Proverbs 16:19
Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
The Hebrew translates that, “It is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor than…’
Didn’t the Master say, Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . Blessed are the meek? Didn’t the apostle James honor those of our congregation with lesser means by mentioning their faith wealth?
Success in the eyes of the Master is not always measured in dollars and cents. Wealth is not an indicator of God’s blessing, just as poverty doesn’t prove His faithlessness towards us. The faithful apostle even says that he has learned to be content in whatever state he is, whether he abounds or whether he is in lack. Elijah, the great prophet of Israel honored the poorest of the poor, a starving widow who was not even from Israel, and came to rest his blessing on her household. In a way, that’s were God chose to rest; he came hang out and share what He had with the poor.
Of course, God also promised to supply all of our needs, and we do need to have faith to have enough. The problem is that in the Western industrialized world, the notion of ‘enough’ and of basic living requirements have become out of proportion. A trip to some of our poorer neighbor countries always sets us back into proper perspectives. The Master really only offered us food and clothing. He Himself did not have a place to live, but of course, He also didn’t raise a family of small children, which definitely requires a ‘nest’.
The idea of the proverb today is really not about rich or poor. It is about our spirit’s natural tendency to bigotry. Even as affluent people, we should not feel uncomfortable to ‘hang’ around those of lower means.
The Master exemplified our day’s proverb very well. Just as Moses left the Pharaoh’s palace to go be with his brethren, the slaves, from the Mighty domains of the Father’s Kingdom, Yeshua came to hang with us.
Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
The Hebrew translates that, “It is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor than…’
Didn’t the Master say, Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . Blessed are the meek? Didn’t the apostle James honor those of our congregation with lesser means by mentioning their faith wealth?
Success in the eyes of the Master is not always measured in dollars and cents. Wealth is not an indicator of God’s blessing, just as poverty doesn’t prove His faithlessness towards us. The faithful apostle even says that he has learned to be content in whatever state he is, whether he abounds or whether he is in lack. Elijah, the great prophet of Israel honored the poorest of the poor, a starving widow who was not even from Israel, and came to rest his blessing on her household. In a way, that’s were God chose to rest; he came hang out and share what He had with the poor.
Of course, God also promised to supply all of our needs, and we do need to have faith to have enough. The problem is that in the Western industrialized world, the notion of ‘enough’ and of basic living requirements have become out of proportion. A trip to some of our poorer neighbor countries always sets us back into proper perspectives. The Master really only offered us food and clothing. He Himself did not have a place to live, but of course, He also didn’t raise a family of small children, which definitely requires a ‘nest’.
The idea of the proverb today is really not about rich or poor. It is about our spirit’s natural tendency to bigotry. Even as affluent people, we should not feel uncomfortable to ‘hang’ around those of lower means.
The Master exemplified our day’s proverb very well. Just as Moses left the Pharaoh’s palace to go be with his brethren, the slaves, from the Mighty domains of the Father’s Kingdom, Yeshua came to hang with us.
The apostle puts it in the following words, For ye know the grace of our Master, Yeshua haMashiach, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich ( 2 Corinthians 8:9).
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