Reflections of the Proverbs, Part 11
November 20, 2025 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
Let’s talk about money. I know for many, talking about money is uncomfortable. It is a personal topic and we do not like others getting nosey and passing judgment. The Bible, however, has a lot to say about money, especially the Proverbs. One has observed that the Proverbs have more to say about money and the issues related to money than any other topic. By one count, there are 109 unique proverbs addressing this topic (these do include the proverbs confronting sloth, which I treat as a separate topic). Throughout human history money has always been a source of temptation and a stumbling block. Therefore, it is the way of the wise to allow Scripture speak into our lives about our money. I’ll break down my observations under six headings.
Big Picture: Honor the Lord
Like all the other topics that Proverbs addresses, the issue of wealth or money is a matter of the heart. If we treasure God and his ways in our hearts above all else, we will handle money rightly. Proverbs 3:9-10 captures this picture big perspective, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” When we put God first, everything in our lives will be rightly ordered.
There are Many Things Better than Wealth
The Proverbs never condemn wealth, nor do they commend it as ultimate. Wealth can be seen as a blessing, but it never is viewed as essential. The Proverbs communicate a healthy perspective on wealth through several comparisons. In 3:14-15 wisdom is better than the gain from silver and gold. 15:16 says that the fear of the Lord is better than great treasure. In 16:8 righteousness is better than great revenues. 16:19 says it is better to be of a lowly spirit than to gain spoil with the proud. 19:1 tells us that integrity is better than wealth. And 19:22 says that it is better to be poor than a liar, implying that truthfulness is better than wealth. Lastly, 22:1 says a good name is better than great riches. Through these comparisons, Proverbs teaches us to keep wealth in its place. There are many things more valuable than wealth.
Sloth vs. Diligence
Tied to the topic of laziness, the Proverbs teach that sloth leads to poverty and diligence brings wealth. For example, 10:4 says, “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” Of course, we can think of examples of lazy people enjoying great wealth and hard-working people scrapping by. But the proverb takes into consideration the impact on the people around us. Our laziness brings nothing to others. Our diligence brings blessings to others.
Generosity
Perhaps we would assume the Proverbs would have something to say about generosity. And they do; generosity with wealth demonstrates one’s heart is free from the love of money. 11:24 says, “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” While commending generosity, the Proverbs demonstrate that the lack of generosity is actually harmful to oneself. Again, 28:22 says, “A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him.”
Hasty, Immoral Gains
The Proverbs also call out immoral means of gaining wealth. One of these means is haste, which implies unethical attainment of wealth without working hard. For example, 13:11 says, “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.” And 20:21 says, “An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end.” The Proverbs would not commend “get-rich-quick” schemes. Of course, there is the general warning against “unjust gain” in 15:27, “Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live.”
Care for the Poor
The last area to highlight from the Proverbs is the attitude to the poor we ought to have. 14:31 bluntly states, “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him” (cf. 17:5). The poor are near and dear to God. If you mistreat the poor, you mistreat God himself. The consequences can be harsh. 21:13 says, “Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.” We might wonder, then, how 14:20 fits into this strong perspective on the poor. “The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends” (14:20). This seems to say that it is better to be rich than poor. But the very next verse confronts that false assumption. Verse 21 says, “Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.” In other words, if we dislike our poor neighbor, we are sinners. It’s the world that wrongly weighs friendship with one’s wealth.
I hope you catch the picture here that the Proverbs have a lot to say about money. If we do not let God disciple us in our heart attitude towards money, we stubbornly cling to the way of the fool. The way of the wise seeks to honor the Lord with our wealth.
