As Christians, we ought to derive our identity from the Bible. We are sinners turned saints. We are pilgrims wandering to our homeland. We are rejects adopted by the King. We are warriors fighting an enemy. The Bible also identifies the child of God as poor. Poor does not necessarily mean that we are broke. In Psalms, David often calls himself poor, yet he was king of Israel (Ps 70:5; 109:22). Being poor means that you are lacking and in desperate need of help. While the poor have been rejected by men and have fallen on terrible circumstances, God loves the poor and takes special care of them. God provided laws to protect the poor from injustice (Lev 18:15). He also enacted laws that provided the poor with sustenance in the land so that nobody would die of starvation nor be enslaved perpetually (e.g., Lev 18:9, 10; 25:35–46). In the New Testament, the poor are the ones who will inherit the Kingdom of God (Luke 6:20).

Although being poor seems undesirable, there are many advantages to identifying with the poor. First, it is nearly impossible to enter the kingdom of God as a rich person (Matt 19:23, 24). Second, the poor occupy a special place in the Lord’s heart. He protects them through his laws, but also actively rescues them, “He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the needy from the ash heap, To make them sit with princes, With the princes of His people” (Ps 113: 7, 8). Finally, these verses also tell us that, while we are poor, God enriches us. Look at the first half of Ezekiel’s parable if you want a beautiful image of our helplessness and God’s graciousness (16:3–13).

We are all poor. Like Paul says in frustration, we know what is good, yet because of Adam’s corruption, we are unable to choose it (Rom 7:19, 20). When we call upon God, he will rescue us and provide us with what we need for salvation. Yet he will not stop there. God will also provide us with a family, his church. He will give us what we need (Matt 6:25–34). He will make us co-rulers with Christ (Rom 8:17).