Jdg 19:1-21 We Will not Turn Aside into the City of a Stranger

[Study Aired August 30, 2021]

Jdg 19:1  And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah. 
Jdg 19:2  And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months. 
Jdg 19:3  And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father’s house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. 
Jdg 19:4  And his father in law, the damsel’s father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. 
Jdg 19:5  And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel’s father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way. 
Jdg 19:6  And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel’s father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry. 
Jdg 19:7  And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again. 
Jdg 19:8  And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel’s father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them. 
Jdg 19:9  And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home. 
Jdg 19:10  But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him. 
Jdg 19:11  And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. 
Jdg 19:12  And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah. 
Jdg 19:13  And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah. 
Jdg 19:14  And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. 
Jdg 19:15  And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging. 
Jdg 19:16  And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. 
Jdg 19:17  And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? 
Jdg 19:18  And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. 
Jdg 19:19  Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. 
Jdg 19:20  And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street. 
Jdg 19:21  So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. 

Today’s study is set on the premise that when our Lord Jesus is not ruling as king in our hearts and mind, all our decisions and actions are controlled by our old man or our flesh which leads us into bondage of sin. In our hearts and minds, we think we are making the right decisions and doing the right things, but our steps are leading us to the ways of death. The Israelites were in a similar situation when they had no king literally, and everyone did according to what pleased them. 

Pro 14:12  There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. 

Jdg 17:6  In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 

Jdg 19:1  And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah.

Levi means “associated with him.” So a Levite is one who is associated with the Lord. The scriptures reveal that the Levites do the work of the tabernacle but are not permitted to come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar.  

Num 18:2  And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.
Num 18:3  And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.
Num 18:4  And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you. 
Num 18:5  And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.

We start our walk with Christ as Levites, and later, if we are blessed to be called and chosen, we become priests and can minister before the Lord. As indicated in verse 1, where there is no king to rule us, we are basically Levites who are not permitted to enter the temple. The fact that this Levite has a concubine attests to his spiritual depravity. We all at a certain time in our walk with Christ were this Levite with a concubine. The concubine represents the church system of this world or Babylon. The character of this concubine is shown in the next verse as follows:

Jdg 19:2  And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months. 

This verse is to affirm to us that we are dealing with the harlot upon whose forehead is written “Mystery Babylon” and is the Lord’s own people.

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 
Rev 17:6  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 

Isa 1:21  How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

We all in our time leave the house of our Lord Jesus Christ and go back to our father, the devil, in Bethlehem of Judah. Bethlehem means house of bread. The negative application of this town is that we go back to the world in search of bread – that is what we eat, drink and wear. As Jesus said, when we are ruled by the flesh, we focus on what we eat, drink and wear.

Mat 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 

Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The four months that the concubine spent with her father in Bethlehem represent the whole period of time we spent in Babylon under our father, the devil, or the old man.

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Jdg 19:3  And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father’s house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. 

This is to show us that while we were under the rule of the old man or the devil, our Lord knew us and came to our aid to take us back to the hill country of Ephraim. Ephraim means double fruit which translates to the double portion given to the first born sons in Israel as their inheritance. So while we were yet sinners, Christ came to our aid to commence the journey to our inheritance.

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 
Rom 5:9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 
Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 
Rom 5:11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

While we were yet sinners, Christ came to our aid to strengthen us to commence the journey to our inheritance, which is the double portion – the meaning of Ephraim.

Deu 21:15  If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: 
Deu 21:16  Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: 
Deu 21:17  But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his. 

The Lord is always ready to come to our aid even in our rebellious state, but each one in his own order. 

Rom 10:21  But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. 

When the Levite came to take his wife back to the hills of Ephraim, He came with a servant and two donkeys. The servant here and the two donkeys signify the elect whom the Lord has sent into this world to proclaim to us the way of salvation.

Act 16:17  The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

In Exodus 34:20, the firstling of an ass is compared to the firstborn sons of Israel. This indicates that an ass can also represent the elect. Again, Jesus in answering the Pharisees about the healing of a man on a Sabbath day, made the statement that when an ass falls into a pit on a Sabbath day, will the Pharisees not care about it? So this is to confirm that an ass represents the elect. Let’s also remember that it was through an ass that Jesus made His triumphant entry to Jerusalem. This means that it is through the elect that Christ would be made known to Babylon and the world. 

Exo 34:20  But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.

Luk 14:1  And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.
Luk 14:2  And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. 
Luk 14:3  And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? 
Luk 14:4  And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; 
Luk 14:5  And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? 

