Poor and rich

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

POOR AND RICH

Prov 28:6

6 Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.

NIV

Although this speaks about the poor man first, it would be better for us to end this with the life of him whose walk is blameless. So what about this rich man whose ways are perverse? Our scholars are of the opinion the Hebrew word translated perverse carries the meaning of duel, or double-minded. This certainly would lead to other verses which speak of a duality of thinking.

Eccl 2:12

12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly.

NIV

Ps 119:113

I hate double-minded men, but I love your law.

NIV

James 1:4-8

 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

NIV

Let us consider in which ways a rich person would be perverse or double-minded. They might well be looking to the ways of God, but at the same time looking to the ways of the world. That leads us to another verse about serving two masters, God and money. If a person is trying to serve both he then is double-minded and we know he cannot receive anything from the Lord. It is also like trying to live by faith and by the law at the same time. How can we live under the law, at least the laws, or rules and regulations and also live in the freedom of Christ? Any kind of duality in thinking is simply perverse. We cannot chase after God while chasing after the things of the world. That is preserve as well. That is being tossed by the waves and blown by the wind. When a person is looking to the ways of the world for security, in essence, he is not trusting in God and therefor receives nothing from God. How can someone consider wisdom and also consider madness and folly. This is not sitting and pondering on the two, this is considering living according to the two. That would be seeking the wisdom of God while at the same time acting with madness and folly, or in the original language folly and silliness. We simply cannot serve two masters, it is impossible to do, it will drive us nuts to try. When we are  trying to serve both God and the world or wealth, we are told we cannot because we will love one and despise the other. But Jesus goes on to explain how we are to live with a singularity.

Matt 6:24-34

24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

NIV

We are to live with one single thought, one single purpose in our hearts, which is to seek his kingdom first and foremost in all we do. This is the life that is blameless. It is not really a poor life, by rather a poor in spirit life. Jesus did not intend for us to be poor in the sense of destitute, without sustenance. He goes on to tell us that he will provide all that we need, all the things the pagans, or the double-minded, or perverse chase after. He will see to it that we will have all of it, but we are not to be double-minded in our walk, but singular, seeking only his kingdom in our lives. This means we are seeking God to reign supreme in our lives. He is our King, our Lord and Master, we only live for his pleasure. Then in all reality, as we are poor in spirit having accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are declared by God to be holy and blameless in his sight. Being our sovereign he provides for our lives. Then in actually we are truly  poor and rich.