Bountiful Eyes

(Proverbs 22:9 KJV)  He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

Why does the book of Proverbs keep reminding us to be generous to the poor?  Two reasons come to mind immediately.  First, because God knows our hearts and we need reminding.  I need to remember that much need is genuine, not sloth.  Second, as Jesus said,

(Matthew 26:11 KJV)  For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.

Why will we always have the poor?  Not because of capitalism.  It is because of sin and sloth.  The sin is not always the sin of the poor but remember that sin was the cause of death in the world.  When crops fail it is an indirect result of sin.  Sin has polluted what we call nature.  We can’t change the weather and we can’t change human nature, but we can be generous.

 According to the KJV we are to have a “bountiful” (2896a) “eye” (5869).  We are to be “generous” (2896a/5869). The literal translation of this is a “good eye.”  I think this means to look with favor on someone. 

So?  Keep your eyes open today.  Your generosity will fill a need.  It could be a few dollars.  It could be a kind word.  It could be a listening ear.  Because God works in our lives we have a bounty to share.  Do Him proud.  Let God watch you and bust His buttons.