Proverbs on Wealth 
Part 5: Poverty

Baxter T. Exum (#1747)
Four Lakes Church of Christ
Madison, Wisconsin
August 4, 2024

Good morning and welcome! It is good to see you this morning! If you are visiting this morning or joining us online or on the phone, we are glad to have you with us, and we’d like to ask that you fill out a visitor card – either online or on a card from the pew in front of you. And we also invite you to pass along any questions or prayer concerns.

It is good to be back in Madison! I am thankful to Josh and John for preaching the past two weeks as we have been away for my mother-in-law’s memorial service in Hawaii. It was good to reconnect with family over there, and we enjoyed the second week pretty much recovering from the first week. And it was a wonderful learning experience as well. We toured a salt farm, a chocolate farm, a vanilla farm, a coffee farm, and a macadamia nut farm. And we also experienced a number of earthquakes on the big island as well (we were staying in the middle of nowhere in an off-grid tiny house near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park). And it was good to worship with two congregations over there – on Oahu and also on the Big Island. Last Sunday, the songleader was coughing and said that a volcanic steam vent had opened up in his yard and was spewing sulfur gas throughout his house the previous night. I’ve never heard that from a songleader before! Thank you so much for allowing us to be away for a bit, and thank you for remembering us in your prayers as we traveled.

In terms of our schedule, we have a clothing give-away coming up this Saturday! I feel like we are just barely throwing this one together this year. We weren’t sure we’d be doing it (with Patsy’s surgery and our trip over the past two weeks), but we are making an effort this year. Thanks to all of you who have helped with this over the past several weeks. But this is this coming Saturday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., and we plan on getting here around 7 a.m. to get everything set out. If you can help, please get in touch with Patsy. We also have cards available in the entryway (next to the Lord’s Supper), if you would like to share this with friends.

We are here this morning to worship and to preach the good news that God loves us and has made a way for us to be saved. We know from scripture that Jesus died on the cross, he was buried, but he was raised up on the first day of the week. This is the good news, and we obey this good news through faith, repentance, confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and baptism (an immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins). And this morning we are sharing some good news from up north somewhere, right here in Wisconsin. There is a group for Wisconsin churches of Christ, and they posted a week or two ago, and they say, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. God's Church welcomes Gregor to the family. We praise His Name.” So good to see it!

We then have four from the Lord’s church in Honolulu over the past few weeks: Shelby, Mika, Jr., as well as Dalen and Moani. Once again, I love how the children gather around for these!

This next one comes from Matthew Morine, a friend who preaches in Colorado. He says, “So proud of Chris today. He put on his Lord in Baptism. His heart is tender, his Spirit is strong, and God will use him mightily in his Kingdom. God continues to add to his Church at a rapid rate in Castle Rock.”

This next one comes to us from the Lord’s church down in Wheeler, Texas. They say that, “This morning's sermon was on being ready for baptism. This afternoon, Mary wanted to be 100% sure that her sins were forgiven. So, she made the good confession of Jesus as Lord and Christ and was baptized into Christ for the remission of her sins (Acts 2:38) and was added to the Church (Acts 2:47).” And then they say that, “Age is not an obstacle that cannot be overcome if you, also, want to be baptized!” Amen to that!

This next one was posted by the teenage girl who babysat me and my sister when we were growing up in the Chicago area. I didn’t know it then, but her future father-in-law, Earl Edwards, would end up being one of my favorite professors at Freed-Hardeman University and would change the course of my life, teaching three of my favorite classes, Urban Church Growth, The Preacher and His Work, and Expository Preaching. Kim Edwards posted a week or so ago and she says, “What a wonderful day! Tonight our grandson, Jonah, the oldest son of Chelsea and Justin, was baptized into Christ in the bathtub at his great grandfather’s home, surrounded by his grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, and lots of cousins. We praise God for this new brother in Christ.” Brother Earl is pictured in the middle on the right up here. He is still preaching and serving as an elder at the age of 90.

This next one comes from Jovan Payes, a friend who preaches out in Bakersfield, California. He posted a few weeks ago and says that, “Friday was such a special day!! I was privileged to serve as a midwife to God’s marvelous working in the new life birth of my daughter’s boyfriend, Cross. I love him… but not as much as my daughter does. Praise God for his grace!!” Jovan was a member of a street gang in a former life. He obeyed the gospel himself, he’s completed a degree in Bible from Freed-Hardeman and has a master’s degree in Christian apologetics, and is now preaching at the Lord’s church out in Bakersfield, California. He also has an excellent blog. 

