Proverbs is a book of the Bible that is full of nuggets of wisdom that you can just keep meditating on. An example of this is in Proverbs 17:5, “Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their maker.” 

This warning is rooted in the Imago Dei, this being that God created man and woman in his image. Therefore, to scorn someone like this is actually twofold. On the one hand, you’re asserting that this person is below you and is worthless, but on the other hand, because God created them, you’re making the same assessment of Him. 

God is on such a tight string with His creation that the opposite is true too. A couple of chapters later we’re told that whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord. Caring for the poor isn’t just an interest of God’s, it’s at the heart of who He is. Jesus embodies this as the bulk of his time on earth is spent with the poor. 

He even says in his famous Sermon on the Mount, not “if you give to the poor,” but “when you give to the poor.” To care for the poor is something you never outgrow, it’s one of the ways we express love to God, and should be a rhythm of the Christian life.