Deuteronomy, Psalms, and Wisdom

DEUTERONOMY

Deut. 10: 17-22:  “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.”

PSALMS

Psalm 9:9 “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”

Psalm 10:2 “In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.”
Psalm 10:9 “He lies in wait like a lion in cover, he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.”

Psalm 10:14 “But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.”

Psalm 10:17-18 “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.”

Psalm 12:5 “’Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,’ says the Lord, ‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’”

Psalm 14:6 “You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge.”

Psalm 22:26 “The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him—may your hearts live forever!

Psalm 35:10 “My whole being will exclaim, ‘Who is like you, O Lord? You rescue the poor and needy from those who are too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

Psalm 37:14 “The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.”

Psalm 40:17 “Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my god, do not delay.”

Psalm 41:1 “Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble.”

Psalm 68:5-6a “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing.”

Psalm 68:9-10 “You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance. Your people settled in in, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.”

Psalm 70:5 “Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.”

Psalm 72:4, 12-14 “For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.”

Psalm 74:21 “Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name.”

Psalm 82:2-4 “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

Psalm 86:1 “Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.”

Psalm 94:3-6 “How long will the wicked, O Lord, how long will the wicked be jubilant? They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. They crush your people, O Lord, they oppress your inheritance. They slay the widow and the alien; they murder the fatherless.”

Psalm 102:17 “He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.”

Psalm 103:6 “The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.”

Psalm 107:8-9 “Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”

Psalm 107:41 “But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks.”

Psalm 109:16 “For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded the death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted.”

Psalm 109:22 “For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.”

Psalm112:9 “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.” (Wisdom Psalm – speaking of the man who fears the Lord.”)

Psalm 113:7-9 “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, and the princes of their people. He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 140: 12 “I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.”

Psalm 146:7-9 “He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.”

Proverbs

Proverbs 10:4 “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.”

Proverbs 10:15 “the wealth fo the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.”

Proverbs 11:24 “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.”

Proverbs 13:8 “A man’s riches may ransom his life, but a poor man hears no threat.”

Proverbs 13:23 “A poor man’s field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away.”

Proverbs 14:31 “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”

Proverbs 14:20 “the poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.”

Proverbs 14:21 “He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.”

Proverbs 14:23 “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

Proverbs 15:25 “The Lord tears down the proud man’s house but he keeps the widow’s boundaries intact.”

Proverbs 16:19 “Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.”

Proverbs 17:5 “He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.”

Proverbs 18:23 “A poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich man answers harshly.”

Proverbs 19:1 “Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.”

Proverbs 19:4 “Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man’s friend deserts him.”

Proverbs 19:7 “A poor man is shunned by all his relatives—how much more do his friends avoid him! Though he pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found.”

Proverbs 19:17 “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.” (See v. 15 too for contrast)

Proverbs 20:13 “Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.”

Proverbs 21:13 “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.”

Proverbs 21:17 “He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.”

Proverbs 22:2 “Rich and poor have this in common: the Lord is the Maker of them all.”

Proverbs 22:7 “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”

Proverbs 22:9 “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.”

Proverbs 22:16 “He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.”

Proverbs 22:22-23 “Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.”

Proverbs 24:33-34 “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”

Proverbs 28:3 “A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.”

Proverbs 28:6 “Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.”

Proverbs 28:8 “He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.”

Proverbs 28:11 “A rich man will be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.”

Proverbs 28:19 “He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.”

Proverbs 28:22 “A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.”

Proverbs 28:27 “He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.”

Proverbs 29:13 “The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.”

Proverbs 29:14 “If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure.”

Proverbs 29:6 “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.”

Proverbs 30:14 “There are those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth, the needy from among mankind.”

Proverbs 31:4-5 “It is not for kings, O Lemuel – not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.”

Proverbs 31:8-9 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and the needy.”

Proverbs 31:20 “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.”

Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 4:1 “Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them.”

Ecclesiastes 4:13-14 “Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. For he went from prison to the throne, through in his own kingdom he had been born poor.”

Ecclesiastes 5:8 “If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them.”

Job

Job 5:15-16 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.

Job 20:10 His children must make amends to the poor; his own hands must give back his wealth. (Zophar speaking of the wicked)

Job 20:19 For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute; he has seized houses he did not build. (Zophar speaking of the wicked)

Job 22:7-9 You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry, though you were a powerful man, owning land—an honored man, living on it. And you sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless. (Eliphaz accusing Job)

Job 24:3-5 They drive away the orphan’s donkey and take the widow’s ox in pledge.
They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go about their labor of foraging food; the wasteland provides food for their children. (Job speaking of wicked men, wondering where God’s judgment is)

Job 24:9 The fatherless child is snatched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt. (Job speaking of wicked men)

Job 24:14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up and kills the poor and needy; in the night he steals forth like a thief. (Job speaking of wicked men)

Job 24:21 They prey on the barren and childless woman, and to the widow show no kindness. (Job speaking of wicked men)

Job 29:12 because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him. (Job giving a defense for himself)

Job 29:13 The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing. (Job giving a defense for himself)

Job 29:16 I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. (Job giving a defense for himself)

Job 30:25 Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? (Job giving a defense for himself)

Job 31:16-23 “If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless- but from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my birth I guided the widow- if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a garment, and his heart did not bless me for warming him with the fleece from my sheep, if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court, then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint. For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things. (Job, giving his defense)

Job 34:19 who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? (Elihu, speaking of God)

Job 34:28 They caused the cry of the poor to come before him, so that he heard the cry of the needy. (Elihu, speaking of the wicked)