There are many more we could have shared this week, but we’ll share one more, this one coming to us from the Myrtle Avenue congregation out in Long Beach, California. There’s a lot we don’t know about this one, but they posted a week or two ago and they say, “Thank God for Asia Bell who put Christ on in baptism at today’s funeral, someone died so someone could live.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a baptism at a funeral, but we welcome Asia as a new sister this week. And we share all of these pictures as part of our invitation to you: If you would like to do what these people have done, or if you would like to learn more, let us know. We invite you to get in touch using the contact information on the wall up here, or if you are joining us on the phone, you can send a text or give me a call at 608-224-0274.

This morning, we are headed back to the book of Proverbs! In the big picture, we are covering the book very sporadically (to say the least), and as of this moment we have now covered 377 of the 915 Proverbs, or right at 41%. And in this series within a series, we are now looking at everything King Solomon says about WEALTH. So, I have scoured the book for any references to wealth or money or riches or treasure, and there have been so many that we’ve been arranging these by sub-topic. Several weeks ago, we started with Solomon’s advice on GETTING wealth. Then we moved along by taking a look at how to LOSE your wealth (and some of the pitfalls of being wealthy). We had a song and scripture service on the a fifth Sunday in June. We then looked at the idea of ENJOYING OUR WEALTH. I was out for two weeks, and now we are looking at what King Solomon has to say about POVERTY. Next week, we will look at the value of GIVING our wealth to others, and we will close this series with some bonus verses on LAZINESS on August 18. So, this is where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are heading. And as you might have noticed, we are being somewhat flexible with this arrangement.

Today, though, we come to a series of proverbs where King Solomon communicates to his sons, giving them some basic principles to consider when it comes to POVERTY. I had originally just lumped these in with the proverbs on GIVING OUR WEALTH TO OTHERS, but before we get there, I do think we need to back up just a bit to look at POVERTY in general. Today, then, I want us to do just a quick overview of the fourteen Proverbs where King Solomon tries to communicate some wisdom to his sons concerning what it means to be poor.

And as a bit of a preview as we move into these, I would suggest that in all of Solomon’s writings (including the book of Ecclesiastes), he observes that people may find themselves in poverty for several reasons. Today, those who are wealthy may may assume that those who are poor are poor because they are lazy, and to get out of poverty, those people may just need to work harder. However, as we read through King Solomon’s proverbs, Solomon, in his great wisdom, realizes that poverty may be complicated. First of all, for example, some may be poor due to OPPRESSION. Those in power may actually cause poverty through low wages, or heavy taxation, or high-interest loans, or any number of other policies designed to benefit those who rule. Secondly, some may be poor due to CALAMITY. We think of natural disasters, or injuries, or famines, or weather events, or various diseases. Through no fault of their own, some are poor due to things that happen beyond their ability to control. Years ago, I remember hearing that the leading cause for bankruptcy in the United States is an unexpected medical expense. Something happens, and all of a sudden you owe the hospital hundreds of thousands of dollars. I’ve seen this happen to loved ones just within the last year or so. But then, also (thirdly), some poverty is caused by PERSONAL SIN – a lifetime of laziness has some consequences. We might say the same thing about getting caught up in some forms of gambling, or overspending, or crime in general.

So, going into this, let’s realize that poverty may be complicated. And I think we will see this in today’s Proverbs. On one hand, the solution to poverty may not be a case of just working  harder. And on the other hand, if poverty truly is the result of sin, there’s no amount of money I can give that will fix it, and it may actually make the situation worse. So, let’s just jump into it this morning with a quick overview of these fourteen Proverbs. And most of these are simply observations. He’s not necessarily telling his sons what to do, but he is simply sharing some wisdom.

    1. And we start today with Proverbs 10:15, where King Solomon says that, “The rich man’s wealth is his fortress, the ruin of the poor is their poverty.”

So again, Solomon is not really telling his sons what to do here, but he’s making an observation. In his wisdom, King Solomon has noticed that rich men tend to trust in their wealth just as people might trust in a fortress (or in the walls of a city). And so also (on the other side of this), those who are poor may feel especially vulnerable. And what he’s observing here is that wealth (or the lack of it) has a way of affecting our thinking. When we have money, when things are going well for us financially, we feel safe, we feel as if we can handle whatever may come our way, we feel strong. And on the other hand, when we don’t have any money, we feel vulnerable, we may feel this sense of danger or impending doom.

