“The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him.” (Psalms 22:26, NIV). In the later Old Testament writings, the “poor” were people who not only lacked physical resources but also depended on Yahweh. Knowing that food and housing were limited, they turned to God for help. So the Psalmist of this psalm declares that the poor are blessed, and the Lord’s intention is to give to the poor the food they need. And those who “seek the Lord” live in dependence on Yahweh will praise him because of his provision. So, if we are “poor,” we can remember that the poor are blessed. In general, the physical things we need, God will provide (Matt. 6:33), and his indwelling comforts our hearts.
Under the new covenant the poor are blessed even more than under the old covenant. Jesus promised:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:3, 6 (NIV)
Now, it seems that Jesus really focuses on the heart, even more than physical needs. If we hunger and thirst for good, for godliness, then God will satisfy our hunger as he gradually Christforms us and completes us in the next age. We are the poor and dependent ones now, and God will give us his kingdom! The poor are blessed!
Thus, God encourages us to embrace our appropriate poverty and hunger. We can think of ourselves this way. We already have so much more than the wealthy and satisfied of this world, and he is giving us even more until he gives us all things in the next age.
Are you poor? Are you “poor in spirit”? Do you think of yourself as blessed because of this?