Zec 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

As we indicated earlier, the father of the concubine represents our old man. The father being glad to receive the Levite means that the old man will be supplanted by the new man after the image of Christ. This is similar to King Saul recognizing that King David will come and rule in his stead.

1Sa 24:16  And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.
1Sa 24:17  And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. 
1Sa 24:18  And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. 
1Sa 24:19  For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day. 
1Sa 24:20  And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.

The Levite coming for the concubine is also to let us know that in the fullness of time, God saves Babylon and all humanity.

2Sa 14:14  For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. 

Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 
Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Jdg 19:4  And his father in law, the damsel’s father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. 
Jdg 19:5  And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel’s father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way. 
Jdg 19:6  And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel’s father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry. 
Jdg 19:7  And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again. 

These verses tell us of the resistance we face in our exit from Babylon. Abiding three days with the father-in-law means that what happens to us in Babylon is all part of the process of spiritual completion. The father-in-law’s admonition of the Levite to be content and let his heart be merry is another way of saying that in Babylon, we feel we are rich and have no need of anything.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 
Rev 3:18  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.

Here in these verses, it is the father-in-law who is restraining the Levite from setting off to Ephraim. This is another way of saying the following:

2Th 2:6  And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

It is only when he who now restrains is taken away that we see the man of sin or the old man clearly. That is when we set off from Babylon on our spiritual journey to possess our inheritance; symbolized by Ephraim. 

Jdg 19:8  And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel’s father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them. 
Jdg 19:9  And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home. 
Jdg 19:10  But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him. 

The Levite finally departed on the fifth day with his concubine. This means that it is the chastening grace through faith that we make our exit from Babylon. This is the same as saying that when he who now restrains is taken away, then we come to see who our old man is and also what Babylon is all about. That is when we make our exit from Babylon in our own order.

Jdg 19:11  And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. 
Jdg 19:12  And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah. 

Jebus here refers to Jerusalem. During the time of this story, Jerusalem was inhabited by foreigners or strangers. That means that we are referring to Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children. The Levite and those with him did not want to sleep in this city because it was inhabited by strangers.  What this means is that as we start our journey out of Babylon, there is no turning back to Babylon.

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 

Jdg 19:13  And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah. 
Jdg 19:14  And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. 

Our lives here on earth constitute a whole night. We therefore need to spend our night in Gibeah or Ramah after leaving Jerusalem or Babylon. Verse 13 is therefore another way of saying the following:

Rom 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Gibeah means hill and Ramah means high place, and so both names are basically the same in meaning. We know that it is on the hill that our help comes. Our help here is the Lord who made heaven and earth. So what we are being told here is that after leaving Babylon, the rest of our lives must be spent looking up to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, to come to our aid and help us with our walk. That is where we find rest which means ceasing from our own strivings.

Psa 121:1  A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 
Psa 121:2  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

In verse 14, the statement that “they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin” means that this rest is exclusively for the tribe of Benjamin,which represents the elect.

Gen 43:33  And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another. 
Gen 43:34  And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Jdg 19:15  And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging. 

As we come to find rest in Christ after leaving Babylon, signified by lodging in Gibeah, that is when our fiery trials begin. As we know, the aim of our trials, or judgment, is for us to learn righteousness. Not being given a house in which to lodge or staying on the street of the city is the same as saying that we will be hated of the world. This is what Jesus told us while walking on this earth when He said that He has nowhere to lay His head. 

Luk 9:57  And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 
Luk 9:58  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 

Jdg 19:16  And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. 

This old man represents our Lord Jesus who has received his double portion as the first born (was from the mount of Ephraim) and is giving his people rest in Him. As indicated, the men of the place were Benjamites who represent the elect. So the old man sojourning in Gibeah means that our Lord is among His people. 

Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 
Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 
Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 
Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 
Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. 

Jdg 19:17  And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? 
Jdg 19:18  And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. 

All those called and chosen must leave Bethlehem, the house of bread (represented here as Babylon), on our way to possess our inheritance on the side of Mount Ephraim. Our journey on this earth is like that of a wayfarer or a stranger. Though we live in this world, we are not of this world, and in the fullness of time, our Lord will come to give us rest in Him or a place to spend the night.

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 
Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 
Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 
Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Jdg 19:19  Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. 

We come out of Babylon with the mentality that we have no need of anything. We bring along our own bread and wine which represent our false doctrines that become our idols of the hearts.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 
Rev 3:18  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.

Isa 4:1  And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. 

Jdg 19:20  And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.
Jdg 19:21  So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. 

What concerns us also concerns our Lord. The statement ”Let all thy want lie upon me” is another way of saying that we should cast all our cares upon Him for He cares for us. 

