“For a fool speaks nonsense, and his heart inclines
toward wickedness: to practice ungodliness and to
speak error against the LORD, to keep the hungry
person unsatisfied and to withhold drink from the
thirsty.” (NASB)
Reflection
One of the most consistent themes throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is God’s heart for the vulnerable. In this passage, it is evident exactly how serious God is about our responsibility toward those who hunger and thirst. Wickedness, ungodliness, speaking error against the Lord are equated with depriving the hungry and thirsty. The context of this verse contrasts this foolish person with a person who is just, a person who is like a shelter for those who suffer.
As Rice & Beans Month draws to a close, we face decisions about the way we will conduct our lives even after we return to “normal” eating patterns. These decisions include whether the solidarity, simplicity, and sharing we’ve been focused on this month will continue on into the rest of the year. Let’s be aware of God’s heart for the suffering of the hungry and thirsty while we peruse those aisles of the grocery stores containing items besides rice and beans. Rather than just focusing on the first, favorite foods we will eat, we should consider if we will continue as those who love justice. Are we a refuge for the vulnerable or fools who withhold from the needy?
- Leisha Adams, Lahash Sponsorship Director
For Kids
Lots of times in the Bible God talks about a foolish person, and how God
doesn't want his children to be foolish. Here we find out that the foolish
person wants hungry people to stay hungry and thirsty people to stay
thirsty. Is that what God would want? One of the reasons we have been
eating rice and beans is so that we can remember the people who are
hungry every single day. The money we save from eating rice and beans
instead of more complicated meals goes to feeding those hungry people.
What would you say to those hungry people if you could hand them that
food? Write down, or have your parents write down, what you would want
to tell that hungry person, and send it to Lahash to share with our friends
in East Africa.
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