Whoso stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
When Jesus was here on earth, he established a pattern for all of us to follow. As the Son of God Who knew the will of His Father, He spent his days, weeks, and years helping the poor, healing the sick, and feeding the hungry. However, what is considered poor in some societies today is not what the Bible would regard as poor. For example, a person who could not afford a second automobile or dessert with every meal is not truly a poor man. The poor are those who cannot feed themselves, defend themselves, or even care for their families. This is one who cannot afford to provide for himself the bare necessities of life. Or it could be somebody who is in the midst of a serious health crisis or a short-term financial crisis.
But what does a family do who receives seven pleas for help in a single day from various charitable organizations? Does this passage obligate the family to provide for each of these causes? If there were seven persons at your door crying out for help from starvation, then it would be advisable to do what you can to help them (especially if you had the resources). This passage says nothing about helping charitable organizations who have taken upon themselves the task of helping large numbers of poor people in far-flung countries around the world. Generally, the biblical idea of charity is within a local context, based in relational and accountable means.
Then there is the problem of lying beggars who refuse to live in a community where accountability is possible. The Bible assumes here an honest cry for help, as best as can be determined. Yet, if you are not careful you may find yourself interpreting every cry for help as fake, thereby relieving you of any obligation to help anybody. Thus, it is important that we respond to a cry for help by making honest enquiry into the matter. Do not develop the habit of ignoring cries for help. Rather, you should always be mentally prepared and willing to help somebody. One who has a heart to help others will be waiting for opportunities to assist a poor person, whether it be a stranded stranger on the side of the highway or a widow in your own church. Occasionally, a good Samaritan gets burned by a shyster or a roadside bandit, but Jesus did promise that some would be persecuted for attempting to do good to others.
A gift in secret pacifies anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.
Generally, most people are not inclined to help somebody who is angry. They would rather not be in the presence of an angry man, because anger is usually irrational, abusive, and sometimes dangerous. Nevertheless, some families must live with the sad reality of an angry father or husband every day. This man is easily irritated. He yells and screams. He beats the walls with his fists, and he abuses with cruel words and intonations. But remarkably, somebody leaves a little chocolate on his pillow from time to time. Somebody fixed the screen door he removed from its hinges the day before. Somebody quietly washed and ironed his clothes and left them hanging in his closet. Each time, this secret angel did the good deed without celebration, without notice, without leaving even a trace of evidence that might indicate the source. Now, of course, the angry man seldom deserves such mercy. And it may very well have been the victim who did something good for the brute who treated her badly. But this is exactly what Jesus Christ commands. What motivates a soul to perform such things for an undeserving wretch? Of course, Jesus Christ showed us mercy even when we didn’t care to seek it out. But also, remember that God is watching the entire affair. If our hearts go out to the kind, patient soul who continues to do nice things for some ungrateful, angry wretch, we know our God in heaven is one hundred times more connected with this pitiful scene. Jesus promises a great reward in heaven for those who bear up well under persecution. We have to believe that there is something far better for us in heaven than on this miserable earth. Therefore, by a determined and resilient faith we should bear up under untoward circumstances and show mercy even to those who themselves are not likely to show mercy.
But this text promises that these sorts of deeds will make some progress towards pacifying the anger. It might not rid the home entirely of these outbursts. But if there was anything that would quell the tirades, this would do it. Of course, it is extremely rare to find a righteous person with the wisdom and the grace to respond to anger in this manner. Most of the time, anger just spawns more anger. Sometimes, a wife will try to rebuke her husband when he “loses it.” She may try to reason with him. Almost always these responses are futile and even counter-productive. If his anger verges on the violent, she may do well to remove herself and her children from the area. Beyond this, the wisdom presented in this verse will be the most effective response to anger.
1. Are we obligated to give money to every charitable cause in the country? What is our obligation to help the poor? Does our family show enough compassion to the poor in our neighborhood or church?
2. How might you judge an “honest” cry for help?
3. How does Jesus look upon someone who tries to help somebody else only to find out that he has been used by a shyster?
4. When somebody raises his voice around you and speaks in anger, how might you be tempted to respond? What is the better way to respond?