A Proverb

Proverbs 16:7 says, "When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (NKJV). That can be a very encouraging Scripture. The thing of it is, though, it didn't really  work that way for Abel. Nor did it work that way for John the Baptizer, or the other prophets, or the apostles, or even Jesus Christ. So we might look at that and say, "Hey, what gives?" Well, here's what gives. The book of Proverbs is an example of wisdom literature. Which means it contains very basic, generalized advice on life. In other words, it is a big book of whopping generalizations. Gasp! It's true.

Referencing Proverbs 22:6, Christian writer, Kathy Howard, points this out exquisitely, in item number two of her article, 10 Bible Verses Everyone Gets Wrong.

Another example, which makes our point even more obvious, is Proverbs 26:4-5:

"Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes"(NKJV).

So here we have two consecutive verses, each one seeming to be a direct and glaring contradiction to the other. Well which is it, oh wise King Solomon? Please tell us! One must make a judgement call, on a case-by-case basis, whether or not to bother answering a fool.

But here is the big point that I really want to make. You can not use the book of Proverbs as an excuse to not have compassion on those who are fallen on hard times. You are not promised that if you follow Solomon's advice, you will never need help from anyone. Nor are you promised that no one will ever need any help from you. One of the worst things that a Christian can do is point to a proverb about wise and responsible living, and use it to blame and judge those who are living in hardship. When we, as Christians, do that, we are failing God. And it is shameful. Some time ago, I was telling a fellow Christian about a local ministry called Ruth's Harvest, which donates food items for school kids who otherwise would not have a lunch. The man's response was, "That's great. It's such a shame, though, that there are so many dead-beat parents". There may be some dead-beats out there, I'm sure there are. But not everyone who is poor got that way by being lazy or irresponsible. Many of them got that way just by living in a broken world that caters to the rich and the strong, ensuring that the rich will almost always get richer, and the poor will in most cases stay poor. 

And by the way, no one should have to put in 60-70 hours every week, or dish out tens and scores of thousands of dollars for college, just to be able to make ends meet. A person who refuses to do those things is not lazy or irresponsible. On the contrary, that person has more sense and than a lot of the greed-driven maniacs that populate the earth. And there is no shame in having to live with roommates or family members. What is a shame is that the cost of living is so high that many people have little  choice but to live with roommates or family.

But consider this commandment:

"If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you" (Leviticus 25:35, NKJV).

The so-called social gospel is not the whole gospel; but it is a part of the whole gospel. This is made clear in Galatians 2:9-10 where Paul describes James and Peter's acceptance of Paul as an apostle of Christ, and minister of His gospel. Verse 10 reads, "Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do" (NLT).