So, although wealth is really nothing more than paper and ink or silver and gold, wealth still has a way of changing the way we think. Going into this, then, King Solomon wants his sons to know this. Be aware that wealth has a away of affecting the way we think. Early in the pandemic, when schools first went virtual, I mentioned that when my wife (a middle school teacher) first started teaching online, she told her kids to take out a pencil to do some math, and there were a significant number of children who did not have a pencil. And I can’t imagine that. I probably have hundreds of pencils at home, but there are people in this community who have empty drawers. Now imagine trying to learn the most basic math without a pencil and paper. I can’t fathom that, and I certainly can’t fathom not being able to provide those basic necessities for my own children.  I can’t even think in those terms. And I think that’s what King Solomon is trying to get his sons to realize here: As children of the king, they may feel secure in their wealth, but there are others who are living in completely different circumstances, and as future leaders, his sons need to realize this. If you can’t provide pencils for your children, if you don’t know where the next meal is coming from, if you don’t have the rent that’s due in a few days, you are truly living with a continual sense of “ruin,” or “terror,” or “dismay,” or “helplessness,” or “desperation” (as some translations may have it). 

    2. King Solomon’s next observation comes to us in Proverbs 13:23, where he says that, “Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, but it is swept away by injustice.”

“Fallow ground” is simply ground that can be tilled or farmed, and the term is used three times in the Bible. And here, it seems like Solomon is noticing that when someone is poor (and motivated), even a little bit of land can actually produce quite a bit. We’re not talking about thousands of acres, but we’re talking a small plot. I think about raised beds or containers. We switched to raised beds after seeing what the Turleys had done years ago. It’s amazing how much food can be grown in a relatively small area – but it takes some planning and some hard work, especially at the beginning. And I think that’s what Solomon is noticing here. Even the poor can grow a huge amount of food in a very small space. Instead of complaining about having such a small plot, the wise man (even though poor) should be able to end up with “abundant food.” I’m going to take what I have and do something with it! I think of those of us who aren’t rolling in the dough, so when we have car trouble we turn into “YouTube Certified Mechanics,” we do some research, and we get it done. My tool bag in the car, by the way, will always have zip-ties and duct tape. So also with farming. Having a little land causes the wise man to get creative – plant early and cover the crops to extend the growing season, plant in stages to keep the crops coming throughout the year, growing some crops next to other crops to save space, using a trellis to go vertical, using compost to improve growing conditions, and so on.

On the other hand, Solomon also observes that even hard work can be “swept away by injustice,” or “by a lack of good sense,” as some translations may put it. So, I can do everything right and lose my entire crop to a drought or a pest of some kind. As we know, life is not fair. Or, I may work hard and then make a stupid decision where I lose it all later on. Either way, financial progress is not always permanent.

    3. Solomon’s next observation is a bit different and comes to us in Proverbs 14:20 where he says, “The poor is hated even by his neighbor, but those who love the rich are many.”

We’ll have several variations of this today, but here, Solomon observes that wealth has a way of buying friends. And on the other side of this, we somehow seem to naturally avoid spending time with those who are poor. When we pull up to a stoplight here in Madison and somebody is holding a cardboard sign asking for money, the natural inclination is to avoid eye contact. Lately, I’ve tried to force myself to smile and wave (even if I’m not contributing), because I think that’s what the Lord would do. But Solomon recognizes the truth that most people are uncomfortable interacting with the poor. It’s awkward. But again, according to my favorite verse in the entire Bible, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). That right there is the gospel in a single verse. Spiritually, we were the ones who were poor, and instead of turning away, Jesus joined us in our poverty, so that we may inherit a spiritual blessing. Generally, though, “The poor is hated even by his neighbor; but those who love the rich are many.” He’s not saying that this is the way it SHOULD be, but he’s saying that this is the way it IS. And we may get back to this, but I think of the Prodigal Son. In Luke 15, when the son got his inheritance, he went off to a foreign land to party with his friends, but when the money was gone his friends were also gone, and he was left alone longing to eat what the pigs were eating. For some reason, everybody left when it got to that point.

And Solomon is warning his wealthy sons here: Be careful! Sometimes people will befriend you, only because it gives them an advantage, and as children of the king, you need to know this. Be aware of it. And today, we as God’s people are not immune from this. Sometimes, we also may treat the wealthy better than we treat the poor. This was an issue in James 2, where the wealthy were being given special seats in the assembly, while the poor were being ignored. And James was brutal in his condemnation of that kind of behavior. But Solomon simply observes that this is the way it is.

