am become a fool and glory You've compelled me For I ought to have been commended of you now. Look what he says For in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles. I'm not behind any of them. But, though I am nothing. What was the Apostle Paul's estimation of himself?

[John Weaver] He didn't brag over his missionary journeys. He didn't brag about those he had converted. He said, I am Nothing. Nothing. When we get to the point and we realize that we are nothing without him, we can do nothing without him. We can say with David, I am poor and needy. I need the Lord. Without him. I am nothing. I can do nothing.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to very quickly give you two applications. And the first one, I want you to turn to scriptures with me, because I want to give you four reasons from scripture that should make you desire to be poor and needy. So I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 72 and verse 13. Psalm 72, verse 13. Here's the first reason that you should actually desire to be poor and needy. Look at this. Psalm 72, verse 13. The Bible says concerning our God, he shall spare the poor and the needy. and shall save the souls of the needy. I don't know about you, but I'd like to be spared, and I certainly want to be saved. That's what he said. He shall spare the poor and the needy, and he shall save the souls of the needy.

[John Weaver] He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence, and precious shall their blood be in his sight. Yes, I want that. Look in Psalm 74 verse 21. Here's the second reason you should desire to be poor and needy. Psalm 74 verse 21. The Bible says, Oh, let not the oppressed return ashamed. Let the poor and the needy praise thy name. Do you realize, do you realize the poor and the needy will really praise the name of the Lord. Why?

[John Weaver] Because they're the most thankful, they're the most grateful, they're the most appreciative. I don't have a TV. I was listening to one man's sermon a little bit, and he gave this illustration, and I used it. And then one of my men pulled it up on his phone and said, here it is right here. And I heard it. The Simpsons. I don't even know anything about them. I just know they're cartoons.

[John Weaver] But I guess it was the young boy. They were at Thanksgiving dinner. And this young boy was praying. And he said, Lord, we paid for all of this ourselves. all this food ourselves. Thanks for nothing. Amen. I tell you what, I think I'd like to slap somebody's cheek that prayed something like that. Do you realize the arrogance? Do you realize the pride? Do you realize the ungratefulness, the unthankfulness?

[John Weaver] The point I'm trying to make is this very simply. If God did not give you air to breathe, you couldn't do one thing. If he did not give you the ability to work, you could not make any money. If he took it away from you, you would not have any money. Poor and needy people are really thankful for what they receive from God. If we have a poor and needy attitude and recognize how dependent we are upon Him, He will make us thankful for anything and everything.

[John Weaver] If you look in your Bible, it's Psalm 82 and verse 4. Psalm 82 and verse 4. Here's another reason I'd rather be poor and needy in spirit. Deliver the poor and the needy, rid them out of the hand of the wicked. I'd rather be delivered out of the hand of the wicked. And then if you will turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 41, Isaiah 41, and look, if you would please, at verse 17. Isaiah 41, verse 17. God says, When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I, the Lord, will hear them. I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

[John Weaver] I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. He said, when the poor and needy thirsty, I'll take care of them. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have the sovereign God of heaven and earth take care of me than for me to presume that I can take care of myself. God says, when they cry, I will hear.

[John Weaver] Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this, I have a great need for Christ. I have a great Christ for my need. Do you realize the more we have need of Jesus Christ, the more we will have of Jesus Christ. Those who think they do not need him will not have him. But when we recognize And when we realize that we are poor and needy, that we have nothing in and of ourselves and can do nothing of ourselves, we understand our great need for our Lord and his blessings and his mercy and his grace. So the question I ask, are you poor or needy?

[John Weaver] No matter how much money you have, I don't care. If you understand the scripture, you are poor and needy because you're totally, completely dependent on him. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Just as he gives, he can remove. Everything is in his hands, not in ours. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your help, your grace, your mercy. And Lord, I pray that you'd give us a biblical attitude, an understanding of being poor and needy, that we might cry more often to thee, that we might be more appreciative and more thankful for any and everything that you've given to us. May we understand our dependence upon thee. And thank thee, Lord, for your gracious and merciful care for each of us. We give thee praise and we thank thee in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] ♪

Are You Poor and Needy?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	Yr06nkcNbRA
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Wealth, Defense, and Justice
Genre	Sermon
Date	2024-02-21
Dictation Name
Book	Book 083: Proverbs: Wealth, Defense, and Justice — Chapter 7
Source Timed Segments	71

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Question and the Text

Weaver introduces the question 'Are you poor and needy?' and reads Deuteronomy 24:14-15, which commands not to oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy.

Deuteronomy chapter 24. I want you to read with me verses 14 and 15. The title of the message happens to be a question: Are you poor and needy? So look in Deuteronomy chapter 24. Begin there with verse 14. The Word of God says this:

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 24:14-15

"Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren or thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates. At his day thou shalt give him his hire. Neither shall the sun go down upon it, for he is poor, and set his heart upon it, lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee."

So the pressing question is: Are you poor and needy? Now when we hear that question, "Are you poor and needy?" our minds immediately think of money. We either think that we have a sufficient amount for the time being, or we think that we do not have a sufficient amount. If we cannot pay our bills, provide for our families, and secure what you and I would refer to as the necessities of life, we would consider that we were poor and needy.

Misconceptions About Poverty and Wealth

People often misjudge their own poverty; some with wealth feel poor, while others are poor due to laziness. Weaver cites 2 Thessalonians 3:10 to argue that those who will not work should not eat.

There are many people, I think, that believe they're poor and needy, when in reality, they are not poor and needy. Oftentimes, those who are loaded with money think that they're poor and needy because they don't think that they have enough money. And thus, they would consider themselves poor and needy. It's kind of like one wealthy landowner that I read about. Someone accused him of wanting to own the world. He said, "That's a lie. He does not want to own the world. All he wants to do is own the land that's next to his." Now think about it. Pretty soon, he would indeed own the world, that is for sure.

Now there are some that are poor and needy due to their own slothfulness, idleness, laziness, and they refuse to work. Those are the ones, I believe, that should not be helped financially in any way whatsoever. In fact, I would say not help them in any way, period. If you look in your Bibles, hold Deuteronomy, we're coming back there. But if you look in your Bibles to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, and look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 10, look what the Apostle Paul says. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, and look at it at verse 10. Here it is. He said, "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat."

"For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now then, them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that they with quietness work and eat their own bread." Now look what he said in verse 10: "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." I have no sympathy for a man who will not work. It does not matter whether he is a professing Christian or not. If he will not work, God says, let him starve. I am assured in my own mind that most people would learn to work before they would starve.

The Sluggard Condemned in Proverbs

Multiple Proverbs passages condemn laziness, showing that the sluggard desires but has nothing, while the diligent are made fat. The sluggard is wise in his own conceit and will not listen.

But there are many scriptures in the Bible that condemn laziness and what you and I would call being a sluggard. So if you look in your Bibles, and follow me very quickly, to Proverbs chapter 6. Look in Proverbs chapter 6, and let's begin there with verse 6, and we'll look at several passages very quickly. Because God condemns a man that is a sluggard. That is, he's lazy, he's indolent, he will not work whatsoever. So in Proverbs 6 and verse 6, God says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:6-11

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise."

Here's what the ant does:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:6-11

"Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man."

So God sends us to the ant to learn, and he says those that will not lay up, those that will not work, those that will not provide, are nothing more than a sluggard.

So if you'll look in Proverbs chapter 10 and verse 26, Proverbs 10 verse 26, God says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 10:26

"As vinegar to the teeth and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him."

In other words, vinegar hurts your teeth and smoke hurts your eyes. And God says, if you send a sluggard to do a job, you're going to be hurt. It's just that simple. Look, if you would, in Proverbs chapter 13 and verse 4, I've always liked this verse because it is so easily illustrated. The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 13 and verse 4, "The soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat."

So in every city, just about, you have people who will sit around a fire drum or sit around on a bench somewhere, and they desire everything they see. They see that good Lincoln Town Car. They see that big, high Silverado truck. "Man, I'd like to have one of those," but they'll never have anything like that, because they won't work. And that's exactly what he's saying:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 13:4

"The soul of the sluggard always desires and he hath nothing,"

but then he said,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 13:4

"the soul of the diligent,"

that is the one who's going to work and save and provide,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 13:4

"he shall be made fat."

Then if you look very quickly in Proverbs chapter 20 and verse 4, again he says this: "The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest and have nothing." In other words, the sluggard is someone who does not want to be inconvenienced, he doesn't want to work when it's cold, didn't want to work when it's hot, and so therefore God says he'll beg in harvest and he'll have nothing.

One more, look if you would in Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 16, Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 16. Here he says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 26:16

"The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason."

In other words, you can't argue with a sluggard. You're not going to win, because he's so wise in his own conceit, he is not going to listen whatsoever. Now, the truth of the matter is this. There are some people that find it easier to beg, deceive, and defraud than to work. It is true it is a violation of the Eighth Commandment, "Thou shalt not steal." But these people always try to get something for nothing. Years ago, not too far back, but Alice and I used to go from Pahrump, Nevada to California because I'd be preaching in California.

Deception and the Work Ethic

Some find it easier to beg or defraud than to work. Weaver gives examples of people faking need, and laments the decline of workmanship and the biblical work ethic, citing Colossians 3:24.

And on the way, there's this one little dinky town with about two or three service stations in it, and that's about it. And here we would pass this one Volkswagen van with a woman and three or four little kids running around, and she's holding up a sign and the sign reads that she needs gas money to get home. The interesting thing is she must have never, ever gotten home because she was there at that same spot every year, three or four years in a row. So, I mean, clearly, she never could make it home. Well, you know what the truth is. The truth is she lived nearby. And that was just her way of getting money and making money. It's just that simple.

