Proverbs on Generosity and Prosperity

He who represses the poor shows contempt for their Maker but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. (14:31) If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered. (21:13) He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich both come to poverty. (22:16) A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. (22:9) A dominant theme in both the Old and New Testaments is that God requires His people to be sensitive to the needs of the poor and to take action on their behalf (Deuteronomy 15:10, Isaiah 61:1, Jeremiah 22:16, Ezekiel 16:49, Zechariah 7:10, Mark 10:11, Luke 14:12-14) Our treatment of the poor results in a double-edged sword of the divine response either we honor God with our kindness or we offend Him with our neglect and repression of the needy Neglecting the needs of the poor to increase ones wealth is linked with the evil of giving gifts to the rich to obtain their favor the result of such selfish behavior will be poverty James explains that good wishes or religious talk is meaningless if direct action is not taken to relieve the suffering of those in need if one of you says to them, go in peace and keep warm and well fed but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? (2:14 -19) 1 Jesus so identified with the poor that kindness shown to them is received as direct kindness toward Him, and neglect toward them is perceived as direct neglect toward Him o whatever you did for one of the least of these my brothers you did to me (Mat 25:40) o whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me (25:45) Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil. (15:16) Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred. (15:17) Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice. (16:8) Never does wealth compensate for our true need for peace the internal peace that comes from knowing God and the external peace that results from harmony with others Since the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10) and wisdom is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold (Proverbs 3:14), it stands to reason that wealth cannot possibly substitute the joy of the knowledge of God Great wealth with turmoil or a fattened calf with hatred or much gain with injustice all result in the emptiness of attempting to fill the need for God with what the world has to offer Solomon tried filling his life with pleasure: I denied myself nothing my eyes desired and refused my heart no pleasure (Ecclesiastes 2:10); the result: Everything was meaningless. . . so I hated life and all its vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:17-18) Vanity of vanities all is vanity he proclaims in Ecclesiastes 1:2 In our culture, the message is proclaimed again (though less poetically) by musicians like the Rolling Stones: I try and I try, but I dont get no satisfaction! But the way of wisdom (beginning with the fear of the Lord and walking in the knowledge of God) we experience peace that transcends human understanding (Phil 4:7) Your foot will not stumble; when you lie down . . . your sleep will be sweet . . . for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared (Proverbs 3:25)