    4. Solomon’s next observation comes in the form of a warning in Proverbs 17:5, where he says that, “He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker; he who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.”

To “mock” is to laugh or to make fun of somebody. And Solomon is telling his sons that to mock the poor is to mock God himself. Let’s remember: Not everybody is poor due to laziness. In fact, most people in the world today are poor due to circumstances far beyond their control – famine, or catastrophe, or disease, or war, or oppression. And so, to laugh or to mock will bring punishment, Solomon says, for all people are made in the image of God. We think of Jesus who pictured the judgment in Matthew 25, and he said that those who showed compassion to the poor were actually showing compassion to him. So also with mocking. Who would dare to mock God to his face? And yet, that’s what we do if we choose to laugh at the poor, who are loved by God and made in his image.

    5. Solomon’s next observation comes in Proverbs 18:23, where he says that, “The poor man utters supplications, but the rich man answers roughly.”

Solomon observes, then, that the poor are naturally in a position to ask for things, while the rich seem to be in a position to demand certain things. And it’s not that either one is right or wrong, but it’s something to be aware of. Solomon doesn’t give any real application here, but it seems to me that the poor may get to a point where they EXPECT sympathy, and the rich may get to the point where they EXPECT others to cater to their needs as well, even to the point of demanding. I don’t even remember who it was, but years ago, I remember eating with someone who was just incredibly demanding of the server, “Get me a water! Bring me napkin!” and so on. They weren’t normally a mean or a rude person, but it was eye-opening. Maybe we do this without thinking about it. But Solomon wants his sons to be aware. Let’s be careful how we treat people.

    6. Solomon’s next observation is similar to one we’ve had before, and this one comes to us in Proverbs 19:4, where he says that, “Wealth adds many friends, but a poor man is separated from his friend.”

Again, this is not the way it SHOULD be, but this is the way it IS. A guy wins the lottery, and suddenly he is surrounded by friends. Amazing how that works! So also, when somebody loses everything, he tends to lose friends as well. The word for “poor man” is a word that can be translated as “low, poor, weak, or thin.” It’s the idea of being helpless, having no resources, or even falling. It’s what happened to Job. When Job lost everything, he lost most of his friends as well. As God’s people, though, Jesus says (in Luke 14), “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” As it is, though, the world loves the wealthy and despises the poor.

    7. Solomon’s next observation is similar and comes two verses later, in Proverbs 19:6, where he says that, “Many will seek the favor of a generous man, and every man is a friend to him who gives gifts.”

Once again, King Solomon seems to be warning his sons: Many people will try to be your friend, but only for what they can get out of the relationship. Be careful, then, because it is extremely rare for someone to befriend a wealthy king, wanting nothing but friendship. And there seems to be a bit of sarcasm here. I’m getting the picture of “rental friends.” A loving spouse is to a prostitute just as a real friend is to one of these guys. It’s almost as if they are being paid to be friends.

But as with the previous Proverb, the New Testament tells us to be different. In Romans 12:16, Paul says, “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly.…” We are to befriend, not for what we can get out of the relationship, but for what we can bring to it.

    8. The next observation is similar to the others and comes in the very next verse as Solomon says (in Proverbs 19:7), “All the brothers of a poor man hate him; how much more do his friends abandon him! He pursues them with words, but they are gone.”

Again, this is similar to the others, but we find here that the warning extends to the poor man’s own “brothers.” Even our own families might leave us when we’re poor! And the new information we have here is that his friends leave, even though “he pursues them with words.” He’s begging for friends, but everybody leaves. In a way, this reminds me of those who only followed Jesus for the free food (in John 6). Once the food stopped, people left. But that’s the way it is.

    9. King Solomon’s next observation is quite different than the others and comes to us in Proverbs 22:2, where he says that, “The rich and the poor have a common bond, the Lord is the maker of them all.”

With this being aimed at Solomon’s soon-to-be-wealthy sons, I would take this as a reminder to be humble. Yes, the rich and poor do have some huge differences. We saw this in Hawaii over the past two weeks. Homelessness is huge over there. We saw tents set up everywhere – people living on the beaches, in parking lots, in alleys, and so on; and then we saw some of the most luxurious estates as well. The living conditions could not have been more different. And yet, King Solomon would remind us that “the rich and the poor have a common bond, the Lord is the maker of them all.” And in that sense, we are equal before the Lord. We are all equally valuable, and all of us stand in need of God’s forgiveness. Therefore, we are to treat each other with respect.