Now, Alice and I both have passed folks standing where you have to stop at a red light or stop at a stop sign. And they're holding signs saying, "Need food." And in here, they are smoking cigarettes. Well, I figure if you can buy a pack of cigarettes, you can buy a hamburger. I mean, cigarettes cost more than a hamburger. And I'm just simply saying I'm not interested in helping someone who's standing there smoking, telling me they need money, when in reality they do not. Usually, or at least one time recently, Alice and I passed a decently dressed man in a decent truck. I mean, a truck nicer than mine. And he was standing beside the road, holding up a sign at a stop sign, saying that he needed gas money to get home. So I looked at Alice, I said, "I have some questions. Did he need to return home before he ever left? Well, if he needed to return home before he ever left, why did he not take enough money to make sure that he got back home?"

Secondly, if he didn't have enough money to get back home, why did he leave to begin with? Thirdly, if he really needed money and was out of gas and had to do it, why did he not call a family member? Why did he not call a close friend? Why in the world would he try to place a burden on absolute strangers? You see, the Bible says, and it is true in Galatians chapter 6 and verse 2, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." But in the same passage, Galatians chapter 6 verses 4 and 5, "But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden."

So I have a responsibility to do what I can do. And I have a responsibility not to expect Steve to do for me what I can do for myself. What I can't do, I can ask him to help me do. But I have a responsibility not to be a burden on anyone else. The problem is that most people, even most professing Christians, do not understand what is known as a biblical work ethic. I've often been exasperated, not just with young people, but also with adults that cannot work, that will not work, do not care whether they work or not, and if they do work, they have absolutely no concern of what kind of work that they produce. In other words, it's just backing up to get a paycheck, and they don't care anything about the work or the quality of the work.

Now, if you don't believe what I'm talking about, you just compare equipment today with that which was made 30 and 40 years ago. Alice and I have a freezer that we got from her parents after her father died in 1997. And before he got the freezer, it belonged to his mother. So Alice and I were trying to figure out how old that freezer was. And the truth is, it was pretty close to 50 years. It's still running. It's still working. I bought a brand new freezer last year. It didn't last six months. Now they did replace it, but I'm just simply saying I'm wary now of the replacement because brand new and did not even last six months. So the point I'm trying to make is the workmanship today is so shoddy, and the parts are so shoddy. And when you stop and consider the fact, listen carefully, it's oftentimes cheaper to replace an item than it is to repair an item. I've had computers fail. I can buy a new computer cheaper than someone can fix it.

We don't have TV sets, but used to. When I had a TV set and it would go bad, I had the man tell me, he said, "I can fix it." He said, "I can assure you I can fix it." But he said, "It's going to cost you more than a new one." I said, "Well, I don't want either one of them then. Trash it. I don't care."

So I'm just simply pointing out the fact Martin Luther said it like this. He said, "The Christian shoemaker does not demonstrate his Christianity by placing little crosses on his shoes. He demonstrates his Christianity by making good shoes." And that's a fact. So what we have forgotten is Colossians chapter 3 and verse 24, "Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."

God Forbids Oppressing the Poor

Returning to Deuteronomy 24, Weaver emphasizes that it is sin to take advantage of the poor. He cites Psalms and Ezekiel to show God's judgment on those who oppress the needy, including Sodom's sin of neglecting the poor.

So God then forbids taking advantage of people, and especially those who are truly poor and needy. So I want you to look back to Deuteronomy chapter 24, because I ask this question: Are you poor and needy? I want you to look again at verses 14 and 15. God says, "Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren," so he could be a Hebrew, "or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates," could be a stranger. Now look what he said: "At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee." So what he's saying, it's a sin then to take advantage of those who cannot protect themselves or fight back simply because they're poor and needy.

I've known individuals, and I'm thinking of one right now, who lost a house just simply because he did not understand how the system worked. He was a poor man. He was a needy man. I didn't even find out about it until after the house was already gone. But that's the way people are. They just simply take advantage of the poor. They take advantage of the needy.

Now, it's interesting what God says about individuals like that. So if you look in your Bibles to Psalm 37, Psalm 37, and look, if you would please, at verse 14. And then we'll go to Psalm 109. But look in Psalm 37, Psalm 37, verse 14. Look what he said:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:14

"The wicked have drawn out the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation."

So God says it's the wicked then who take advantage of the poor and needy and slay such as be of an upright heart. If you would turn right over to Psalm 109, you will find out how David prays against these individuals. So look in Psalm 109 at verses 15 and 16, look what he says. Psalm 109 verse 15.

"Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth." In other words, let God kill them, get them out of the earth, let everybody forget. Why? "Because that he remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart." Wow. If you will turn over in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel, this is one of the reasons that God judged those people so strenuously during the days of the Babylonian captivity. So in Ezekiel chapter 22 and verse 29, God says this: "The people of the land have used oppression and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully." So even the people then were involved in this sin.

Yea, they've oppressed the stranger wrongfully. So even the people then were involved in this sin. Now, since you're in the book of Ezekiel, I want to ask you a question. Do you know what the sin of Sodom was? Now, most people are going to say, "Well, of course I know the sin of Sodom was sodomy." Well, that is part of the sin of Sodom. That is not all. If you look back in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 16, and look, if you would please, at verse 49, Ezekiel 16, verse 49. Look at what the Bible says. Ezekiel 16 verse 49. He says,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 16:49

"Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy."

So actually, their perversion was a result of all this other pride, fullness of bread, idleness, and an unconcern for the poor and the needy.

Pride, fullness of bread, an abundance of idleness was in her and her daughters. Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy. So actually, their perversion was a result of all this other pride, fullness of bread, idleness, and an unconcern for the poor and the needy. Now, I'm going to ask that you turn to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 22. Okay? I want to make a statement, and I want you to see this from the Bible. This may surprise you, but here it is. We must understand that our treatment of others reflects our regard for God and his truth as well as their persons. So let me say that again. We must understand that our treatment of others reflects our regard for God and his truth as well as their persons. So in Jeremiah, chapter 22, look, if you would please, at verse 13.

Treatment of Others Reflects Regard for God

Using Jeremiah 22 and Matthew 25, Weaver argues that how we treat the poor reveals our regard for God. The righteous care for the least, while the wicked neglect them.

Now, I'm going to ask that you turn to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 22. Okay? I want to make a statement, and I want you to see this from the Bible. This may surprise you, but here it is. We must understand that our treatment of others reflects our regard for God and his truth as well as their persons. So let me say that again. We must understand that our treatment of others reflects our regard for God and his truth as well as their persons. So in Jeremiah, chapter 22, look, if you would please, at verse 13.

God says, "Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; that saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is ceiled with cedar and painted with vermilion." Now look at this question: "Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him? He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the Lord." So our treatment of others reflects our regard for God and his truth. If we have no regard for God, if we have no regard for his truth, we're not going to have any regard for others.

You must remember that passage in Luke chapter 18, the unjust judge. There was in a certain city an unjust judge who feared not God, neither regarded man. So if you do not have any regard for God, you're not going to have any regard for man. And then, of course, in Proverbs 31 and verse 9, God commands this:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 31:9

"Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy."

Now, I've asked this question, and I'm gonna answer it for you just momentarily. But the question was, are you poor or needy? And we've been talking about the poor and needy. And when I ask, are you poor or needy, most people think about money. But may I remind you again of this one truth, that your regard for other people reflects how you regard God and his truth. You remember that passage in Matthew chapter 25, where our Lord is talking and he put the sheep on the right and the goats on the left, and he tells those sheep, "Come, ye inherit the kingdom prepared for you, and you fed me, you gave me water, you visited me when I was sick, you visited me when I was in prison." "Lord, when did we do that? We don't ever remember seeing you in that condition." And what did our Lord say?

Scripture Reading — Matthew 25:40, 45

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you did it unto the least of these my brethren, you did it unto me."

Now, when you get to verse 45, the wicked say, "Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and not feed thee? When did we see thee thirsty, and not give thee water? When did we see thee in prison, and not visit thee?" And he said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 25:40, 45

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as you did it not to the least of these my brethren, you did it not unto me."

So you have the positive and you have the negative there in Matthew chapter 25.

Now, I gave you all of these scriptures to ask you one question. Here it is. Are you poor and needy? I can look around in this room and just about assure you that no one in this room has ever gone hungry. If you did, it was simply because you were on a diet and you chose to go on a diet. Most people in this room have never, ever gone hungry in their entire lives. No one in this room has been forced to sleep on the streets. Some have slept in the woods purposely, but nobody's been forced to sleep on the street.

Spiritual Poverty: David and Job as Examples

Though materially wealthy, David repeatedly called himself poor and needy in the Psalms. Job lost everything in one day, acknowledging that the Lord gives and takes away. True poverty is recognizing we are nothing without God.

And the truth of the matter is this. You've never had to do without the necessities of life. I've said this before, and I'm not going to say I do this every night, but almost every night. Anytime I get the opportunity, and we do it every night, to soak in a tub of hot water, I just thank the Lord for hot water. I thank the Lord for a bath. And my mind goes to a lot of these people in other countries that not only they can't bathe, they don't even have hot water. Now, that's a blessing. So you never actually been forced to do any of these things and do without necessity.

So let me tell you something. I've asked, are you poor or needy? Listen carefully. If you are not poor and needy, you're not in a position to be helped or blessed by our Lord. I'm going to make another statement. It may shock you, but I'm going to show it to you. You can be a multimillionaire and be poor and needy. You can. I want you to follow me in the Psalms. I want to show you four verses. And then we're going to show you another passage.

But look in your Bibles to Psalm 40. And look, if you would, at verse 17. Psalm 40, verse 17. This is a Psalm of David. Psalm 40, verse 17. David says to the Lord,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 40:17

"But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God."

