World leaders constantly claim that they hold the solution for how to rid the world of poverty. Yet, the Lord stated that mankind would always have a problem with poverty, at least until the millennium. Believers should be willing to help the poor but must keep in mind that they will never eliminate world poverty. According to Deuteronomy 15:11, “the poor shall never cease out of the land.” In other words, regardless of man’s efforts to give and help, there will always be a group of people who struggle financially. With this in mind, believers should not ignore the physical needs of the poor but should be most concerned with offering the poor spiritual help (Acts 3:6).
The Bible says that “The poor is hated even of his own neighbour” (Proverbs 14:20). In fact, his wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard (Ecclesiastes 9:16). His friends go far from him, and his brethren hate him (Proverbs 19:7). But this should not be the case amongst believers. Instead, believers should defend the poor (Psalm 82:3). They should open their ears to the cries of the poor (Proverbs 21:13) and deliver them in time of trouble (Psalm 41:1). Believers must realize that their treatment of the poor is directly related to their relationship with the Lord (Proverbs 19:17; Proverbs 17:5). Even in the New Testament, Paul was admonished to “remember the poor” (Galatians 2:10).
Some of the most popular televangelists garner their popularity by falsely teaching that God wants everyone wealthy. God simply does not want everyone to have riches. Yet, if wealth is gained through scriptural means, it can be used to do much good (by supporting missionaries, helping those in need, furthering the gospel, etc.). The Bible clearly teaches that it is wrong for anyone to seek to become wealthy. Yet, one should equally not set out to be poor. As such, every believer should know how to avoid self-induced poverty. According to scripture, there are certain actions or inactions that ultimately lead to poverty: laziness (Proverbs 6:10-11; Proverbs 24:33-34), greediness (Proverbs 11:24), pleasure loving (Proverbs 21:17; Proverbs 23:21), and following vain persons (Proverbs 28:19). These truths hold constant on both an individual level as well as collectively.
Gaining wealth (or riches) has allowed some people to increase their levels of comfort far beyond those who are financially disadvantaged. In one parable, the Lord spoke of a rich man whose ground brought forth plentifully (Luke 12:16). The rich man unfortunately came to trust in his abundance and decided to take his ease (Luke 12:19), but that night he died (Luke 12:20). Riches are not for ever (Proverbs 27:24) even if it is not death that robs a man of his riches. The Bible says for the living, riches “certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5). Furthermore, we are told that those who trust in riches will fall (Proverbs 11:28). Perhaps this is why Paul told Timothy to instruct the rich to trust in the living God rather than their uncertain riches (1 Timothy 6:17).
Riches and poverty both serve as some of man’s greatest pitfalls. Agur, in his wisdom (see Proverbs chapter 30), sought the Lord for a healthy balance somewhere between the two extremes. He feared riches because riches might cause him to become full and deny the Lord (Proverbs 30:8-9). Conversely, he also feared the outcomes of a life lived in poverty. This might lead him to steal and take the name of God in vain (Proverbs 30:8-9). In the end, Agur expressed a desire for the Lord to feed him with food convenient for him. Yet, he did not trust himself to know what was convenient (Proverbs 30:8). Perhaps, for some people, a greater amount would be convenient and yet a lesser amount for others. Agur recognized that only the Lord possessed the necessary wisdom to determine what balance would be right for him.
The Bible mentions true riches thus indicating the existence of false riches. Much of what the world considers riches simply serves as a veil for true poverty. While on earth, the Lord appeared to be the poorest of the poor (Matthew 8:20), all the while being the One who owned all things. The believers at Smyrna appeared to be poor, but the Lord unflinchingly stated that they were in fact rich (Revelation 2:8-9). The opposite was said of those in Laodicea. Although they claimed to be rich, the Bible states the reality: they were poor (Revelation 3:14-17). This truth is confirmed in Proverbs 13:7 when the Bible says, “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.”
In a world filled with competition and pride, the peacemaker is often wrongly accused of being unable to handle the conflict or the fight. This is why many people consider backing down from strife a sign of weakness. Once again, God and man are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum. While many men consider it commendable to continue strife, God thinks it honourable to cease from strife. In other words, the greater man or woman brings conflict to a close rather than further instigating it. According to the Bible, it is a fool who continues to meddle in hopes of prolonging the conflict. It is up to each believer to determine whether to accept God’s way or man’s way of thinking.
No doubt about it: the world is full of problems. Every day, people choose to say and do things that they should not say or do. Their actions contain all of the necessary ingredients for strife. The Bible says a wrathful man looks for the possibility of strife and does whatever necessary to stir it up (Proverbs 15:18). Why does he do this? The Bible points out that he is proud of heart (Proverbs 28:25) and full of hatred (Proverbs 10:12). The Bible further describes this work in Proverbs 26:20-21 where it says, “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.” A contentious man seeks to rekindle the flames as he notices the fires of strife beginning to be extinguished.
During Bible times, even the average individual understood a great deal concerning agriculture. This meant that the laws of sowing and reaping were quite familiar to them. They understood that sowing seed was done in hopes of reaping a harvest of that which was sown. Today’s passage explains that the froward man chooses to sow strife. In other words, there are some in society who look for strife and where it does not exist, they will sow the seeds of strife so that it sprouts even where it did not originally exist. Why would they do this? Some people revel in seeing the fruits of arguments, wars, strife, envy, debate, and other such things. The froward man simply finds a way to instigate problems and exploit situations by creating lies or exaggerations to accomplish his sordid purposes.
Understanding man’s true nature makes today’s verse understandable and comprehensible. Ignoring the true reality of man’s constitution will lead the reader to refuse this Bible truth. Surely no man, woman, boy, or girl would love strife! Strife seems to be contrary to something we would deem lovable. After all, the Bible likens strife to the bars of a castle (Proverbs 18:19), creating a prison for some and an impossible barrier for others. It is birthed through pride (Proverbs 13:10) and harms those most innocent (Exodus 21:22-25). With these thoughts in mind, how could anyone love strife? The answer is quite simple. Man’s flesh desires to rebel against the laws of God. It finds pleasure in transgression and satisfaction in displeasing the Lord. So man, although aware of strife’s downfalls and pitfalls, craves strife and the resultant conflict.
