Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour. (Proverbs 19:4)
Truth in the Word found in Proverbs often verbalizes the unspoken facts of life. Those who study the Bible understand the great wisdom found in the book, yet often remain oblivious to it.
A Framework for Understanding Poverty
Intolerance of the poor seems rampant, especially in areas where conservative religious and political view prevail.
When financial hardships come to government, politicians turn to cut programs for the poor first. Here in South Carolina, our new governor made cutting Medicaid and unemployment benefits her #1 priority. Having accomplished that early in her term, she now wears it as a badge of honor.
Meanwhile, the wealthy continue to pillage the public coffers as waste and nepotism exact their ugly toll on the state. Of course, reality matches our study of the Bible.
Wealth
The wealthy like to tell the poor to get a job and to lift themselves up by their own bootstraps. That classic chant of American intolerance sounds good on the surface. Unfortunately, the wealthy conspire to hoard wealth in detrimental ways.
The wealthy have a lot of friends. They have those who want their money maneuvering to get it. Then there are those whose interest the wealthy seek to buy.
Wealth enables people to pursue their interests and to become interesting people who have plenty to offer regarding friendship.
When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor… and Yourself
The poor
What do the poor have to share? What about them is attractive? Nothing on both counts. The poor can’t talk about their trips because they are trapped in th hood.
They can’t have parties and dinners because they have small homes and scarce food. They have no hobbies because they cannot afford them.
If people happen to drop by, there is nthing to offer them for food or entertainment. If they are home and not working.
The poor are separated from their neighbor because they are so busy working and dealing with the troubles of poverty that they have no time to commune or develop relationships.
The vulnerabilities of the poor
The poor have no power because they have no friends. The poor have nothing to offer the wealthy who control the government, so they get left to starve while the wealthy enrich way other.
With no one to regard them, the poor are left in the endless struggle for survival while the wealthy enjoy the fullness of life.
It’s bad enough that our society operates this way: how awful it is when churches work this way too!
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