Now look at that:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 40:17

"But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me."

Turn right over, if you would, to Psalm 70. Psalm 70, look in verse 5. Psalm 70, verse 5. Again, this is the Psalm of David. He says in verse 5,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 40:17

"But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying."

Again, David said,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 40:17

"But I am poor and needy. Make haste unto me, O God, thou art my help and my deliverer, O Lord, make no tarrying."

Look in Psalm 86 and verse 1, Psalm 86 and verse 1, another prayer of David.

David prays,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 70:5

"Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy."

Wow.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 70:5

"Hear me, for I am poor and needy."

And then if you will look in Psalm 109 and verse 22, Psalm 109 verse 22, David says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 70:5

"For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me."

Four times, David has said,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 70:5

"I am poor and needy."

I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Chronicles chapter 29. 1 Chronicles chapter 29. I want to remind you that David was king of Israel. David was exceedingly rich. David had more real money than you and I could ever think of and ever dream about. He had more than you and I could ever imagine. So look in 1 Chronicles 29, verse 1, because David is talking about the temple and how he's prepared for it.

This is before his death, when Solomon has been anointed and was going to take over the throne and build the temple. "Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God." "Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance." Now watch what he's saying. "Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house." This is out of David's personal money. This is out of David's personal wealth. I'm going to tell you the difference just momentarily. He said, "I have of mine own proper good of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house."

So there was preparation before for the temple. Now David says, in light of all that preparation, here's something out of my own money that I'm giving. So what is he giving? "Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal: the gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?" Now here is the interesting thing: if you would look in your Bibles, hold 1 Chronicles 29, but back to 1 Chronicles 26 and look at verse 27. 1 Chronicles 26 and verse 27. The Bible says this: "Out of the spoils won in battles did they dedicate to maintain the house of the Lord." So think of all those people that David conquered, all the wealth that he acquired, all of the spoils, most of it went to prepare for the temple.

Of course, David had money as well, and he got some of the booty, but most of it went for the preparation to build the temple out of the spoils won in battle. But now David said, because of his great affection and love for the house of God, out of his own proper good he's given all of these things. Now note, if you would look back, if you would please, in verse 3 and 4. He says, "Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house." That is, over and above all the spoils that he's taken. "Even three thousand talents of gold and seven thousand talents of refined silver." Now, a talent

was the heaviest weight or the heaviest unit of weight in the Bible. I checked in one article that I just recently read said a talent was 75 pounds or 35 kilos. Now if David said, "I've given 3,000 talents of gold," and a talent is 75 pounds, that means he is giving 22,500 pounds of gold out of his own personal wealth. And when you consider today that gold is right now over $2,000 an ounce, an ounce, not a pound, an ounce. And he's giving 22,500 pounds of the best gold. And then he gave 7,000 talents of silver. That would be 52,500 pounds of silver. Silver today is about approximately $25 an ounce. This does not include all the precious stones that he gave. It does not include the brass, it does not include the wood, it does not include the marble.

So here's a good question. In light of David's exceptional and vast wealth, in light of his great monetary wealth, how could David truthfully say, "I am poor and needy"? You remember I asked you this question: Are you poor and needy? You remember I told you that a multi-millionaire could be poor and needy? Four times, and I showed it to you in scripture, in the Psalms, David said, "I am poor and needy." When someone is poor, he has nothing in himself. When someone is needy, he can do nothing for himself. If I remember correctly, our Lord said in John 15 verse 5, "Without me ye can do" how much? Nothing. Without Him, we are nothing. Without Him, we can do nothing.

Now, I want you to look back in your Bibles to Psalm 40 and look, if you would, at verse 17. Psalm 40, verse 17. We read this earlier, but I want you to see this is the first time that David said this. Look what he said: "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God."

So here's a couple of questions. Do you wish for God to think upon you? Do you wish for God to help you? Do you wish for God to deliver you? Do you wish for God to help you and deliver you speedily and without tarrying? If so, you're poor and needy and you're totally dependent upon him. These other passages that we read where David said that he was poor and needy, all relate the same truth. We need God to hear us when we call. We need God to protect us. We need God to preserve us. We need God to provide for us. We need Him, period.

Do not consider that your wealth, however great it may be, is sufficient. It is not sufficient. It will never redeem. It will never ever deliver. If you'd look in your Bibles to Psalm 49 and look at verses 6 through 8. Psalm 49, beginning there with verse 6, and then I'm gonna give you a good illustration. Look in Psalm 49, beginning there with verse 6, God's talking about the wealth of a lot of men, the wicked especially. He says, "They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)" No amount of money is going to deliver anybody.

It doesn't matter if you do own the world. You can't deliver your own soul. You can't deliver anybody. Now, I want you to turn back in your Bibles to the book of Job, Job chapter 1. And I think you're going to see this illustration in the light that I'm just talking about. Look in Job, chapter 1, verse 1. "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright," or mature and upright, "and one that feared God, and eschewed evil." I love that word, eschewed.

You know what it means, don't you? It means he spit it out. He couldn't swallow it. He couldn't stomach it. So he spit out evil. "And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen," that's 1,000, "and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east."

There is no telling how wealthy Job really was. He had more than anyone in the land. So here's my question. Out of everything that Job had, this vast wealth that he possessed, how long did it take for Job to lose everything? One day. And one day, he lost 10 children. And one day, he lost every animal that he owned. One day. Wow. Do you realize that everything we are, we are by the grace of God. Everything we have, we have by the grace of God. Everything we ever will be is by the grace of God. Everything that we will ever have is by the grace of God. And if God does not protect us, and if God does not preserve us, then we will be like Job. We can lose everything in one day. Job understood this. So if you look in your Bibles to Job 1 and verse 21, the Bible says this: "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Regardless of what Job possessed, like David, he was poor and needy. Regardless of what you possess, you are poor and needy. I want you to consider the opposite of being poor and needy right quickly.

Then Job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped and said, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Regardless of what Job possessed, like David, he was poor and needy. Regardless of what you possess, you are poor and needy. I want you to consider the opposite of being poor and needy right quickly.

The Opposite: Pride and Self-Sufficiency

Psalm 75 warns against lifting up the horn in pride. Proverbs calls pride an abomination. Paul said he was nothing. The right perspective is to see ourselves as poor and needy, dependent on God.

If you will turn in your Bibles to Psalm 75. Psalm 75. Look, if you would, beginning there with verse 4. Psalm 75, verse 4. Look at this. Psalm 75, verse 4. "I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn: lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck." Arrogant, proud, haughty, heady, high-minded. Why? "For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south."

"But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them." No, he said, "Speak not with a stiff neck, lift not up your horn on high." Lifting up the horn on high and speaking with a stiff neck is the apex of pride and arrogance. And when you think that you do not need God and you do not need anyone, that you're sufficient in and of yourself, you're just simply holding God in contempt and saying, "I don't need you. I can take care of myself." And you'll find out how soon you cannot take care of yourself. The Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 5, "Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord."

"Though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished." Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. And the word abomination means a stench in God's nostrils. God can't stand it. Everyone that's proud in heart is an abomination to God. "Though hand join in hand, he shall not go unpunished." The Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 19, "Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud." And then God said in Proverbs 21 and verse 4, "An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin." Anytime we have pride and arrogance in our lives, we're not being poor and needy. We're thinking we can do it. We have it. That's why the Bible says in the book of Galatians chapter 6 and verse 3, "When a man thinketh himself to be something, he deceiveth himself, for he is nothing." I want to tell you, when we reach the place in our Christian life and we understand that we are nothing and we can do nothing in and of ourselves, we reach the right perspective in life.

If I were to ask you, who was probably the greatest apostle in the New Testament? Most people would answer the Apostle Paul because he wrote most of the New Testament. But if you look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 12, I'll show you the Apostle Paul's estimate of himself. 2 Corinthians chapter 12. Look, if you would please, there at verse 11. 2 Corinthians chapter 12, notice verse 11. The Apostle Paul said, "I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles." I'm not behind any of them. "But," though I am nothing. What was the Apostle Paul's estimation of himself?

He didn't brag over his missionary journeys. He didn't brag about those he had converted. He said, "I am nothing." Nothing. When we get to the point and we realize that we are nothing without him, we can do nothing without him. We can say with David, "I am poor and needy. I need the Lord. Without him, I am nothing. I can do nothing."

Reasons to Desire Being Poor and Needy

Weaver gives four scriptural reasons: God spares and saves the needy (Psalm 72), the poor praise His name (Psalm 74), He delivers them from the wicked (Psalm 82), and He hears and provides for them (Isaiah 41).

Now, I want to very quickly give you two applications. And the first one, I want you to turn to scriptures with me, because I want to give you four reasons from scripture that should make you desire to be poor and needy. So I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 72 and verse 13. Psalm 72, verse 13. Here's the first reason that you should actually desire to be poor and needy. Look at this. Psalm 72, verse 13. The Bible says concerning our God, "He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy." I don't know about you, but I'd like to be spared, and I certainly want to be saved. That's what he said. "He shall spare the poor and needy, and he shall save the souls of the needy."

"He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight." Yes, I want that. Look in Psalm 74 verse 21. Here's the second reason you should desire to be poor and needy. Psalm 74 verse 21. The Bible says, "O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name." Do you realize, do you realize the poor and the needy will really praise the name of the Lord. Why? Because they're the most thankful, they're the most grateful, they're the most appreciative. I don't have a TV. I was listening to one man's sermon a little bit, and he gave this illustration, and I used it. And then one of my men pulled it up on his phone and said, "Here it is right here." And I heard it. The Simpsons. I don't even know anything about them. I just know they're cartoons.

