Issues of "Poverty"
Class Session Two
Israelites and Poverty in Respect, Primarily, to the Palestinian Covenant in Deuteronomy 29-30 where the focus is upon physical poverty
Review: In our first session, we set Galatians 6:10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23 up as the "umbrellas" that would guide us in our thinking about "poverty". Then we defined "poverty" as "a lack that imposes a downward spiral upon the one possessing the lack". From there we went to the "arenas" of 1 Thessalonians 5:23 where any "lack" would show up. The categories of "lack" are all "relational" as an outworking of God's "relational universe". "Spiritual poverty" exists when there is a "lack" of a "believing" relationship with God ( Revelation 3:17 is a classic text on this form of "poverty"). "Soul-poverty" exists when there is a "lack" of "harmony" in relationships with others so that the "soul" is stressed and distressed by conflict ( 2 Corinthians 7:5-7 is a classic text on this form of "poverty" even though the words "poor" or "poverty" are not used in it). "Physical poverty" exists when there is a "lack" of a healthy relationship to the physical world. When we are attacked by a germ, a virus, an accident, a glitch in our genetic makeup, or when we engage in behaviors that subject our bodies to a downward spiral, we are "poor". The bottom line is this: when "poverty" is defined in terms of how much money a person does not have, "poverty" is being pushed into a "mechanistic" definition as though "money" could improve the relationships we sustain in the three areas of our poverty. Money is a factor to a limited degree, but it never moves above the "mechanism" stage of the problem.
This Current Session:
- I. The Primacy of the Abrahamic Covenant.
- A. The Bible maintains a consistent unity to God's focus upon reconciliation wherein "sanctification" is the major focus.
- 1. Sanctification of the spirit focuses upon getting the person involved to become an active participant in a working, dynamic relationship with God as the critical relationship of all relationships.
- 2. Sanctification of the soul focuses upon getting the person involved to become convinced that the "relational universe" is the critical setting of "Life" (the New Jerusalem). [This may be why Peter called our spiritual gifts "stewardships" to be handled with "faith" because the "gifts" are the Spirit's tool of sanctification both inwardly and outwardly.]
- 3. Sanctification of the body focuses upon getting the person involved to embrace the body's identity as the instrument of manifestation for the "new" inner person ( Acts 1:8 ).
- B. Thus, it not only makes sense for God to unveil the Big Picture of His solution to man's weaknesses, it becomes necessary .
- C. Thus, the Abrahamic Covenant has Genesis 3 as its root context with a special focus upon the overt rebellion of humanity against God's "sanctification" concept.
- D. What many have overlooked regarding the Abrahamic Covenant is that God has demonstrably made it the large outline of human history.
- II. The Historical Passing of the Focus Upon the Benefits of "the Land".
- A. Deuteronomy 15:4 and 7 in view of Deuteronomy 29-30.
- B. Psalm 27:25 compared with Matthew 6:33.
- C. The historical result: the murder of Jesus the Christ and God's movement away from the issues of the "body" as a matter of focus to the issues of the "soul" as a matter of focus.
- III. The Prophetical Focus Upon the Benefits of "a Great Name".