God's feelings regarding those who are poor are very clear in Deuteronomy 15. That law was made for a circumstance in which all lived in the same village and all were well aware of the needs of neighbors within that village. The principles that are involved are still applicable. Proverbs 19 states that lending to the poor is lending to God. God will make sure that the loan is made up. God will ensure it and guarantee it. God is not in favor of indiscriminately giving to everybody just because they happen to be poor. God intends that those who are honestly poor through no circumstance that was within their control should be taken care of. Sometimes people become poor just through circumstances that are beyond their control. Those kinds of people God says should be taken care of. Under no circumstances except maybe to alleviate immediate hunger should money be loaned to people to promote carelessness or laziness. If a person will not work neither should he eat. If it is not known whether or not a person should be loaned money some counsel from others should be sought. In a multitude of counselors there is safety. Before money is indiscriminately handed out a little counsel should be sought. If the circumstance is known well it is proper to give. Any money that is given as a loan may never be repaid. If the money is needed back then perhaps it is better not to give it. The principle about not feeling any constraint at all about giving should be followed. The hand should be opened wide. There should be no feeling of constraint about giving. That is the proper attitude. This is a continuation of the same thought that began with not swearing. It amplifies the thought that began about an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Instead of retaliating and instead of resenting positive action should be taken in praying for the person and of loving him. Love presents a problem because of misunderstanding what God intends. The word love connotes a deep affection an emotional attachment a feeling of warmth or high regard for a person. It does not always mean that in the Greek. The Greeks had four words for love. Three of them appear in the Bible and those are the word storge the word philia and the word eros. They all have something in common that the word agape does not. Storge is the word that a Greek writing about love would use if he wanted to indicate family love the love of parents for children of children for parents. If he wanted to indicate the perfection between close friends he would most likely use the word philia. If he wanted to indicate passionate love the love between a man and a maid and a maid and a man he would use eros. All those words have something in common and that is that they come to a person unbidden. Family love is something that is expected. It is unbidden. The parents love the child. It is a natural thing under normal circumstances. The same is true with a man and a woman. The same is true with philia. One has a warm affectionate regard for good friends. It is these loves that bring no reward. They are always conditional. They depend upon the response of the other person. There is no reward there because these are things that happen naturally. It is just simply something that happens according to nature. No effort has to be made to love somebody that loves one. There is no reward there. If somebody is affectionate one is most likely to respond and it is done naturally because the hormones are working. There is no reward in that. Agape love is something entirely different. The Greeks would translate this as being an invincible goodwill an unconquerable benevolence. In their literature they do not apply it to God. It is only the Bible that applies agape to God. God inspired the writers to use it in that way in order to designate a love that is not conditional. It is a love a benevolence an outgoing concern that does not dem