But I guess it was the young boy. They were at Thanksgiving dinner. And this young boy was praying. And he said, "Lord, we paid for all of this ourselves, all this food ourselves. Thanks for nothing. Amen." I tell you what, I think I'd like to slap somebody's cheek that prayed something like that. Do you realize the arrogance? Do you realize the pride? Do you realize the ungratefulness, the unthankfulness?

The point I'm trying to make is this very simply. If God did not give you air to breathe, you couldn't do one thing. If he did not give you the ability to work, you could not make any money. If he took it away from you, you would not have any money. Poor and needy people are really thankful for what they receive from God. If we have a poor and needy attitude and recognize how dependent we are upon Him, He will make us thankful for anything and everything. If you look in your Bible, it's Psalm 82 and verse 4. Psalm 82 and verse 4. Here's another reason I'd rather be poor and needy in spirit. "Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked." I'd rather be delivered out of the hand of the wicked. And then if you will turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 41, Isaiah 41, and look, if you would please, at verse 17. Isaiah 41, verse 17. God says, "When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them."

"I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water." He said, when the poor and needy thirst, I'll take care of them. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have the sovereign God of heaven and earth take care of me than for me to presume that I can take care of myself. God says, when they cry, I will hear.

Conclusion: Dependence on Christ

Quoting Spurgeon, Weaver concludes that the more we need Christ, the more we have of Him. He prays for a biblical attitude of being poor and needy, fully dependent on God.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this: "I have a great need for Christ. I have a great Christ for my need." Do you realize the more we have need of Jesus Christ, the more we will have of Jesus Christ. Those who think they do not need him will not have him. But when we recognize and when we realize that we are poor and needy, that we have nothing in and of ourselves and can do nothing of ourselves, we understand our great need for our Lord and his blessings and his mercy and his grace. So the question I ask: Are you poor or needy? No matter how much money you have, I don't care. If you understand the scripture, you are poor and needy because you're totally, completely dependent on him. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Just as he gives, he can remove. Everything is in his hands, not in ours. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your help, your grace, your mercy. And Lord, I pray that you'd give us a biblical attitude, an understanding of being poor and needy, that we might cry more often to thee, that we might be more appreciative and more thankful for any and everything that you've given to us. May we understand our dependence upon thee. And thank thee, Lord, for your gracious and merciful care for each of us. We give thee praise and we thank thee in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Spiritual Poverty vs. Material Wealth

Summary: True poverty is not about lacking money but recognizing one's total dependence on God. Even the wealthy can be poor and needy in spirit.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'You can be a multimillionaire and be poor and needy,' and points to David's self-description in Psalm 40:17 despite his vast wealth.

The Sin of Oppressing the Poor

Summary: God forbids taking advantage of the poor and needy, and Scripture condemns those who do so as wicked.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 24:14-15 is the foundational text; Psalm 37:14 and Ezekiel 22:29 show God's judgment on oppressors.

The Biblical Work Ethic vs. Slothfulness

Summary: Laziness is condemned; those unwilling to work should not eat. Diligence is praised, and work is to be done as unto the Lord.

Evidence: 2 Thessalonians 3:10 and multiple Proverbs passages are cited to contrast the sluggard with the diligent.

Dependence on God for All Things

Summary: Everything we have and are is by God's grace; He can give and take away. Recognizing this leads to humility and thankfulness.

Evidence: Job's response in Job 1:21 and the statement 'The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away' illustrate this theme.

Pride as the Opposite of Being Poor and Needy

Summary: Pride and self-sufficiency are an abomination to God. The right attitude is to see oneself as nothing without Christ.

Evidence: Psalm 75:4-5 warns against lifting up the horn; Proverbs 16:5 says the proud are an abomination; Paul said 'I am nothing' in 2 Corinthians 12:11.

God's Care for the Poor and Needy

Summary: God promises to spare, save, deliver, and provide for those who are poor and needy in spirit.

Evidence: Psalm 72:13, Psalm 74:21, Psalm 82:4, and Isaiah 41:17 are cited as promises to the poor and needy.

Key Arguments

Not all who claim poverty are truly poor; some are lazy or deceptive.

Summary: Weaver argues that some people are poor due to slothfulness and should not be helped, while others fake need to avoid work.

Evidence: He cites 2 Thessalonians 3:10 and gives examples of a woman with a sign for gas money who was there for years and a man in a nice truck asking for gas money.

Oppressing the poor is a serious sin that reflects a lack of regard for God.

Summary: How we treat the poor reveals our true regard for God; neglecting them is equivalent to neglecting Christ.

Evidence: Jeremiah 22:13-16 and Matthew 25:40,45 are used to show that caring for the poor is knowing God.

Material wealth does not negate spiritual poverty.

Summary: David, though exceedingly rich, called himself poor and needy because he recognized his complete dependence on God.

Evidence: Weaver contrasts David's wealth in 1 Chronicles 29 with his statements in Psalm 40:17, 70:5, 86:1, and 109:22.

Everything we have is by God's grace and can be lost instantly.

Summary: Job's sudden loss of wealth and children demonstrates that we are utterly dependent on God's preserving grace.

Evidence: Job 1:21 is quoted: 'Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away.'

Pride and self-sufficiency are the opposite of being poor and needy and are an abomination to God.

Summary: Lifting up the horn in pride is condemned; the Apostle Paul considered himself nothing.

Evidence: Psalm 75:4-5, Proverbs 16:5, and 2 Corinthians 12:11 are cited.

Desiring to be poor and needy brings God's blessings.

Summary: Scripture promises that God spares, saves, delivers, and provides for the poor and needy.

Evidence: Psalm 72:13, 74:21, 82:4, and Isaiah 41:17 are given as reasons to desire this state.

Scripture References

Deuteronomy 24:14-15

Context: The foundational text commanding not to oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, and to pay him before sunset.

2 Thessalonians 3:10

Context: Paul's command that if anyone will not work, neither should he eat, used to argue against helping the lazy.

Proverbs 6:6-11

Context: The sluggard is sent to the ant to learn diligence; poverty comes upon the lazy like an armed man.

Proverbs 10:26

Context: As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.

Proverbs 13:4

Context: The soul of the sluggard desires and has nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

Proverbs 20:4

Context: The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore he shall beg in harvest and have nothing.

Proverbs 26:16

Context: The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.

Galatians 6:2, 4-5

Context: Bear one another's burdens, but every man shall bear his own burden; used to argue against placing unnecessary burdens on strangers.

Colossians 3:24

Context: Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ; applied to work ethic.

Psalm 37:14

Context: The wicked have drawn out the sword to cast down the poor and needy.

Psalm 109:15-16

Context: David prays against those who persecuted the poor and needy man.

Ezekiel 22:29

Context: The people of the land have used oppression and vexed the poor and needy.

Ezekiel 16:49

Context: The sin of Sodom included pride, fullness of bread, idleness, and not strengthening the hand of the poor and needy.

Jeremiah 22:13-16

Context: Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness; knowing God is shown by judging the cause of the poor and needy.

Proverbs 31:9

Context: Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

Matthew 25:40, 45

Context: Inasmuch as you did it to the least of these my brethren, you did it unto me; used to show treatment of others reflects regard for Christ.

Psalm 40:17

Context: David says, 'I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me.'

Psalm 70:5

Context: David says, 'I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God.'

Psalm 86:1

Context: David prays, 'Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.'

Psalm 109:22

Context: David says, 'For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.'

Historical References

Martin Luther

Context: Weaver quotes Luther: 'The Christian shoemaker does not demonstrate his Christianity by placing little crosses on his shoes. He demonstrates his Christianity by making good shoes.'

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Context: Weaver quotes Spurgeon: 'I have a great need for Christ. I have a great Christ for my need.'

Important Quotes

Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren or thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates. At his day thou shalt give him his hire. Neither shall the sun go down upon it, for he is poor, and set his heart upon it, lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee.

Significance: The foundational Scripture text for the sermon, establishing God's command to protect the poor and needy from oppression.

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Significance: Paul's apostolic command used to argue that those who refuse to work should not be helped, emphasizing personal responsibility.

The soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

Significance: A key proverb contrasting the lazy person's empty desires with the diligent person's prosperity.

But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

Significance: David's declaration of spiritual poverty despite his wealth, showing that true need is dependence on God.

Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

Significance: Job's response to losing everything, illustrating total dependence on God's sovereignty.

I have a great need for Christ. I have a great Christ for my need.

Significance: Spurgeon's quote summarizing the sermon's message: the more we recognize our need, the more we experience Christ's sufficiency.

Discussion Questions

What does it mean to be 'poor and needy' in a biblical sense, and how does that differ from material poverty?

Context: Weaver argues that even the wealthy can be poor and needy if they recognize their dependence on God.

How should the church balance the command to help the poor with the command that those who will not work should not eat?

Context: Weaver cites 2 Thessalonians 3:10 and gives examples of deceptive begging.

In what ways does our treatment of the poor reflect our regard for God, according to Jeremiah 22 and Matthew 25?

Context: Weaver says knowing God is demonstrated by caring for the poor and needy.

Why did David, a wealthy king, repeatedly call himself poor and needy? What does this teach us about spiritual posture?

Context: Weaver contrasts David's wealth in 1 Chronicles 29 with his Psalms.

How does Job's response to losing everything challenge our sense of self-sufficiency?

Context: Job 1:21 is quoted to show that everything we have is from God and can be taken away.

What are the dangers of pride and self-sufficiency in the Christian life, and how can we cultivate a 'poor and needy' attitude?

Context: Weaver warns that pride is an abomination and that Paul considered himself nothing.

What promises does God make to the poor and needy, and how should those promises shape our prayer life?

