The Poor, The Aged & The Alien

The Singapore Parliament kicked off the debate on the Budget yesterday. As reported on Channel News Asia, most of the Members of Parliament (MPs) focussed on the schemes announced to help the low income, the elderly and small businesses. A total of 25 Members of Parliament spoke on Tuesday. Here is an extract of the news reported by CNA:

MPs have described Budget 2012 as "A Budget for the Future" while others called it "A Caring Budget". Under it, the government will spend about $5.5 billion over the next five years to help the less well-off in Singapore. Its new initiatives are targeted at the elderly, disabled and lower-income group. So it was no surprise that in nearly every speech delivered on Tuesday, the plight of two groups of Singaporeans - the elderly and the low-income were addressed.

Zainudin Nordin, GPC Chair for Manpower and MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, said: "I urge the Government to place some emphasis, using the power of whole of Government, to look at how we can improve the lives of this group...While I am sure that they appreciate the rebates, vouchers and so on that the government offers from time to time, I think there is a need for a closer examination of where each dollar that a low-wage worker earns goes to." Sylvia Lim, MP for Aljunied GRC, said: "In this Budget, the Finance Minister course-corrected to ensure that our poor, elderly and disabled are not stuck in isolated pockets of poverty in our island of prosperity. Let us all agree never to allow the formation of a permanent underclass."

My bible reading for yesterday morning was on Leviticus 19. The outline for the chapter is as follows:
19:1-2 be holy, because I the lord, your god is holy!
19:3 respect your parents, keep the sabbath
19:4 avoid idolatry
19:5-8 correct sacrifice of the fellowship offering
19:9-13 be generous & don't covet
19:14 do not be a stumbling-block
19:15-18 love your neighbor as yourself
19:19-25 unequal yoke
19:26-31 do not worship the occult
19:32-34 love the elderly & alien
19:35-36 use honest scale
19:37 keep my decrees

Coincidental to the discussions in Singapore Parliment, I choosed to focus my study on the following verses: Leviticus 19:9, 10, 32-34 (ESV)

"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

"You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

"When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Specifically, the above verses focus on our posture towards three groups of people: 1) the poor, 2) the elderly, & 3) the alien. In the Life Application Bible, it was written that: 

1) The Poor: God provides for those in need. He required that the people leave the edges of their fields unharvested, providing food for travelers and the poor. It is easy to forget about the poor but God desires generosity. In what ways can you leave the "edges of your field" for those in need?

2) The Elderly: People often find it easy to dismiss the opinions of the elderly and avoid taking time to visit them. But the fact that God commanded the Israelites to honor the elderly shows how seriously we should take the responsibility of respecting those older than we. Their wisdom gained from experience can save us from many pitfalls.
3) The Alien: How do you feel when you encounter foreigners, especially those who don't speak your language? Are you impatient? Do you think or act as if they should go back where they came from? Are you tempted to take advantage of them? God says to treat foreigners as you'd treat fellow countrymen, to love them as you love yourself. In reality, we are all foreigners in this world, because it is only our temporary home. View strangers, newcomers, and foreigners as opportunities to demonstrate God's love.