[Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.]
(DUE, H1167: owner, husband, lord, master)
Let us consider the commentary of Adam Clarke (1760-1832) on (Prov.3:27):
(WITHHOLD NOT GOOD FROM THEM TO WHOM IT IS DUE - from the lords of it. But who are they? The poor. And what art thou, O rich man? Why, thou art a steward, to whom God has given substance that thou mayest divide with the poor. They are the right owners of every farthing thou hast to spare from thy own support, and that of thy family; and God has given the surplus for their sakes. Dost thou, by hoarding up this treasure, deprive the right owners of their property? If this were a civil case, the law would take thee by the throat, and lay thee up in prison; but it is a case in which God alone judges. And what will he do to thee? Hear! “He shall have judgment without mercy, who hath showed no mercy;” Jas_2:13. Read, feel, tremble, and act justly.)
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Brethren, we are no longer the masters of whatever God has given us beyond the satisfaction of our NEEDS; prayerfully, it must be shared with deserving Christians who are wanting in food, clothing, the sick, and those in prison for their faith.
This simply means that our money is not our own; that beyond the satisfaction of our needs and that of our family’s, whatever is in our possession is no longer ours, but, instead are owned by other deserving Christians who are in need.
This is a command, and failure to comply to what God has ordered will lead to dire consequences.