Context: Psalm 72, 74, 82, and Isaiah 41 are cited as promises of deliverance and provision.

Applications

Examine your own heart for spiritual poverty.

Summary: Ask yourself if you truly see yourself as poor and needy before God, regardless of your material wealth.

Evidence: Weaver repeatedly asks, 'Are you poor and needy?' and points to David's self-assessment.

Work diligently as unto the Lord.

Summary: Reject laziness and embrace a biblical work ethic, doing quality work as service to Christ.

Evidence: Colossians 3:24 and the Proverbs on the sluggard are applied to workmanship.

Do not oppress or take advantage of the vulnerable.

Summary: Ensure that you treat employees, the poor, and strangers fairly, paying them promptly and not exploiting their need.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 24:14-15 commands not to oppress the hired servant.

Cultivate thankfulness for all God provides.

Summary: Recognize that everything—even hot water—is a gift from God, and thank Him continually.

Evidence: Weaver shares his practice of thanking God for hot water and contrasts it with the ungrateful prayer in the Simpsons illustration.

Reject pride and self-sufficiency.

Summary: Humble yourself, acknowledging that without Christ you are nothing and can do nothing.

Evidence: Psalm 75:4-5, Proverbs 16:5, and 2 Corinthians 12:11 are used to warn against pride.

Cry out to God in your need.

Summary: Because God promises to hear and deliver the poor and needy, bring your needs to Him in prayer.

Evidence: Isaiah 41:17 says God will hear the poor and needy when they cry.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T22:49:57Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T23:03:15Z

Clean Transcript

Are You Poor and Needy?