1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Lodging not in the street means coming to abide in Christ. That is what happens to us as the Old Man in this story (representing Christ) invited the Levite and his concubine, together with His servant, to live with Him.

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 
Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 
Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

When we abide in Christ, we end up washing our feet, eating and drinking. Washing our feet means removing all the dirt or anything unclean that we have gathered in our walk. Eating and drinking here signify the opening our eyes to see and our ears to hear the word of the Lord.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

May the Lord grant us the grace to abide in Him as our feet are being washed with water and we continue to eat and drink from His table. Amen!!

Hi Mike,

Considering the current discourse on socialism in our culture, I was surprised that someone hadn’t brought this question up sooner. It’s a valid question for our country which was founded on individual freedoms as opposed to living under the heel of a tyrannical government.
Your response was helpful for this individual on one level, but I think there is more to the issue than laziness or being responsible for filling your own lamp. Scripture does exhort us to physically and spiritually contribute to our brother’s well- being. Following are a few examples of this thinking:

1Co 12:12  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also [ is] Christ.
1Co 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether [ we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [ we be] bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14  For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:15  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:16  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:17  If the whole body [ were] an eye, where [ were] the hearing? If the whole [ were] hearing, where [ were] the smelling?
1Co 12:18  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
1Co 12:19  And if they were all one member, where [ were] the body?
1Co 12:20  But now [ are they] many members, yet but one body.
1Co 12:21  And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
1Co 12:22  Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
1Co 12:23  And those [ members] of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely [ parts] have more abundant comeliness.
1Co 12:24  For our comely [ parts] have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that [ part] which lacked:
1Co 12:25  That there should be no schism in the body; but [ that] the members should have the same care one for another.
1Co 12:26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

While Paul acknowledged in 2 Thessalonians that while he had the right to request the support of the church but did not, so as to be an example to them, he also encouraged the church to support the weak and infirmed (spiritually and physically) in the 20th chapter of Acts:

Act 20:33  I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.
Act 20:34  Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
Act 20:35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. 

The apostle James approached this from another angle:

Jas 1:27  Religious observance, pure and undefiled with our God and Father, is this—to be visiting orphans and widows in their affliction, unspotted, to keep, himself, from the world.

Christ himself made it very clear in this passage:

Mat 10:42 And whoever should be giving one of these little ones only a cool cup to drink, in the name of a disciple, verily, I am saying to you, by no means should he be losing his wages.

And again in Mar 9:

Mar 9:41 For whosoever should be giving you a cup of water to drink in the Name, seeing that you are Christ’s, verily I am saying to you that by no means should he be losing his wages.

Finally, this passage is one that clearly commands us to make ourselves responsible for our brother’s needs:

Jas 2:14 What [ doth it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
Jas 2:16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be [ ye] warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what [ doth it] profit?
Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Having said all of this, none of this takes away from what you said regarding our own responsibility to work and provide for our own needs. I despise the progressive’s agenda to try to re- distribute the wealth in our world by taxing those who work harder or smarter as if somehow it is unfair that they benefit from their labor. I’ve seen the results of disincentivizing the poor who sit on their porches all day and pay for their groceries with EBT cards while they’ve obviously spent sizable amounts on things like acrylic jeweled nails.
What the person you were responding to was asking had much to do with what a Christian should do when it comes to helping those who are not in great need. Your response to that was right on. What many confuse for socialism in the original church was the church taking care of itself, not the world or even Israel/ Judah. That confusion exists in the church today, with the multiple ministries feeding the poor and housing the homeless, etc. We should be taking care of our brother where absolutely necessary, but not as an ongoing crutch where we support addictions and laziness.
Christ spelled it out in no uncertain terms when answering the question of which commandment was the greatest,

Mat 22:36 Teacher! which commandment, is greatest in the law?
Mat 22:37 And, he, said unto him—Thou shalt love the Lord thy God—with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind:
Mat 22:38  This, is the great and first commandment.
Mat 22:39  The second, like it, is, this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40  In these two commandments, all the law, is contained, and the prophets.

Loving your neighbor as yourself does mean being willing to give up your life if necessary:

Joh 15:12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
[Joh 15:14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.]

… but does not necessarily mean you must give away everything you acquire to those who are capable of providing for their own,

2Th 3:10  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
2Th 3:11  For we hear that  there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
2Th 3:12  Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

These were some additional thoughts to the excellent ones you explained in your letter.

Your brother in Christ,
R____

Hi R____,

I really do appreciate what you have added to this subject. This helps to add balance and more of the sum of God’s Word on what the scriptures teach about our need to help others when that help is warranted.
Thanks for taking the time to share this with me. I will now share it with others.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike