Proverbs 19

Lesson 19 of 28

37. POOR PEOPLE

In the Old Testament God promised to bless His people with plenty of food if they obeyed His law, but He also commanded them to be kind to poor people, Deuteronomy 15.4-11 - Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it: Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee. If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

In the Book of Proverbs there are many verses about poor people, and we will look now at some of them.

Proverbs 19.1 - Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. It is possible to be poor yet honest, and this is better in God's sight than being a liar and a fool. People sometimes get rich by twisting the truth and telling lies, Proverbs - 28.6 - Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

Proverbs 19.6-7 - Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts. All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, y et they are wanting to him. Even honest people who work hard may get sick and lose all their money, Luke 8.43 - And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any. They may try to get help from some rich man who is kind to poor people, but many others are there asking for money also. A poor person may find that his own family and his own friends are not willing to help him.

In time of trouble we should always turn to the Lord who has promised to supply all our need and never forsake us. This is better than turning to men, Psalm 146.3,5,7,9 - Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help; Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God; Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners; The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.

Proverbs 17.5 - Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished. It is very unkind to refuse to help poor people, and God is not pleased. A wicked person might even be glad if his enemy gets into trouble, Obadiah 12 - But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest
thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress; Micah 7.8 - Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.

The Lord Jesus helped poor people and taught us to do the same, Luke 4.18 - The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised; Luke 6.20 - And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God; Luke 7.12 - Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her; Luke 14.13 - But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; Luke 18.22 - Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

Proverbs 22.16 - He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want. There are those who will oppress poor people to make themselves richer. They will know what it feels like to be poor themselves later on. So will people who give their money to those who are rich, Proverbs 17.23 - A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment; Proverbs 18.16 - A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

Proverbs 28.3 - A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food. Oppressing poor people is like a terrible driving rain which washes away seed and crops, and good earth also. You would think that a poor man would want to help other poor people. Any oppressor may suppose that he will get rich by robbing others but he himself is very poor in God's sight.

Proverbs 29.13 - The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the Lord lighteneth both their eyes. Those who oppress the poor should remember that they are no better in God's sight than the poor person they are trying to rob. The Lord gives life and breath and sight to all men, Proverbs 22.2 - The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all; Acts 17.28 - For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Proverbs 22.22-23 - Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: For the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them. No one should rob poor people of the little that they have. In Nathan’s parable a rich man had lots of sheep, but he took the only lamb which the poor man owned, 2 Samuel 12.4 - And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. No one should oppress poor people in court, Deuteronomy 27.19 – Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

The Lord here promised to defend those who do not get fair treatment. Wicked men will be punished in the same way they treated others. That is what happened to Adonibezek, Judges 1.7 - And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.

Proverbs 23.10-11 - Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee. Large stones were used to mark out the borders of a man’s property. Wicked men might try to move them so that their own fields would be bigger, Deuteronomy 19.14 - Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it; Deuteronomy 27.17 - Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen; Proverbs 22.28 - Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. They thought this would be easier after a man had died because the children would not be able to defend their property. These men should remember that the Lord looks after orphans, and He is very powerful, Jeremiah 50.34 - Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.

So poor people should trust the Lord and not beg for help. Richer people should fear the Lord and not oppress the poor, or rob them or cheat them.

F. ADVICE ABOUT HOW TO BEHAVE

Now we come to the last section of proverbs of this kind in which both parts of a verse say about the same thing. This section contains many proverbs about how we should act wisely in our relations to other people.

38. Pledges
39. Arguments
40. Separation from the world
41. Correction
42. Reward or punishment
43. Honour

38. PLEDGES

We have seen that it is very foolish to stand up for a stranger and promise to pay what he owes, Proverbs 6.1-5 - 1 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. Now we have five more proverbs in which Solomon repeated this advice.

Proverbs 17.18 - A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend. Sometimes a friend will ask you to give a pledge for someone whom you do not know.

Only a fool would agree to this, Proverbs 11.15 - He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure.

Proverbs 22.26-27 - Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts. If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee? If you promise to pay, the creditor can require his money from you. If you do not have enough money, he can take everything you own. You would not even have a bed to sleep on,

Proverbs 20.16 - Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. The creditor can even take away your clothes. A foolish person may pledge all he owns to pay some stranger’s debt.

Judah gave a pledge to an evil woman, Genesis 38.16-18 - And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me? And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it? And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him, and all prostitutes must be paid. The man who does this is twice the fool, Proverbs 9.16 - Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him. This proverb, Proverbs 20.16 - Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman, is repeated in Proverbs 27.13 - Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman, to show how important it is to avoid prostitutes.

Proverbs 11.15 - He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure. It is not wise to promise to pay something for a friend, much worse for a stranger. He who does this will surely be sorry. It is safer not to promise to pay anyone’s debts.

However, Judah guaranteed that his brother Benjamin would return to his father, Genesis 43.9 - I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever, and Paul promised to pay Philemon whatever Onesimus might owe him, Philemon 1:18-19 - If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides. We can also say that the Lord Jesus promised to pay our debt of sin against God. We were strangers, Ephesians 2.12 - That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world, and He surely suffered for taking on our indebtedness. For our sakes He became poor, 2 Corinthians 8.9 - For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

39. ARGUMENTS

Now we have thirteen proverbs in this section teaching us about arguments.

1. How arguments start

Proverbs 13.10 - Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. Pride is the main cause of arguments. I say something which someone else shows is not correct. I am too proud to back down or admit I was wrong, and so I start to argue. Some believers in Philippi were having an argument and Paul told them not to be proud, Philippians 2.3 - nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. The same happened in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 3.3,21 - For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?; Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours. The believers there thought they were very wise, but Paul gave them good advice.

Proverbs 18.6 - A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes. Fools often start arguments by what they say. They will be punished for making trouble, Proverbs 19.29 - Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools; Proverbs 26.3 - A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.

Proverbs 26.21 - As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife. Some people just want to quarrel and they become expert at starting trouble. If anyone else has a quarrel, these people can keep it going. You can cook food over a fire, but the fire will go out unless you keep adding wood. Most arguments would soon die down if people did not keep stirring up trouble.

Proverbs 17.19 - He loveth transgression that loveth strife: and he that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction. Those who start arguments show that they love sin, because God wants us to live in peace, Hebrews 12.14 - Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Again it is a matter of pride because this person is trying to make himself look important. Both troublemakers and proud people will be punished.

2. Why arguments continue

Proverbs 17.14 - The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with. When an argument starts, you never know how far it will go. It is like pulling a plug out of a barrel of water, you cannot stop the water from running all over. A simple argument may spread to others and soon become a real fight.

Proverbs 18.19 - A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle. Even a friend or brother may find it hard to forgive you when you have really hurt him. A strong city could keep out enemy soldiers for a long time; Jerusalem kept out the Babylonians for almost eighteen months, Jeremiah 52.4-6 - And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about. 5 So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 6 And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. On the other hand a friend or brother will help you greatly if you have helped him. Quarrels spoil all this; once started they are hard to stop.

Proverbs 16.6 - By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. Have you hurt your friend or brother? You should honestly go and admit to him you were wrong you will be more friendly and always tell the truth. This will show him that you are really sorry for what you have done. Those who fear the Lord should be ready to do this because He wants us to live at peace with one another, 1 Thessalonians 5.13 - And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. This proverb speaks of one believer sinning against another, and we should be willing to forgive one another, Matthew 6.14 - For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Our God puts away our sins against Him because Christ paid the penalty.

Proverbs 25.8 - Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. So it is wise to consider carefully before you go to court or enter into an argument with anyone. You think you have all the facts, but the other person may be able to prove that you are wrong. A proud person does not like to be put to shame.

Proverbs 26.17 - He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. Street dogs are often wild and may attack anyone who touches them. You may see other people quarrelling and you feel you should try to help one side or the other. This may be dangerous.

3. How to end an argument

Proverbs 25.9-10 - Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another: Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away. It is better not to bring others into any argument. If you have a problem, you should discuss it with the person alone, as in Matthew 5.25 - Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. You should not tell others about some private matter, unless it is really necessary. You would not want people to consider you to be one who gossips or spreads lies..

Proverbs 18.18 - The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty. In the Old Testament the people often tried to learn God's will by casting lots, and this would settle the matter, Proverbs 16.33 - The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord; Jonah 1.7 - And they said everyone to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Today we have the whole Word of God, and spiritual people can know God's will through prayer.

Proverbs 20.3 - It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling. Sometimes one person will stop arguing, and this could be an honourable thing to do, Matthew 5.9 - Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Any fool can start a quarrel and keep it going; it takes God’s grace to stop arguing.

Proverbs 22.10 - Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease. A scorner or scoffer is too proud to give in, Proverbs 21.24 - Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath. An argument may soon be settled if fools and scoffers are put out. Other bad things go with the argument, quarrelling and shame. So peace is left, after the scoffer leaves.