ESOCS Devotional 7 February 2026 – Care For The Needy
MEMORY VERSE: “”And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 23:22 KJV
TEXT: LEVITICUS 23:1-22
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.
3 ‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.
4 ‘These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. 5 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it. 8 But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.’ ”
9 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13 Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the Lord, for a [b]sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. 14 You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
15 ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord. 18 And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. 19 Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. 20 The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
22 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God.’ ”
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This verse emphasizes God’s concern for the poor and the needy. It is quite significant that Jesus mentions the poor in His very first sermon in (Luke 4:18). We must care about the poor because Jesus did. We don’t have a choice.
We’re not smarter, we’re not more talented, and we’re not more valuable than people who are poor. The Bible says, “Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all” (Prov. 22:2). Therefore, we should treat the poor with dignity and respect. We can be a true church by sharing what we have with others according to Isaiah 58:7.
A church dispersed can serve many more people than a church gathered. As we teach people to help the poor, we’re helping them to worship God (Prov. 14:31). It encourages believers to be mindful of those in need and to share their resources generously. This act displays compassion and generosity, highlighting the importance of caring for others and sharing our resources. It promotes a sense of community and social responsibility, reminding us that our blessings are not solely for our own benefit but also for the benefit of others. This specific verse is repeated from Leviticus 19:9-10, emphasizing the significance of remembering the poor and strangers in the community.
Believers today can care for those in need by joining the Missions Team of the church, go on local and/or out-of-state mission trips to help those who are less fortunate. Call community organizations that help those who are in need of tangible items, but also offer to share life, resources, or vocational skills with those who are part of their program, provide medical and dental clinics, and build schools, as well as support for evangelism, Bible teaching in several nations, etc.
Reflections
- What is that, that is holding you back from helping the poor and the needy?
Prayer
- Oh Lord, give me the resources and grace to take care of the poor and needy, in Jesus name. Amen!
Further Reading: Songs of Solomon 1:9-17; Luke 5:24-End; Ephesians 4:1-16.
ESOCS Devotional 7 February 2026