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

Deuteronomy chapter 24. I want you to read with me verses 14 and 15. The title of the message happens to be a question: Are you poor and needy? So look in Deuteronomy chapter 24. Begin there with verse 14. The Word of God says this: "Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren or thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates. At his day thou shalt give him his hire. Neither shall the sun go down upon it, for he is poor, and set his heart upon it, lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee." So the pressing question is: Are you poor and needy? Now when we hear that question, "Are you poor and needy?" our minds immediately think of money. We either think that we have a sufficient amount for the time being, or we think that we do not have a sufficient amount. If we cannot pay our bills, provide for our families, and secure what you and I would refer to as the necessities of life, we would consider that we were poor and needy.
#1 | 0:05 to 1:34 | cleaned
There are many people, I think, that believe they're poor and needy, when in reality, they are not poor and needy. Oftentimes, those who are loaded with money think that they're poor and needy because they don't think that they have enough money. And thus, they would consider themselves poor and needy. It's kind of like one wealthy landowner that I read about. Someone accused him of wanting to own the world.
#2 | 1:35 to 2:04 | cleaned
He said, "That's a lie. He does not want to own the world. All he wants to do is own the land that's next to his." Now think about it. Pretty soon, he would indeed own the world, that is for sure.
#3 | 2:05 to 2:19 | cleaned
Now there are some that are poor and needy due to their own slothfulness, idleness, laziness, and they refuse to work. Those are the ones, I believe, that should not be helped financially in any way whatsoever. In fact, I would say not help them in any way, period. If you look in your Bibles, hold Deuteronomy, we're coming back there. But if you look in your Bibles to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, and look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 10, look what the Apostle Paul says. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, and look at it at verse 10. Here it is. He said, "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat."
#4 | 2:20 to 3:06 | cleaned
"For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now then, them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that they with quietness work and eat their own bread."
#5 | 3:07 to 3:23 | cleaned
Now look what he said in verse 10: "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." I have no sympathy for a man who will not work. It does not matter whether he is a professing Christian or not. If he will not work, God says, let him starve. I am assured in my own mind that most people would learn to work before they would starve.
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But there are many scriptures in the Bible that condemn laziness and what you and I would call being a sluggard. So if you look in your Bibles, and follow me very quickly, to Proverbs chapter 6. Look in Proverbs chapter 6, and let's begin there with verse 6, and we'll look at several passages very quickly. Because God condemns a man that is a sluggard. That is, he's lazy, he's indolent, he will not work whatsoever. So in Proverbs 6 and verse 6, God says, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise." Here's what the ant does: "Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man." So God sends us to the ant to learn, and he says those that will not lay up, those that will not work, those that will not provide, are nothing more than a sluggard.
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So if you'll look in Proverbs chapter 10 and verse 26, Proverbs 10 verse 26, God says, "As vinegar to the teeth and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him." In other words, vinegar hurts your teeth and smoke hurts your eyes. And God says, if you send a sluggard to do a job, you're going to be hurt. It's just that simple. Look, if you would, in Proverbs chapter 13 and verse 4, I've always liked this verse because it is so easily illustrated. The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 13 and verse 4, "The soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat."
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So in every city, just about, you have people who will sit around a fire drum or sit around on a bench somewhere, and they desire everything they see. They see that good Lincoln Town Car. They see that big, high Silverado truck. "Man, I'd like to have one of those," but they'll never have anything like that, because they won't work. And that's exactly what he's saying: "The soul of the sluggard always desires and he hath nothing," but then he said, "the soul of the diligent," that is the one who's going to work and save and provide, "he shall be made fat." Then if you look very quickly in Proverbs chapter 20 and verse 4, again he says this: "The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest and have nothing." In other words, the sluggard is someone who does not want to be inconvenienced, he doesn't want to work when it's cold, didn't want to work when it's hot, and so therefore God says he'll beg in harvest and he'll have nothing.
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One more, look if you would in Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 16, Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 16. Here he says, "The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason." In other words, you can't argue with a sluggard. You're not going to win, because he's so wise in his own conceit, he is not going to listen whatsoever.
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Now, the truth of the matter is this. There are some people that find it easier to beg, deceive, and defraud than to work. It is true it is a violation of the Eighth Commandment, "Thou shalt not steal." But these people always try to get something for nothing. Years ago, not too far back, but Alice and I used to go from Pahrump, Nevada to California because I'd be preaching in California.
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And on the way, there's this one little dinky town with about two or three service stations in it, and that's about it. And here we would pass this one Volkswagen van with a woman and three or four little kids running around, and she's holding up a sign and the sign reads that she needs gas money to get home. The interesting thing is she must have never, ever gotten home because she was there at that same spot every year, three or four years in a row. So, I mean, clearly, she never could make it home.
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Well, you know what the truth is. The truth is she lived nearby. And that was just her way of getting money and making money. It's just that simple.
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Now, Alice and I both have passed folks standing where you have to stop at a red light or stop at a stop sign. And they're holding signs saying, "Need food." And in here, they are smoking cigarettes. Well, I figure if you can buy a pack of cigarettes, you can buy a hamburger. I mean, cigarettes cost more than a hamburger. And I'm just simply saying I'm not interested in helping someone who's standing there smoking, telling me they need money, when in reality they do not. Usually, or at least one time recently, Alice and I passed a decently dressed man in a decent truck. I mean, a truck nicer than mine. And he was standing beside the road, holding up a sign at a stop sign, saying that he needed gas money to get home. So I looked at Alice, I said, "I have some questions. Did he need to return home before he ever left? Well, if he needed to return home before he ever left, why did he not take enough money to make sure that he got back home?"
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Secondly, if he didn't have enough money to get back home, why did he leave to begin with? Thirdly, if he really needed money and was out of gas and had to do it, why did he not call a family member? Why did he not call a close friend? Why in the world would he try to place a burden on absolute strangers? You see, the Bible says, and it is true in Galatians chapter 6 and verse 2, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." But in the same passage, Galatians chapter 6 verses 4 and 5, "But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden."
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So I have a responsibility to do what I can do. And I have a responsibility not to expect Steve to do for me what I can do for myself. What I can't do, I can ask him to help me do. But I have a responsibility not to be a burden on anyone else.
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The problem is that most people, even most professing Christians, do not understand what is known as a biblical work ethic. I've often been exasperated, not just with young people, but also with adults that cannot work, that will not work, do not care whether they work or not, and if they do work, they have absolutely no concern of what kind of work that they produce. In other words, it's just backing up to get a paycheck, and they don't care anything about the work or the quality of the work.
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Now, if you don't believe what I'm talking about, you just compare equipment today with that which was made 30 and 40 years ago. Alice and I have a freezer that we got from her parents after her father died in 1997. And before he got the freezer, it belonged to his mother. So Alice and I were trying to figure out how old that freezer was. And the truth is, it was pretty close to 50 years. It's still running. It's still working. I bought a brand new freezer last year. It didn't last six months. Now they did replace it, but I'm just simply saying I'm wary now of the replacement because brand new and did not even last six months. So the point I'm trying to make is the workmanship today is so shoddy, and the parts are so shoddy. And when you stop and consider the fact, listen carefully, it's oftentimes cheaper to replace an item than it is to repair an item. I've had computers fail. I can buy a new computer cheaper than someone can fix it.
#18 | 11:39 to 13:13 | cleaned
We don't have TV sets, but used to. When I had a TV set and it would go bad, I had the man tell me, he said, "I can fix it." He said, "I can assure you I can fix it." But he said, "It's going to cost you more than a new one." I said, "Well, I don't want either one of them then. Trash it. I don't care."
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So I'm just simply pointing out the fact Martin Luther said it like this. He said, "The Christian shoemaker does not demonstrate his Christianity by placing little crosses on his shoes. He demonstrates his Christianity by making good shoes." And that's a fact. So what we have forgotten is Colossians chapter 3 and verse 24, "Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."
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So God then forbids taking advantage of people, and especially those who are truly poor and needy. So I want you to look back to Deuteronomy chapter 24, because I ask this question: Are you poor and needy? I want you to look again at verses 14 and 15. God says, "Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren," so he could be a Hebrew, "or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates," could be a stranger. Now look what he said: "At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee." So what he's saying, it's a sin then to take advantage of those who cannot protect themselves or fight back simply because they're poor and needy.
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I've known individuals, and I'm thinking of one right now, who lost a house just simply because he did not understand how the system worked. He was a poor man. He was a needy man. I didn't even find out about it until after the house was already gone. But that's the way people are. They just simply take advantage of the poor. They take advantage of the needy.
#22 | 15:13 to 15:39 | cleaned
Now, it's interesting what God says about individuals like that. So if you look in your Bibles to Psalm 37, Psalm 37, and look, if you would please, at verse 14. And then we'll go to Psalm 109. But look in Psalm 37, Psalm 37, verse 14. Look what he said: "The wicked have drawn out the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation." So God says it's the wicked then who take advantage of the poor and needy and slay such as be of an upright heart. If you would turn right over to Psalm 109, you will find out how David prays against these individuals. So look in Psalm 109 at verses 15 and 16, look what he says. Psalm 109 verse 15.
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"Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth." In other words, let God kill them, get them out of the earth, let everybody forget. Why? "Because that he remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart." Wow. If you will turn over in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel, this is one of the reasons that God judged those people so strenuously during the days of the Babylonian captivity. So in Ezekiel chapter 22 and verse 29, God says this: "The people of the land have used oppression and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully." So even the people then were involved in this sin.
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Yea, they've oppressed the stranger wrongfully. So even the people then were involved in this sin.
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Now, since you're in the book of Ezekiel, I want to ask you a question. Do you know what the sin of Sodom was? Now, most people are going to say, "Well, of course I know the sin of Sodom was sodomy." Well, that is part of the sin of Sodom. That is not all. If you look back in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 16, and look, if you would please, at verse 49, Ezekiel 16, verse 49. Look at what the Bible says. Ezekiel 16 verse 49. He says, "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." So actually, their perversion was a result of all this other pride, fullness of bread, idleness, and an unconcern for the poor and the needy.
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Pride, fullness of bread, an abundance of idleness was in her and her daughters. Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy. So actually, their perversion was a result of all this other pride, fullness of bread, idleness, and an unconcern for the poor and the needy.
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Now, I'm going to ask that you turn to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 22. Okay? I want to make a statement, and I want you to see this from the Bible. This may surprise you, but here it is. We must understand that our treatment of others reflects our regard for God and his truth as well as their persons. So let me say that again. We must understand that our treatment of others reflects our regard for God and his truth as well as their persons. So in Jeremiah, chapter 22, look, if you would please, at verse 13.
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God says, "Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; that saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is ceiled with cedar and painted with vermilion."
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Now look at this question: "Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him? He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the Lord." So our treatment of others reflects our regard for God and his truth. If we have no regard for God, if we have no regard for his truth, we're not going to have any regard for others.
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You must remember that passage in Luke chapter 18, the unjust judge. There was in a certain city an unjust judge who feared not God, neither regarded man. So if you do not have any regard for God, you're not going to have any regard for man. And then, of course, in Proverbs 31 and verse 9, God commands this: "Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy."
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Now, I've asked this question, and I'm gonna answer it for you just momentarily. But the question was, are you poor or needy? And we've been talking about the poor and needy. And when I ask, are you poor or needy, most people think about money. But may I remind you again of this one truth, that your regard for other people reflects how you regard God and his truth.
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You remember that passage in Matthew chapter 25, where our Lord is talking and he put the sheep on the right and the goats on the left, and he tells those sheep, "Come, ye inherit the kingdom prepared for you, and you fed me, you gave me water, you visited me when I was sick, you visited me when I was in prison." "Lord, when did we do that? We don't ever remember seeing you in that condition." And what did our Lord say? "Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you did it unto the least of these my brethren, you did it unto me." Now, when you get to verse 45, the wicked say, "Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and not feed thee? When did we see thee thirsty, and not give thee water? When did we see thee in prison, and not visit thee?" And he said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as you did it not to the least of these my brethren, you did it not unto me." So you have the positive and you have the negative there in Matthew chapter 25.
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Now, I gave you all of these scriptures to ask you one question. Here it is. Are you poor and needy? I can look around in this room and just about assure you that no one in this room has ever gone hungry. If you did, it was simply because you were on a diet and you chose to go on a diet. Most people in this room have never, ever gone hungry in their entire lives. No one in this room has been forced to sleep on the streets. Some have slept in the woods purposely, but nobody's been forced to sleep on the street.
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And the truth of the matter is this. You've never had to do without the necessities of life. I've said this before, and I'm not going to say I do this every night, but almost every night. Anytime I get the opportunity, and we do it every night, to soak in a tub of hot water, I just thank the Lord for hot water. I thank the Lord for a bath. And my mind goes to a lot of these people in other countries that not only they can't bathe, they don't even have hot water. Now, that's a blessing. So you never actually been forced to do any of these things and do without necessity.
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So let me tell you something. I've asked, are you poor or needy? Listen carefully. If you are not poor and needy, you're not in a position to be helped or blessed by our Lord. I'm going to make another statement. It may shock you, but I'm going to show it to you. You can be a multimillionaire and be poor and needy. You can. I want you to follow me in the Psalms. I want to show you four verses. And then we're going to show you another passage.
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But look in your Bibles to Psalm 40. And look, if you would, at verse 17. Psalm 40, verse 17. This is a Psalm of David. Psalm 40, verse 17. David says to the Lord, "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God." Now look at that: "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me." Turn right over, if you would, to Psalm 70. Psalm 70, look in verse 5. Psalm 70, verse 5. Again, this is the Psalm of David. He says in verse 5, "But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying." Again, David said, "But I am poor and needy. Make haste unto me, O God, thou art my help and my deliverer, O Lord, make no tarrying." Look in Psalm 86 and verse 1, Psalm 86 and verse 1, another prayer of David.
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David prays, "Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy." Wow. "Hear me, for I am poor and needy." And then if you will look in Psalm 109 and verse 22, Psalm 109 verse 22, David says, "For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me." Four times, David has said, "I am poor and needy." I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Chronicles chapter 29. 1 Chronicles chapter 29. I want to remind you that David was king of Israel. David was exceedingly rich. David had more real money than you and I could ever think of and ever dream about. He had more than you and I could ever imagine. So look in 1 Chronicles 29, verse 1, because David is talking about the temple and how he's prepared for it.
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This is before his death, when Solomon has been anointed and was going to take over the throne and build the temple. "Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God."
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"Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance."
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Now watch what he's saying. "Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house." This is out of David's personal money. This is out of David's personal wealth. I'm going to tell you the difference just momentarily. He said, "I have of mine own proper good of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house."
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So there was preparation before for the temple. Now David says, in light of all that preparation, here's something out of my own money that I'm giving. So what is he giving? "Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal: the gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?" Now here is the interesting thing: if you would look in your Bibles, hold 1 Chronicles 29, but back to 1 Chronicles 26 and look at verse 27. 1 Chronicles 26 and verse 27. The Bible says this: "Out of the spoils won in battles did they dedicate to maintain the house of the Lord." So think of all those people that David conquered, all the wealth that he acquired, all of the spoils, most of it went to prepare for the temple.
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Of course, David had money as well, and he got some of the booty, but most of it went for the preparation to build the temple out of the spoils won in battle. But now David said, because of his great affection and love for the house of God, out of his own proper good he's given all of these things. Now note, if you would look back, if you would please, in verse 3 and 4. He says, "Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house." That is, over and above all the spoils that he's taken. "Even three thousand talents of gold and seven thousand talents of refined silver." Now, a talent
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was the heaviest weight or the heaviest unit of weight in the Bible. I checked in one article that I just recently read said a talent was 75 pounds or 35 kilos.
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Now if David said, "I've given 3,000 talents of gold," and a talent is 75 pounds, that means he is giving 22,500 pounds of gold out of his own personal wealth. And when you consider today that gold is right now over $2,000 an ounce, an ounce, not a pound, an ounce. And he's giving 22,500 pounds of the best gold. And then he gave 7,000 talents of silver. That would be 52,500 pounds of silver. Silver today is about approximately $25 an ounce. This does not include all the precious stones that he gave. It does not include the brass, it does not include the wood, it does not include the marble.
#45 | 33:08 to 34:26 | cleaned
So here's a good question. In light of David's exceptional and vast wealth, in light of his great monetary wealth, how could David truthfully say, "I am poor and needy"? You remember I asked you this question: Are you poor and needy? You remember I told you that a multi-millionaire could be poor and needy? Four times, and I showed it to you in scripture, in the Psalms, David said, "I am poor and needy." When someone is poor, he has nothing in himself. When someone is needy, he can do nothing for himself. If I remember correctly, our Lord said in John 15 verse 5, "Without me ye can do" how much? Nothing. Without Him, we are nothing. Without Him, we can do nothing.
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Now, I want you to look back in your Bibles to Psalm 40 and look, if you would, at verse 17. Psalm 40, verse 17. We read this earlier, but I want you to see this is the first time that David said this. Look what he said: "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God."
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So here's a couple of questions. Do you wish for God to think upon you? Do you wish for God to help you? Do you wish for God to deliver you? Do you wish for God to help you and deliver you speedily and without tarrying? If so, you're poor and needy and you're totally dependent upon him. These other passages that we read where David said that he was poor and needy, all relate the same truth. We need God to hear us when we call. We need God to protect us. We need God to preserve us. We need God to provide for us. We need Him, period.
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Do not consider that your wealth, however great it may be, is sufficient. It is not sufficient. It will never redeem. It will never ever deliver. If you'd look in your Bibles to Psalm 49 and look at verses 6 through 8. Psalm 49, beginning there with verse 6, and then I'm gonna give you a good illustration. Look in Psalm 49, beginning there with verse 6, God's talking about the wealth of a lot of men, the wicked especially. He says, "They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)" No amount of money is going to deliver anybody.
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It doesn't matter if you do own the world. You can't deliver your own soul. You can't deliver anybody.
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Now, I want you to turn back in your Bibles to the book of Job, Job chapter 1. And I think you're going to see this illustration in the light that I'm just talking about. Look in Job, chapter 1, verse 1. "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright," or mature and upright, "and one that feared God, and eschewed evil." I love that word, eschewed.
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You know what it means, don't you? It means he spit it out. He couldn't swallow it. He couldn't stomach it. So he spit out evil. "And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen," that's 1,000, "and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east."
#52 | 38:49 to 39:26 | cleaned
There is no telling how wealthy Job really was. He had more than anyone in the land. So here's my question. Out of everything that Job had, this vast wealth that he possessed, how long did it take for Job to lose everything? One day. And one day, he lost 10 children. And one day, he lost every animal that he owned. One day. Wow. Do you realize that everything we are, we are by the grace of God. Everything we have, we have by the grace of God. Everything we ever will be is by the grace of God. Everything that we will ever have is by the grace of God. And if God does not protect us, and if God does not preserve us, then we will be like Job. We can lose everything in one day. Job understood this. So if you look in your Bibles to Job 1 and verse 21, the Bible says this: "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Regardless of what Job possessed, like David, he was poor and needy. Regardless of what you possess, you are poor and needy. I want you to consider the opposite of being poor and needy right quickly.
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Then Job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped and said, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Regardless of what Job possessed, like David, he was poor and needy. Regardless of what you possess, you are poor and needy. I want you to consider the opposite of being poor and needy right quickly.
#54 | 41:09 to 41:45 | cleaned
If you will turn in your Bibles to Psalm 75. Psalm 75. Look, if you would, beginning there with verse 4. Psalm 75, verse 4. Look at this. Psalm 75, verse 4. "I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn: lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck." Arrogant, proud, haughty, heady, high-minded. Why? "For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south."
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"But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them." No, he said, "Speak not with a stiff neck, lift not up your horn on high." Lifting up the horn on high and speaking with a stiff neck is the apex of pride and arrogance.
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And when you think that you do not need God and you do not need anyone, that you're sufficient in and of yourself, you're just simply holding God in contempt and saying, "I don't need you. I can take care of myself." And you'll find out how soon you cannot take care of yourself. The Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 5, "Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord."
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"Though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished." Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. And the word abomination means a stench in God's nostrils. God can't stand it. Everyone that's proud in heart is an abomination to God. "Though hand join in hand, he shall not go unpunished." The Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 19, "Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud." And then God said in Proverbs 21 and verse 4, "An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin."
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Anytime we have pride and arrogance in our lives, we're not being poor and needy. We're thinking we can do it. We have it. That's why the Bible says in the book of Galatians chapter 6 and verse 3, "When a man thinketh himself to be something, he deceiveth himself, for he is nothing." I want to tell you, when we reach the place in our Christian life and we understand that we are nothing and we can do nothing in and of ourselves, we reach the right perspective in life.
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If I were to ask you, who was probably the greatest apostle in the New Testament? Most people would answer the Apostle Paul because he wrote most of the New Testament. But if you look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 12, I'll show you the Apostle Paul's estimate of himself. 2 Corinthians chapter 12. Look, if you would please, there at verse 11. 2 Corinthians chapter 12, notice verse 11. The Apostle Paul said, "I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles." I'm not behind any of them. "But," though I am nothing. What was the Apostle Paul's estimation of himself?
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He didn't brag over his missionary journeys. He didn't brag about those he had converted. He said, "I am nothing." Nothing. When we get to the point and we realize that we are nothing without him, we can do nothing without him. We can say with David, "I am poor and needy. I need the Lord. Without him, I am nothing. I can do nothing."
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Now, I want to very quickly give you two applications. And the first one, I want you to turn to scriptures with me, because I want to give you four reasons from scripture that should make you desire to be poor and needy. So I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 72 and verse 13. Psalm 72, verse 13. Here's the first reason that you should actually desire to be poor and needy. Look at this. Psalm 72, verse 13. The Bible says concerning our God, "He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy." I don't know about you, but I'd like to be spared, and I certainly want to be saved. That's what he said. "He shall spare the poor and needy, and he shall save the souls of the needy."
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"He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight." Yes, I want that. Look in Psalm 74 verse 21. Here's the second reason you should desire to be poor and needy. Psalm 74 verse 21. The Bible says, "O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name." Do you realize, do you realize the poor and the needy will really praise the name of the Lord. Why?
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Because they're the most thankful, they're the most grateful, they're the most appreciative. I don't have a TV. I was listening to one man's sermon a little bit, and he gave this illustration, and I used it. And then one of my men pulled it up on his phone and said, "Here it is right here." And I heard it. The Simpsons. I don't even know anything about them. I just know they're cartoons.
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But I guess it was the young boy. They were at Thanksgiving dinner. And this young boy was praying. And he said, "Lord, we paid for all of this ourselves, all this food ourselves. Thanks for nothing. Amen." I tell you what, I think I'd like to slap somebody's cheek that prayed something like that. Do you realize the arrogance? Do you realize the pride? Do you realize the ungratefulness, the unthankfulness?
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The point I'm trying to make is this very simply. If God did not give you air to breathe, you couldn't do one thing. If he did not give you the ability to work, you could not make any money. If he took it away from you, you would not have any money. Poor and needy people are really thankful for what they receive from God. If we have a poor and needy attitude and recognize how dependent we are upon Him, He will make us thankful for anything and everything.
#66 | 50:14 to 50:44 | cleaned
If you look in your Bible, it's Psalm 82 and verse 4. Psalm 82 and verse 4. Here's another reason I'd rather be poor and needy in spirit. "Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked." I'd rather be delivered out of the hand of the wicked. And then if you will turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 41, Isaiah 41, and look, if you would please, at verse 17. Isaiah 41, verse 17. God says, "When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them."
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"I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water." He said, when the poor and needy thirst, I'll take care of them. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have the sovereign God of heaven and earth take care of me than for me to presume that I can take care of myself. God says, when they cry, I will hear.
#68 | 51:43 to 52:16 | cleaned
Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this: "I have a great need for Christ. I have a great Christ for my need." Do you realize the more we have need of Jesus Christ, the more we will have of Jesus Christ. Those who think they do not need him will not have him. But when we recognize and when we realize that we are poor and needy, that we have nothing in and of ourselves and can do nothing of ourselves, we understand our great need for our Lord and his blessings and his mercy and his grace. So the question I ask: Are you poor or needy?
#69 | 52:17 to 53:25 | cleaned
No matter how much money you have, I don't care. If you understand the scripture, you are poor and needy because you're totally, completely dependent on him. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Just as he gives, he can remove. Everything is in his hands, not in ours. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your help, your grace, your mercy. And Lord, I pray that you'd give us a biblical attitude, an understanding of being poor and needy, that we might cry more often to thee, that we might be more appreciative and more thankful for any and everything that you've given to us. May we understand our dependence upon thee. And thank thee, Lord, for your gracious and merciful care for each of us. We give thee praise and we thank thee in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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♪
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T22:49:57Z

