Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Proverbs 3:27

Deserve – This is simply an impossible verse! No one can do this. Can you imagine the consequences to your own life if you really did good to all based only on whether or not you are able? Let’s see: My friend is out of a job. I have some money. Therefore, I give it to him. My neighbor is sick. I have a lawnmower. Therefore, I cut his lawn. My co-worker is behind. I have caught up. Therefore, I go do his work. An acquaintance is mourning. I have time. Therefore, I go to be with her. You can see how the list will grow – too large! How can I make myself and my resources available to anyone who is in need? What will be left for me? How will I take care of myself?

Ah, God’s Word rescues me. It doesn’t say I have to do good for everyone, just for those who deserve it. Now I get to decide if this other person is good enough to merit my help. Really? Is that what it really says? Does that interpretation square with the character of God? Did He decide to do good only for those who deserved it? Let’s take a closer look.

The Hebrew construction here is very odd. It is mibe-alav. Literally, this means “from its owners.” But what can it mean to say, “Do not withhold good from its owners”?  The root word ba’al is indeed about ownership so if we read this word as if it were about the possessors of good, then we are forced to think of good as ethical, not practical. If they are the owners of what is practically good (good things, for example), then they already have what we are instructed not to withhold. That’s nonsense. So, there must be another way to understand this word.

Behind this odd word is the idea of moral obligation. Those who “deserve” it are the “owners” of your moral obligation. Who are you obligated to help? Everyone who holds your moral IOU. In this unusual sense, they have ownership over you. Now think about those you are morally obligated to help. Who comes to mind? Better write down the names because as soon as you consider the question, I am quite sure the Lord brought someone to mind. I’ll bet He reminded you of more than one. And as you start to think about your moral obligation, the list will probably get longer. But don’t get overwhelmed.

The second part of this verse explains how you are to do that. You are to fulfill your moral obligation to help in whatever way it is within your power to do so. There are two interrelated questions here: 1. who must (not “should”) I help? 2. how can I help? We have seen that mibe-alav does not limit goodness to a particular class or type or group. Now we discover that how I help is not limited either. Whatever is within my power to do, I must do. Of course, not everything is within my power. If you are losing your house to foreclosure, it is probably not within my power to prevent that. But I can do what is within my power. And according to the Word of God, I am obligated to do so. God’s way is the no-excuses way.

I remember when Rosanne and I lost everything in a financial scam. One pastor we talked with said, “Your problems are just too big for this church.” He offered nothing. As Rosanne and I walked away, she said, “You know, we still have to pay the electric bill.”

“If it is within your power,” says the Lord. It’s not optional, is it?

Topical Index: good, moral obligation, mibe-alav, ba’al, ownership, Proverbs 3:27