Job 24:9
The fatherless are snatched from the breast,
Taken as a pledge from the poor.
Some days, I know what I want to write about before I read; other days I read and know what I want to say; and today, I have no idea. I do not like the idea behind this verse. A righteous person would not seem to be comfortable taking a baby away from it’s parents unless the parents were a known imminent danger to the child. I know that many things are relative, but this leaves the question of who knows enough to get the situation correct.
‘Fatherless’ was also ‘orphan’ which means two different things in this verse. ‘Snatch’ was also ‘pluck’ and ‘steal’. Hard to steal a pledge.
‘Taken’ was also ‘seized’. ‘Pledge’ was also ‘in pawn’ or ‘for a debt’
In years past, I have purchased hats, shirts, and the like to celebrate the Astros playoff success. This year the only success was getting there. I know the record was bad, and they did not actually win a playoff game, but I was happy and want to celebrate. A hat is $42. A t-shirt $45. A hoodie $85. I’ll pass for now. They stink and still want to make a huge profit on each item. No thanks.
One of the attitudes I see is that people want to help the poor, but they only want to help the poor and not those ruthless enough to stand on a corner to make money. How can we tell? Another attitude is wanting to help people who did not make their own mess. How many people honestly went broke today through no fault of their own and need help? Hard to pick those people out. God loved us while we were still sinners. That should be our model to help others who need it even if it’s their own fault. When they hit their bottom is a good time to show that God loves them anyway.
One of the easy solutions for these issues is to work your volunteering or giving through your church or other well-established organization who can take the time to vet the individuals being helped. Our church, the various groups NCL work with, and the few organizations we work with outside those are all big enough to get it closer to right than we would on our own. Doing anything charitable on your own takes a relationship with the person or a direct call from God. Trying to help a random stranger might put you in danger or be the wrong thing for them altogether.
Written 10/1/26, Posted 10/29/26, Job 573/~1070