Are You Poor and Needy?

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver examines the biblical concept of being 'poor and needy,' moving beyond material poverty to a spiritual posture of total dependence on God. Using Deuteronomy 24:14-15 as a starting point, he contrasts the sluggard with the diligent, warns against oppressing the truly poor, and shows that even wealthy figures like David and Job declared themselves poor and needy because they recognized their nothingness without God. The sermon calls believers to embrace this humble dependence, which brings God's help, deliverance, and provision.

Introduction: The Question and the Text

Weaver introduces the question 'Are you poor and needy?' and reads Deuteronomy 24:14-15, which commands not to oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 24:14-15

"Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren or thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates. At his day thou shalt give him his hire. Neither shall the sun go down upon it, for he is poor, and set his heart upon it, lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee."

Misconceptions About Poverty and Wealth

People often misjudge their own poverty; some with wealth feel poor, while others are poor due to laziness. Weaver cites 2 Thessalonians 3:10 to argue that those who will not work should not eat.

The Sluggard Condemned in Proverbs

Multiple Proverbs passages condemn laziness, showing that the sluggard desires but has nothing, while the diligent are made fat. The sluggard is wise in his own conceit and will not listen.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:6-11

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise."

Here's what the ant does:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:6-11

"Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man."

So God sends us to the ant to learn, and he says those that will not lay up, those that will not work, those that will not provide, are nothing more than a sluggard.

So if you'll look in Proverbs chapter 10 and verse 26, Proverbs 10 verse 26, God says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 10:26

"As vinegar to the teeth and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him."

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 13:4

"The soul of the sluggard always desires and he hath nothing,"

but then he said,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 13:4

"the soul of the diligent,"

that is the one who's going to work and save and provide,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 13:4

"he shall be made fat."

One more, look if you would in Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 16, Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 16. Here he says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 26:16

"The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason."

Deception and the Work Ethic

Some find it easier to beg or defraud than to work. Weaver gives examples of people faking need, and laments the decline of workmanship and the biblical work ethic, citing Colossians 3:24.

God Forbids Oppressing the Poor

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:14

"The wicked have drawn out the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation."

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 16:49

"Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy."

So actually, their perversion was a result of all this other pride, fullness of bread, idleness, and an unconcern for the poor and the needy.

Treatment of Others Reflects Regard for God

Using Jeremiah 22 and Matthew 25, Weaver argues that how we treat the poor reveals our regard for God. The righteous care for the least, while the wicked neglect them.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 31:9

"Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy."

