Don't Look the Other Way.

I know this is long.  Please read it anyway.


I was reading this in Deuteronomy 15:7-11:
When you happen on someone who's in trouble or needs help among your people with whom you live in this land that God, your God, is giving you, don't look the other way pretending you don't see him.  Don't keep a tight grip on your purse.  No.  Look at him, open your purse, lend whatever and as much as he needs.  Don't count the cost.  Don't listen to that selfish voice saying, "It's almost the seventh year, the year of All-Debts-Are-Canceled," and turn aside and leave your needy neighbor in the lurch, refusing to help him.  He'll call God's attention to you and your blatant sin.  Give freely and spontaneously.  Don't have a stingy heart.  The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God's, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures.  There are always going to be poor and needy people among you.  So I command you:  Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.


A couple things jumped out at me about this.  For one, the passage starts out by reminding us that what we have, we have because God has given it to us.  I think that is so important to remember and we often lose sight of it.  We feel like, Oh I have this money or this house or this car or these nice things because I worked hard for them.  And to a point that is true.  We are hard workers out of obedience.  But the fact that that job you have is even available to you is God's doing.  And everything starts out as His.  


Another thing that hit me about these verses.  The "don't look the other way" part... You know why people look down right?  See, last season I watched the TV show "Lie To Me" so I know all about this. C'mon it was on TV, so it's got to be true right? LoL.  Seriously though, we cast our eyes down when we feel shame.  That's why we look down when we see some dirty homeless guy on the corner asking for money or food or work or whatever.  We feel ashamed.  Ashamed that we have so much and others so little.  Ashamed that we know we are avoiding doing something when we know deep down we're capable of easing another human's suffering.  The Bible tells us to "look at him" and then act on the compassion that is sure to follow.  


Something else I wanted to touch on here.  The part about not thinking "but the year of canceling debts is almost here..."  We're talking about passing the buck.  In modern day terms this could read--- "Don't tell yourself he could walk around the corner and file for food stamps or I'm sure the car behind me will pick him up a hamburger or there's a homeless shelter down the street... Look at him.  He's YOUR responsibility."  None of these things matter.  


Right now he is hungry.  He is thirsty.  He is cold.  He is tired.  What would you do if that was Jesus?  Let me repeat myself.  We're NOT talking WWJD here.  What would YOU do if that was JESUS standing there on the corner?  Hungry.  Thirsty.  Cold.  Tired.  Your Lord.  The One who saves you.  The One who gave you all you have anyway.  What would you do then?  Would you cast your eyes downward and drive past, hoping the car behind you would get this one?  Would you silently encourage yourself by remembering the soup kitchen is not too far away?  Or would you be like the woman who poured the anointing oil on His head and washed His feet with her tears?  


I can't tell you how badly my heart hurts for the people right here in our community who are poor and needy.  And I feel ashamed when I think how The Church in general behaves toward them.  And when I say "The Church," I don't mean the programs we fund and the can drives we do.  I just mean each one of us.  What are we doing?  Can you imagine what would happen in the world, the U.S., in SC, in Spartanburg, in that horrible little neighborhood by The Beacon... if we would just realize that that dirty, hungry, thirsty, tired guy on the corner... he's Jesus?  What a miracle God could work if we would just look at Him?