Deliverer of the Needy

“For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth, the poor also, and him that hath no helper.  He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.”

Psalm 72:12-13

The first question that this passage brings to my mind is “who is the needy person that the Lord says He will deliver and save?”.  The obvious answer is: me.  If we never realize how needy we are, we will never realize our need for the Saviour.  If we never thirst, we will never feel the need to “drink of the water of life”.  We are poor and needy.  We need the Saviour.

In His message to the Laodiceans, God says “Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing; and knowest no that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and bling, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” (Revelation 3:17-19) 

When we get the idea that we are rich and have need of nothing, we show just how desperately poor and needy we really are.  The Psalmist says that the Lord will deliver the needy, but He will have no part in delivering those who don’t think they need Him. 

In the last part of verse 12, He speaks of delivering him that “hath no helper”.  I can’t help myself or deliver myself.  My family and friends can’t help or deliver me.  There is no church or religion that can help or deliver me.  But Jesus can.  “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” (Hebrews 13:6)