The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. – Proverbs 14:15

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 3, 2019): Proverbs 14

Political Satirist P. J. O’Rourke writes;

When government does, occasionally, work, it works in an elitist fashion. That is, government is most easily manipulated by people who have money and power already. This is why government benefits usually go to people who don't need benefits from government. Government may make some environmental improvements, but these will be improvements for rich bird-watchers. And no one in government will remember that when poor people go bird-watching they do it at Kentucky Fried Chicken (P. J. O’Rourke, All the Trouble in the World).

Money influences us. Attaining great wealth in our culture means that we assume that wisdom is also present. Those with money are judged to be good people, while those who lack wealth are often considered to be simple or even lazy fools. The economic cultural divide in our society is very real. The poor are relegated to deal with themselves, while the rich congregate together.

But that is not the way it is supposed to be inside the Christian Church. When Paul writes his condemnation of the Corinthian practice of “The Lord’s Supper,” he was speaking against this division between the rich and poor. The rich were able to get to the meeting early, and they would eat all of the food that had actually been reserved to celebrate “The Lord’s Supper,” so that when the poor arrived at the meeting, there was nothing left so that the poor could also participate in the celebration. Because of this situation, Paul asks the Corinthian Church “do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing” (1 Corinthians 11:22)?

Solomon reminds his readers of what the world around him is like. We shun the poor, even when they are our neighbors, while the rich have positions of influence. Solomon was looking at his own culture, but his words cut like a knife through our culture where the rich, and the children of the rich, have immense power and fame for no other reason than that they have money. The attitude of entitlement displayed by those with money in our culture continues to be a problem, even in the church. And when we honor the rich and their ideas over that of the poor, when we give recognition to the rich while ignoring the poor, we are committing a very real sin against God. When the poor are shunned while the rich are honored, then Paul’s question to the Corinthians needs to be directed straight at us as well. “Do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing” (1 Corinthians 11:22)? I am just not sure what our answer would be.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 15