Proverbs 22

It seems that, time and time again, I run up against things in the Bible regarding the “rich” and the “poor” that just aren’t as clear-cut as our modern thinking tends to be. Take this verse from today’s chapter, for instance: “Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.” (vs 2)

This is, perhaps, no great revelation on its face—that God is the God of us all, regardless of the size of our checkbooks. Or, some might take this to mean that for God to be “the Maker” of the rich and the poor means that He ordains some to be rich and others to be poor. I’m not sure I would make so simple a statement, although there is evidence in Scripture to suggest that idea. Job, for example, was blessed with great wealth. God allowed Satan to take it all away (thereby making Job poor for a time) before subsequently returning it with interest.

Regardless of where the wealth or poverty comes from, however, this verse makes it clear to me that we all stand equal before God. In His eyes, we are all in the same sinking boat, whether we’re in the captain’s suite or the common quarters. No amount of material wealth can buy salvation for the soul, and neither can poverty alone make one righteous. Rich and poor alike stand in need of a Savior.

That brings us to how I believe God views “rich” and “poor”—and that’s in spiritual terms. This is what James puts it in his epistle: “A Christian brother who has few riches of this world should be happy for what he has. He is great in the eyes of God. But a rich man should be happy even if he loses everything.” (Jas 1:9-10) What James is saying is that someone who has little money but has God is rich. And someone who has lost all their wealth but has God is still rich. God sees “rich” and “poor” in terms of the spiritual condition of our hearts. If we have Him, we are rich—no matter if we have money in our pockets or food on the table.

I thought this view of “rich” and “poor” was taken further in verse 7: “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.” In his commentary on this verse, Matthew Henry wrote, “It should be our endeavour to keep as much as may be out of debt. Some sell their liberty to gratify their luxury.” That really struck me.

Some sell their liberty to gratify their luxury.

Matthew Henry may have been talking about financial debt here, but I immediately thought of this in terms of spiritual debt. Isn’t this the very problem with sin? That in order to gratify our short-term luxury by giving into the “pleasures” of sin, we end up selling our liberty? Paul addressed this bondage in Romans: “So, since we’re out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we’re free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God, and the freedom never quits. All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you’ve started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!” (Rom 6:15-18)

How would we define someone who trades liberty for short-term self-gratification? I would say poor, regardless of how much money they have in the bank. How would we define someone who embraces liberty at the cost of self-gratification? I would say rich, even if they don’t own a home, drive a car, or own expensive jewelry.

God defines “rich” and “poor” differently than we do. We look on the outside, but the Lord looks on the heart. Yes, the Bible calls upon those with material wealth to help the poor. That same Bible suggests that we not show partiality to someone just because he doesn’t have money. But laying all concerns of money aside, the Bible also says that those who have money and those who don’t stand equal before God.

When God looks at us, He doesn’t see our bank account balance, the money we have in our pockets, or the size of our 401K. He sees the spiritual condition of our hearts. And the good news is, we can have His kind of wealth today, this very moment! With God, it doesn’t take long to become a very rich person! Have we put our faith and trust in Him? This is what determines true wealth and poverty, and I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be truly wealthy and have nothing than to “have it all” and, in my heart, be a beggar.