In the Bible, God’s people are encouraged to respond to God’s blessings by helping others and giving generously to the poor. The giving of gifts (alms) to the needy is strongly encouraged, and those who do so are promised a full life (Prov 14:21,31; Isa 58:6-8; Tob 4:5-11; 12:8-11). The Law of Moses commanded the Israelites to set aside a tenth of their harvest for the poor every three years (Deut 14:28,29), and they were to leave some harvested grain out in the fields for the poor to gather (Deut 24:19-22; see also Ruth 2).
The Hebrew word used for “mercy” is hesed, a legal term that means acting faithfully to God’s covenant (agreement). Acts of mercy are closely related to the concern for “justice” in the Scriptures. Israel’s God expects the people to be fair in their dealings with others, just as God acted to help Israel when they were in need of mercy. The Sabbath law (Deut 5:12-15) that called for rest from work, even for servants and animals, was a reminder that God had once acted to free Israel from slavery in Egypt. In turn, the people of Israel were to show mercy toward their servants. God blessed Israel with land, flocks, and rich harvests, and so the people of Israel were to share their riches with others.
The teachings of Jesus in the New Testament continue this emphasis the importance of giving to the poor (Matt 6:1-4; 25:31-46; Mark 10:22-27). Early Christians took this command seriously, caring for the poor among them (Acts 4:32-35). Paul and other early church leaders encouraged giving to the poor as a sign that Christian faith and love was alive and active (Rom 12:9-13; 2 Cor 8:1-15; Jas 1:17,18; 2:14-17).