Scripture Reading — Matthew 25:40, 45

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you did it unto the least of these my brethren, you did it unto me."

Scripture Reading — Matthew 25:40, 45

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as you did it not to the least of these my brethren, you did it not unto me."

So you have the positive and you have the negative there in Matthew chapter 25.

Spiritual Poverty: David and Job as Examples

But look in your Bibles to Psalm 40. And look, if you would, at verse 17. Psalm 40, verse 17. This is a Psalm of David. Psalm 40, verse 17. David says to the Lord,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 40:17

"But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God."

Now look at that:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 40:17

"But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me."

Turn right over, if you would, to Psalm 70. Psalm 70, look in verse 5. Psalm 70, verse 5. Again, this is the Psalm of David. He says in verse 5,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 40:17

"But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying."

Again, David said,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 40:17

"But I am poor and needy. Make haste unto me, O God, thou art my help and my deliverer, O Lord, make no tarrying."

Look in Psalm 86 and verse 1, Psalm 86 and verse 1, another prayer of David.

David prays,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 70:5

"Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy."

Wow.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 70:5

"Hear me, for I am poor and needy."

And then if you will look in Psalm 109 and verse 22, Psalm 109 verse 22, David says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 70:5

"For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me."

Four times, David has said,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 70:5

"I am poor and needy."

The Opposite: Pride and Self-Sufficiency

Psalm 75 warns against lifting up the horn in pride. Proverbs calls pride an abomination. Paul said he was nothing. The right perspective is to see ourselves as poor and needy, dependent on God.

Reasons to Desire Being Poor and Needy

Conclusion: Dependence on Christ

Quoting Spurgeon, Weaver concludes that the more we need Christ, the more we have of Him. He prays for a biblical attitude of being poor and needy, fully dependent on God.

Are You Poor and Needy?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	Yr06nkcNbRA
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Wealth, Defense, and Justice
Genre	Sermon
Date	2024-02-21
Dictation Name
Book	Book 083: Proverbs: Wealth, Defense, and Justice — Chapter 7
Source Timed Segments	71

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Question and the Text: Weaver introduces the question 'Are you poor and needy?' and reads Deuteronomy 24:14-15, which commands not to oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy.
Misconceptions About Poverty and Wealth: People often misjudge their own poverty; some with wealth feel poor, while others are poor due to laziness. Weaver cites 2 Thessalonians 3:10 to argue that those who will not work should not eat.
The Sluggard Condemned in Proverbs: Multiple Proverbs passages condemn laziness, showing that the sluggard desires but has nothing, while the diligent are made fat. The sluggard is wise in his own conceit and will not listen.
Deception and the Work Ethic: Some find it easier to beg or defraud than to work. Weaver gives examples of people faking need, and laments the decline of workmanship and the biblical work ethic, citing Colossians 3:24.
God Forbids Oppressing the Poor: Returning to Deuteronomy 24, Weaver emphasizes that it is sin to take advantage of the poor. He cites Psalms and Ezekiel to show God's judgment on those who oppress the needy, including Sodom's sin of neglecting the poor.
Treatment of Others Reflects Regard for God: Using Jeremiah 22 and Matthew 25, Weaver argues that how we treat the poor reveals our regard for God. The righteous care for the least, while the wicked neglect them.
Spiritual Poverty: David and Job as Examples: Though materially wealthy, David repeatedly called himself poor and needy in the Psalms. Job lost everything in one day, acknowledging that the Lord gives and takes away. True poverty is recognizing we are nothing without God.
The Opposite: Pride and Self-Sufficiency: Psalm 75 warns against lifting up the horn in pride. Proverbs calls pride an abomination. Paul said he was nothing. The right perspective is to see ourselves as poor and needy, dependent on God.
Reasons to Desire Being Poor and Needy: Weaver gives four scriptural reasons: God spares and saves the needy (Psalm 72), the poor praise His name (Psalm 74), He delivers them from the wicked (Psalm 82), and He hears and provides for them (Isaiah 41).
Conclusion: Dependence on Christ: Quoting Spurgeon, Weaver concludes that the more we need Christ, the more we have of Him. He prays for a biblical attitude of being poor and needy, fully dependent on God.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Not all who claim poverty are truly poor; some are lazy or deceptive.

Weaver argues that some people are poor due to slothfulness and should not be helped, while others fake need to avoid work.

He cites 2 Thessalonians 3:10 and gives examples of a woman with a sign for gas money who was there for years and a man in a nice truck asking for gas money.

Oppressing the poor is a serious sin that reflects a lack of regard for God.

How we treat the poor reveals our true regard for God; neglecting them is equivalent to neglecting Christ.

Jeremiah 22:13-16 and Matthew 25:40,45 are used to show that caring for the poor is knowing God.

Material wealth does not negate spiritual poverty.

David, though exceedingly rich, called himself poor and needy because he recognized his complete dependence on God.

Weaver contrasts David's wealth in 1 Chronicles 29 with his statements in Psalm 40:17, 70:5, 86:1, and 109:22.

Everything we have is by God's grace and can be lost instantly.

Job's sudden loss of wealth and children demonstrates that we are utterly dependent on God's preserving grace.

Job 1:21 is quoted: 'Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away.'

Pride and self-sufficiency are the opposite of being poor and needy and are an abomination to God.

Lifting up the horn in pride is condemned; the Apostle Paul considered himself nothing.

Psalm 75:4-5, Proverbs 16:5, and 2 Corinthians 12:11 are cited.

Desiring to be poor and needy brings God's blessings.

Scripture promises that God spares, saves, delivers, and provides for the poor and needy.

Psalm 72:13, 74:21, 82:4, and Isaiah 41:17 are given as reasons to desire this state.

Scripture References

Deuteronomy 24:14-15: The foundational text commanding not to oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, and to pay him before sunset.
2 Thessalonians 3:10: Paul's command that if anyone will not work, neither should he eat, used to argue against helping the lazy.
Proverbs 6:6-11: The sluggard is sent to the ant to learn diligence; poverty comes upon the lazy like an armed man.
Proverbs 10:26: As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.
Proverbs 13:4: The soul of the sluggard desires and has nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
Proverbs 20:4: The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore he shall beg in harvest and have nothing.
Proverbs 26:16: The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.
Galatians 6:2, 4-5: Bear one another's burdens, but every man shall bear his own burden; used to argue against placing unnecessary burdens on strangers.
Colossians 3:24: Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ; applied to work ethic.
Psalm 37:14: The wicked have drawn out the sword to cast down the poor and needy.
Psalm 109:15-16: David prays against those who persecuted the poor and needy man.
Ezekiel 22:29: The people of the land have used oppression and vexed the poor and needy.
Ezekiel 16:49: The sin of Sodom included pride, fullness of bread, idleness, and not strengthening the hand of the poor and needy.
Jeremiah 22:13-16: Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness; knowing God is shown by judging the cause of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31:9: Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Matthew 25:40, 45: Inasmuch as you did it to the least of these my brethren, you did it unto me; used to show treatment of others reflects regard for Christ.
Psalm 40:17: David says, 'I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me.'
Psalm 70:5: David says, 'I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God.'
Psalm 86:1: David prays, 'Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.'
Psalm 109:22: David says, 'For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.'

Historical References

Martin Luther: Weaver quotes Luther: 'The Christian shoemaker does not demonstrate his Christianity by placing little crosses on his shoes. He demonstrates his Christianity by making good shoes.'
Charles Haddon Spurgeon: Weaver quotes Spurgeon: 'I have a great need for Christ. I have a great Christ for my need.'

Important Quotes

Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren or thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates. At his day thou shalt give him his hire. Neither shall the sun go down upon it, for he is poor, and set his heart upon it, lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee.

The foundational Scripture text for the sermon, establishing God's command to protect the poor and needy from oppression.

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Paul's apostolic command used to argue that those who refuse to work should not be helped, emphasizing personal responsibility.

The soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

A key proverb contrasting the lazy person's empty desires with the diligent person's prosperity.

But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

David's declaration of spiritual poverty despite his wealth, showing that true need is dependence on God.

Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

Job's response to losing everything, illustrating total dependence on God's sovereignty.

I have a great need for Christ. I have a great Christ for my need.

Spurgeon's quote summarizing the sermon's message: the more we recognize our need, the more we experience Christ's sufficiency.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What does it mean to be 'poor and needy' in a biblical sense, and how does that differ from material poverty?

[Context]

Weaver argues that even the wealthy can be poor and needy if they recognize their dependence on God.

[Question]

How should the church balance the command to help the poor with the command that those who will not work should not eat?

[Context]

Weaver cites 2 Thessalonians 3:10 and gives examples of deceptive begging.

[Question]

In what ways does our treatment of the poor reflect our regard for God, according to Jeremiah 22 and Matthew 25?

[Context]

Weaver says knowing God is demonstrated by caring for the poor and needy.

[Question]

Why did David, a wealthy king, repeatedly call himself poor and needy? What does this teach us about spiritual posture?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts David's wealth in 1 Chronicles 29 with his Psalms.

[Question]

How does Job's response to losing everything challenge our sense of self-sufficiency?

[Context]

Job 1:21 is quoted to show that everything we have is from God and can be taken away.

[Question]

What are the dangers of pride and self-sufficiency in the Christian life, and how can we cultivate a 'poor and needy' attitude?

[Context]

Weaver warns that pride is an abomination and that Paul considered himself nothing.

[Question]

What promises does God make to the poor and needy, and how should those promises shape our prayer life?

[Context]

Psalm 72, 74, 82, and Isaiah 41 are cited as promises of deliverance and provision.

Applications

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