Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl Proverbs 25:5-8 Better to be Poor & Maintain Your Integrity, Part 2

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Proverbs 28:5–8

[5] Evil men do not understand justice,

but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.

[6] Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity

than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

[7] The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,

but a companion of gluttons shames his father.

[8] Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit

gathers it for him who is generous to the poor. (ESV)

Better to Be Poor & Maintain Your Integrity, Part 2

v.5 This proverb is a simple statement that those who seek after Divine Wisdom in the Word of the Lord will receive it by faith in the promises it contains. The evil who do not have such enlightenment cannot understand true justice, of which God's justice is the model. God's justice is not merely the condemnation of sin but the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the redemption of sinners by the imputation of Christ's righteousness to all who believe (2 Corinthians 5:21). Those of faith continue to seek His Divine Wisdom throughout their lives as Christians, and God grants them growth in Wisdom through the attentive study of His Word. See also 2 Corinthians 2:9-16 where St. Paul teaches that by nature, people cannot understand spiritual things without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, believers receive the mind of Christ to discern or judge all things according to His Word.

v.6 As we have seen in other proverbs, wealth and possessions in and of themselves are not by nature sinful or evil; however, they are not unmitigated blessings, either. This verse points out to the Wise that it is better to be blessed with integrity than wealth, given a choice. While certainly one can be both wealthy and have integrity or be poor and corrupt, this proverb promotes integrity as a desirable moral value regardless of one's financial means.

v.7 This proverb offers a contrast between the one who values instruction and one who prefers the company of gluttons. The Wise receive God's Wisdom through the instruction of Godly parents and teachers and learn to avoid decadent, deviant, and decadent lifestyles. The fool keeps company with gluttons and soon finds he becomes one himself. The one who begins life with the instruction of the Wise and abandons it for the company of degenerates brings shame to his teachers, who will now question whether their vocation of teacher was a failure or that they did not administer proper discipline.

v.8 Those who gather wealth by means of impoverishing others may find it a target for Divine justice. Wealth obtained by dishonest, corrupt, or abusive methods will be lost, either by natural or personal disaster, but most certainly at death (Luke 12:15-21). Then, God will redistribute ill-gotten gains from the wicked to those from whom it was taken in this world and bestow myriad blessings to all believers in the world to come.