November 28

Nov 28 - Today from Proverbs 28 we look at verse 6
"Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverted."

I am not a Hebrew scholar, but as I look at the terms the Teacher uses in this verse, I can see a possible play on words. The term poor is derived from a term which literally means slacken or dangling. Put into the context of the verse it would portray a person who is weakened through lack. The word blameless speaks of completeness and integrity and could better be translated uprightness (KJV). Thus by using the word-picture of literal translation, the first statement brings to mind a picture of a slack rope dangling straight up and down from some sort of fixture.
The term rich is derived from a word that means accumulate. The word perverted literally means knot. Placed in the context of the verse it means distorted. Thus by using the word-picture of literal translation, the second statement brings to mind a picture of a rope which has accumulated knots and lies distorted from its original state. (It is interesting that Jesus drove out the perverted moneychangers from the temple with a whip made of knotted cords.)
This matches perfectly with the narrative of the Bible. God created man upright and useful for service to God and to his fellow man. Sin distorted God's original purposes and intent for man, and man became perverted by accumulating for himself.
This proverb speaks of values. Certainly not world values. When in the world is it ever better to be poor than to be rich? And who is it better for? As believers, we are to constantly remind ourselves: Our purpose and goal in life is not to live comfortably, but usefully. The straight up and down slack rope is much more readily useful to God and to others than is the rope lying all knotted up. There is no sin or shame in being rich, only in accumulating riches strictly for one's own comfort and enjoyment. Such a person is of little use to God and to His kingdom. One can be rich in goods without being an accumulator of goods. They can live in integrity and be ready for use when God leads. They do not 'own' their goods, they are 'God's stewards' of the goods in their possession. They seek to use their abilities and their resources to see God's justice (moral equity) prevail in a perverted world. But, there are very few of them.
If you have a concordance available, I invite you to look up the word rich, and then all of the passages in the gospels that contain the word. These are passages in which Jesus addresses the rich. I count twelve passages, and none have anything to say about the rich being blessed of God or useful to God. That was their choice, not God's.
In one of these passages Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 19:23)
The disciples were astonished. The intertestamental Jews of Jesus day had perverted the gospel to where the people believed that only the rich would enter the kingdom of heaven. "Who then can be saved?" they asked.
Jesus as much as replied, "I said it is hard, not impossible. With God all things are possible." Even to take the knots out of the rich and restore them to usefulness. Take Zacchaeus for instance. . .