Living Above The World - Galatians

Galatians 2:10

Remember The Poor

To remember the poor is written in the Mosaic Law: Deut. 15:11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land. This is not simply a New Testament command but a command for all time.

Zophar accused Job of oppressing the poor, and he, no doubt, thought that this was the sin that brought God's anger against Job and gave him his great illness: Job 20:19 Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not; This was considered a great sin against God then, and it is also considered a great sin today. However, Job answered to him, Job 29:16 I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.

The wicked persecute the poor in their pride: Psalm 10:2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. These will be taken in their own devices.

A strong statement is made in Prov. 14:31 He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor. I would never want to reproach my Maker, and neither would Paul the Apostle; and he was very knowledgeable of this scripture, I am sure.

Again Jesus says in Matt 26:11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. So, we have a perpetual privilege and command that we should remember the poor, for they are among us and always will be with us.

Now Paul later on was involved in collecting money for the benefit of the poor saints (Rom. 15:26 et al). Thus, in our text the Apostles at Jerusalem encourage Paul and his company to remember the poor, which Paul and his company were forward (diligent) to do. It is, then, the commandment of the Law and the commandment of Christ to remember the poor.

James says that we have despised the poor (James 2:3). We as God's children should never be guilty of that, for we must remember that . . . every one of us shall give account of himself to God (Rom. 14:12). Thus, Paul and we ourselves are forward to do.