A Good Name is Better than Great Riches—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 16B (Proverbs 22)
Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
22 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.
2 The rich and the poor have this in common:
the Lord is the maker of them all.8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of anger will fail.
9 Those who are generous are blessed,
for they share their bread with the poor.22 Do not rob the poor because they are poor
or crush the afflicted at the gate,
23 for the Lord pleads their cause
and despoils of life those who despoil them.
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Many
years ago, back when I was a youth minister, I would pay a visit to members of
my youth group during lunch at the high school. I would bring with me a booklet
with the Book of Proverbs (Living Bible) to use as a conversation starter. It
seemed like a good idea since Proverbs was designed to serve as instruction for
life, with young men especially in mind. According to the opening chapter of
this collection of sayings, aphorisms, and teachings, was intended to provide
“learning about wisdom and instruction, for understanding words of insight, for
gaining instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity; . . .
“ (Prov. 1:2-3). The question posed by
the curator of the collection (the collection is attributed to Solomon) is
whether the reader will choose wisdom or foolishness. Happy are those who
choose wisdom.
While
authorship and dating, as with the Song of Solomon, is unknown, it has had a
strong influence on Christian life. There are both positives and negatives
connected to the book, in large part because at certain points some of the
proverbs suggest that goodness and wealth are connected. But that is not true
for this reading. More about that in a moment. First, we can ascertain a bit of
information about context. While attributed to Solomon, most likely this is a
post-exilic collection. Alyce McKenzie notes that during and after the exile,
with the people separated from the temple, the king, and land needed something
to sustain them. Therefore, they created Wisdom Literature, one book of which
is Proverbs. She points out that “wisdom writings offered practical teachings
to keep the young from self-destructive behaviors and loss of religious
identity. In life around them, the sages discerned patterns of act and
consequence, cause and effect, and thought that the path of wisdom leads to
positive outcomes while the path of folly leads to self-destruction” [The Preachers Bible Handbook, p. 114]. Throughout history, literature has
appeared that seeks to inculcate practical wisdom so that readers, especially
young readers, will pursue the right paths. Reality might suggest that things
don’t always work out as one might hope, but if we pursue the right paths, we
are more likely to end up where we want to be. Now, whether we will all be
healthy, wealthy, and wise is not guaranteed.
The
selection from Proverbs chosen for this particular week comes from Proverbs 22.
The focus is on wealth and economics. These passages suggest that whether we
are rich or poor we’re all created by God. It doesn’t matter whether we are
rich or poor, it is important to remember that we are all created by God and
bear God’s image. Therefore, we are all equal in the sight of God. So, a good
name is better than great riches. Therefore, wisdom suggests that it is good to
care for the poor and the marginalized of society.
There
are those in our midst who have made the pursuit of wealth their prime concern.
“Greed is good” declared Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. But Jesus declared: “Take
care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not
consist in the abundance of possessions” (Luke
12:15). The apocryphal book Sirach, a collection similar to Proverbs, has
something helpful to say about being greedy: “The eyes of the greedy are
not satisfied with their share; greedy injustice withers the soul” (Sirach
14:9). The question we all face is pretty simple: How much is enough?
As we
ponder this question let us begin with the opening line that speaks of the
importance of a good name. Song-Mi Suzie Park points out, helpfully, that
“One’s name in the Hebrew Bible is not simply a designation but denotes one’s
reputation, fame, or essential essence” [Connections, p. 283]. While we can’t take riches to the grave, a
name can last well beyond our lifetimes. Consider that we often talk about
history being the judge of someone, such as a President. When we compare
Presidents, James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson, the predecessor and successor of
Abraham Lincoln, are considered among the worst Presidents in United States
history, while Lincoln is hailed as one of the greatest. That is true, though,
during his Presidency, Lincoln faced a lot of criticism. It is better to have a
good name than great riches.
Here is
the thing that needs to be remembered, according to the second verse of
Proverbs 22. “The rich and the poor have this in common; the Lord is the maker
of them all.” We are all, no matter who we are, made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26).
While equality is not a current reality, and may never be so on this side of judgment
day, in terms of how God looks at things, there is no hierarchy.
When we
drop down to verses 8 and 9, the sayings contrast those who “sow injustice” with those who are generous. Those who “sow
injustice” will “reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail.” There is, you
might say, no wisdom in sowing injustice. Those who sow injustice will end up suffering
God’s judgment. On the other hand, those who are generous will be blessed,
especially when they “share their bread with the poor.” Now, we could read this
as a call for good people to engage in charity, such that a few loaves of bread
are sufficient. It’s worth remembering that these Proverbs are designed to
speak not just to ordinary people but more importantly to rulers. So, while some
suggest that the responsibility for dealing with poverty should flow to the
churches, relieving the government of its responsibility, probably are
misreading this text. What people of God can do is advocate for change, so that
we not only care for the poor but alleviate the conditions, the injustices,
that lead to poverty.
To stay with the theme of equality
and justice for all, we drop down to verses 22-23. This third set of verses makes
the point even clearer. In verse 22, the author of the Proverb warns against
robbing the poor because they are poor or crush the afflicted at the gate. The
latter phrase reminds us that the poor and disabled would often sit at the
gates of a city or town asking for alms. The warning here is not to crush them.
When it comes to the rich robbing the poor, I am reminded here of the parable Nathan
told David about a rich man taking the beloved lamb of the impoverished
neighbor, after David took Bathsheba, sexually assaulted her, and then had her
husband killed (2 Sam. 12:1-14). There are many different reasons why people
fall into poverty, but the truth is the poor are often defenseless and easily
exploited. They have little to offer the powerful, so what they do have is
often taken from them. Consider for a moment regressive tax policies, like
tariffs and sales taxes that fall inordinately on the poor because they end up footing
the bill so the rich can get tax cuts. It has been said that the rich get richer,
and the poor get poorer. Some might bring in the principles of “social
Darwinism” (not to be confused with biological evolution, which this idea seeks
to emulate socially)—those who are the fittest will survive and be successful.
Our reading ends with a warning to
those who would rob the poor and crush the afflicted. Verse 23 tells us that
God will plead “their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them.” In
other words, those who oppress the poor and afflicted will face divine
judgment. Because God has a “preferential option for the poor,” the oppressors
will reap what they sow. We might think here of the Judgment scene in Matthew
25, where Jesus separates the sheep from the goats (Mt. 25:31-46). The Letter
of James warns the church against showing partiality to the rich over the poor.
The
word that follows speaks of God’s role in all of this. In verse 23 we hear that
“the Lord pleads their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them.”
Could this be a foundational text for the principle of God’s “preferential
option for the poor”? In a passage from the New Testament, the Letter of James
warns against showing partiality to the rich over the poor. Indeed, James
writes to the people of God: “Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be
rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who
love him?” (James 2:5). In fact, James suggests that his readers might want to
remember that it is the rich, not the poor who oppress them. So, if favoritism
needs to be shown to anyone, it should be the one who is poor.
As we
ponder this passage, let us consider, especially during an election season at a
time when many are struggling financially, our responsibility as God’s people
to stand with those in need, even as God stands with them. We would be wise as
well to consider what these verses tell us about God and what God is concerned
about. Glen Scorgie makes this point clear when he writes: “To know God, which
is surely the loftiest of Christian aspirations, involves apprehending God
intellectually and experientially, but also and ultimately to care about what
God cares about” [Connections, p. 285]. Indeed, for a good name is better than great
riches!
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