Matthew 19:17-19:23 – Have you ever heard the phrase, a poor man with rich man’s dreams? Many people in this life are completely exhausted by the race to wealth and prosperity. Looking for today and not for tomorrow. The poor man has only today, struggling to make ends meet, putting food on the table for his family and hoping that the next phone call he gets, isn’t from his boss, telling him that he no longer has a job. I have seen many this past week, loose everything that they have had, home, furniture, everything. The only thing these people have now is the cloth on their backs. There are approximately 195 verses in scripture concerning the poor. The Bible states that God, creates the Rich and the Poor. But there is no difference between them when it comes to judgments. A poor man dreams of a better day, without debt, without worry, without strife. He dreams sweet dreams of a day when he can rest from his labour and dreams of family, babies and his wife. The rich man has troubled sleep, worried about finances, and national debt, about rising oil prices and interest rates. His days are filled with worry over thoughts of others trying to take what he has. In the story of Matthew 19:17-23 we are shown a good example of failure to abide by the great commandment in the law. Which to me is the greatest commandment of all.
Mat 22:36-38 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. Now let’s look at failure to abide by this commandment. Mat 19:17-23 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. Pro 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding Psa 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. There is no need for a poor man, who puts his trust in God to worry. The poor man is confident in the Lord to provide him his daily needs.
Psa 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. The poor man is free from worry, over someone robbing his home, for his possessions are few and his wealth is in his dreams and in his heart, where no man can take.
1Sa 2:8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.
The poor mans dreams are set on Gods promise, “The meek shall inherit the Earth.” When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Pro 3:19-27 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. The cries of the poor man. Job 30:25 Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?
Your stature in this life has no effect on God and His love for you.
Psa 40:17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
“yet the Lord thinketh upon me:” isn’t this a true comfort to those who are poor, a dream of the Lord God almighty, sitting on a throne, creator of all, master of the universe, commander of the greatest army, and still in all of Gods thoughts, and in all of Gods majesty, He still has the time to think upon the poor man and his dreams. Wonderful isn’t it? Have we become a people, like the rich young ruler, people that have great possessions and still have nothing but troubled sleep, are we a people that despise the poor, because they remind us of ourselves earlier in life, or do we despise the poor because they are not as we are? Have we forgotten that, our possessions belong to the Lord anyway, that those things that we possess are just loaned to us to help others, the Bible states that, We work to give to others. A poor man dreams of, Pearly Gates and streets of Gold, He dreams of rivers of living water and quires of Angels singing, He dreams of a tree of life and skies of blue, He dreams of eternal sunshine and walks on clouds of white. He dreams of an eternal city where He will never grow old, where his labour is thru, no sickness, no tears and no final farewells to those he loves. This is what is meant by A Poor Man, with Rich Man’s Dreams.