The Lord made us. If that’s not true, we really don’t need to treat each other with respect. If we evolved from nothing, if we are truly the result of the survival of the fittest over millions of years, then we are nothing more than animals, and the rich and the strong would be expected to crush the poor and the weak. But as it is, “...the rich and the poor have a common bond, the Lord is the maker of them all.”


    10. Our next observation comes later in this chapter, in Proverbs 22:16, where King Solomon says that, “He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself or who gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.”

Solomon, then, has a special warning for anyone who would choose to oppress the poor to make more for himself: That man will only come to poverty. So, when dealing with the poor: Pay full price or more when making a purchase, be fair and generous. Give, and it will be given to you (and we will get to more of this next week). There may be a temporary benefit to oppressing the poor, but God will make things right in the end. And for those who give to the rich (for their own benefit), that benefit is short-lived, as someone else will eventually give a bigger gift, and the original gift will be forgotten.

    11. This next one is similar and comes to us a few verses later, in Proverbs 22:22-23, where King Solomon says, “Do not rob the poor because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate; for the Lord will plead their case and take the life of those who rob them.”

So, we have a clear command here, and it has to be said, because it’s so easy for the wealthy and powerful to take from those who are poor – perhaps through unfair laws, or maybe through outright robbery. After all, the poor may not have the power to defend themselves. They don’t have lawyers, they don’t live in large and secure homes; the poor are easy targets. And Solomon wants to make sure that his sons are not a part of the problem here. Don’t make their misery any worse.

And the other part of this is Solomon warning, “[Do not] crush the afflicted at the gate.” The “afflicted” are those who are oppressed, under pressure, beat down by the world. The “gate” was where the old guys hung out and solved all of the world’s problems. The “gate” was Cottage Cafe at 7 o’clock on a Sunday morning. The “gate” was the judicial system in ancient Israel. If somebody had a legal issue, they would take it to the gate to be decided by the elders. And that system, although effective, was by no means perfect (similar to our judicial system today). And often, the poor would be taken advantage of – either by outright robbery or through the legal system. We think of the story Nathan told to King David about the wealthy man who had company and took the family pet (a lamb) from his poor neighbor. That’s the kind of thing Solomon is warning about here. Do not rob the poor or crush the afflicted, “...for the Lord will plead their case and take the life of those who rob them.” Can we imagine a poor farmer getting his land taken away due to a fast talking wealthy attorney and then having the Lord himself show up in court to defend the poor man? That’s what Solomon is suggesting here. So, be careful not to take advantage of your privilege over the poor and the afflicted.

    12. Solomon’s next observation is also different than the others and comes to us in Proverbs 28:3, where he says that, “A poor man who oppresses the lowly is like a driving rain which leaves no food.”

And again, this isn’t a command, but Solomon has noticed that the poor can be just as cruel to one another as the rich can be to the poor, and when the poor oppress the poor, it’s “like a driving rain which leaves no food.” Normally, rain is good; but there are times when so much rain comes all at once and comes so quickly that it causes devastation. And that’s the picture here. When the poor oppress the poor, it’s like a terrible storm. I think of the man who was forgiven much who then went out and harassed somebody who owed him a little (in the parable Jesus told in Matthew 18). That’s one of the most disturbing stories in scripture. It’s so wrong! And I think that’s what Solomon is trying to communicate here. Just as rain should help the crops, so also the poor should be able to empathize. The poor should be merciful, because they also need mercy, but that’s not always the way it is. Sometimes the poor can be cruel and destructive.

    13. This brings us to the last of King Solomon’s observations concerning poverty, where he says (in Proverbs 29:13), “The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.”

I would take this as a reminder for the rich and the poor to see each other as being made in the image of God (similar to what we looked at earlier), but this time the emphasis is on the Lord giving “light to the eyes.” How we see each other is so important. It’s easy for the poor to sterotype the rich as always being aloof and self-righteous. So also, it’s easy for the rich to see the poor as being irresponsible or lazy, perhaps thinking of the poor as a project. Solomon, though, reminds his sons that, “The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.”

Conclusion:

This morning we have continued looking at King Solomon’s wisdom concerning wealth, and we’ve focused in today on what he has to say about POVERTY. Today, we’ve looked at some general principles, and next week we hope to continue by looking at Solomon’s advice on SHARING our wealth.

As we close our study this morning, let’s go to God in prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

You are the one and only almighty God who has given us all things to enjoy, and you are Lord over both the rich and the poor. This morning we ask for wisdom and understanding, and we ask for your help as we treat others the way we would like to be treated. We ask for your help in seeing all people as eternal souls made in your image.

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