POVERTY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE WORD OF GOD
INTRODUCTION
This study aims to understand poverty in light of the Scriptures, analyzing its causes, its consequences, and God’s perspective on the subject. The Bible addresses poverty in various ways—material, spiritual, social, and eschatological. God’s Word offers us both warnings and hope.
POVERTY AND HUMAN CAUSES
Laziness and Corruption as Causes
Proverbs 10:3-5 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but He thwarts the craving of the wicked. He who works with a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a son who brings shame.
The purpose of these proverbs is to warn us against unjust gain and to show that the cause of much poverty is laziness and corruption. The biblical reason is that the Lord does not let the righteous go hungry.
The Bible also reveals that poverty is not always the result of individual laziness. There is poverty caused by structural pressure, judicial injustice, and exploitation.
Amos 5:11-12 You oppress the poor… therefore you will not dwell in the houses you have built.
James 5:4 The wages of the workers who harvested your fields, which you withheld by fraud, are crying out against you.
Exodus 23:6 You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits.
Not all poverty stems from laziness; much arises from injustice, exploitation, and oppression. The believer must discern and combat both causes.
Greed and the Sense of Superiority.
A sense of superiority is shameful, for it breeds greed and envy in people. This is the cause of much poverty in the world. Oppressive power breeds fear and appropriates the material possessions of others.
Believers must be very wary of feelings of superiority and the desire to possess; otherwise, injustice may arise regarding the treasure we seek.
The Bible declares that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation… the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
Luke 6:24 But woe to you who are rich now, for you have already received your comfort.
Matthew 19:24 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle…
The danger of wealth is just as serious as that of poverty. The Bible warns as much about the dangers of accumulation as it does about the dangers of want.
POVERTY AND DIVINE PROVIDENCE
God is the Provision for His People.
Psalm 37:25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread.
The Lord establishes the steps of good people, even when they face material hardship. All who accept Jesus should expect a wealth defined by a long-term perspective. Note that Israel was under God’s care, yet Israel became entangled with pagan nations, and poverty struck Israel suddenly. Their gold, silver, and copper—as well as their children and wives—were all taken away.
God has always been the provision for His people. He always met their physical needs, even when severe trials arose—such as wars, famines, and harsh economic or social conditions. Yet now, because of sin, the leaders of Babylon had seized their material possessions.
God does not promise the righteous an absence of material poverty, but He does promise His presence and provision.
Philippians 4:11-12 I have learned to adapt to any and every circumstance… I know what it is to be in need and what it is to have plenty.
Matthew 8:20 The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.
2 Corinthians 6:10 …sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich.
Job, Jeremiah, Paul, and Jesus Himself experienced want. Understand that material poverty is not automatically a sign of sin or divine abandonment.
POVERTY AND CHRISTIAN SERVICE
Greatness in the Kingdom is Found in Service.
Matthew 20:26-28 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be a servant, and whoever wants to be first must be a slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The Church’s power should serve as an example to the world’s rulers, yet prominent leaders have failed in this regard. Jesus rejected the worldly model of governance for His disciples. He declared that greatness in the Kingdom of God is measured neither by exercising dominance over others nor by material wealth, but by one’s dedication to serving one’s neighbor.
There is no biblical basis for a believer to seek higher positions in order to exercise authority or dominion over others. On the contrary, one should dedicate one’s life to helping people.
The positive model is found in the early Church, which practiced sharing.
Acts 2:44-45 All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
2 Corinthians 8:13-15 It is not a matter of relieving others while you yourselves become overburdened, but rather a matter of equality.
The answer to corruption is not merely denunciation, but the practice of a Kingdom economic alternative—one based on sharing, service, and equality.
The Corruption of Religious Leadership.
It was Jesus who redeemed us; it was Jesus who paid the ransom. Yet, some church leaders are now charging—and collecting with interest and inflation adjustments—for the salvation that was given freely. They have discovered that the blood of Christ holds great value—my God!
Observe: where a church leader is materially wealthy, the members are poor. This is a system of a purely human nature. These leaders are driven by the sins of superiority, envy, and greed. They view poverty as an evil, yet they will not share their possessions with anyone.
Corrupt pastoral leaders impoverish people both spiritually and physically; they destroy dreams and prospects. This is a time when human governments have drawn some church leaders into spiritual degradation.
Romans 2:21-22 Non You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you commit sacrilege?
Spiritual poverty is the most serious of all.
Revelation 3:17 You say: “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and need nothing.” Yet you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
James 2:5 – Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom He promised to those who love Him?
There are those who are materially rich but wretched before God, and those who are materially poor but rich in faith. True wealth is spiritual.
POVERTY AND THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST.
Jesus Christ Voluntarily Became Poor.
2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that through His poverty you might become rich.
The *kenosis* of Christ is the supreme model to follow.
Philippians 2:5-8 Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus… He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant.
Luke 2:7. He was born in a manger.
John 19:23-24. He died naked, with lots cast for His garments.
Jesus did not merely speak about poverty; He was poor. Voluntary poverty out of love for one’s neighbor is a virtue, not a source of shame. The Church that follows Christ cannot despise the poor, for its Lord was one of them.
POVERTY AND ESCHATOLOGICAL HOPE
Matthew 6:19-20. Do not store up treasures on earth… but store up treasures in heaven.
Revelation 21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain.
Poverty will be definitively overcome not by material prosperity in this present age, but by the consummation of the Kingdom. The Christian perspective on poverty is eschatological. We already experience the Kingdom, though not yet fully.
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Christian hope lies not in the accumulation of earthly goods, but in the promise of the coming Kingdom, where every tear will be wiped away.
CONCLUSION. There is nothing new under the sun. Wrongdoing has existed for over 2,000 years. In these times, unbelievers blaspheme the name of the Lord Jesus. Believers themselves are the first to dishonor Him, for they neither practice nor live out what they preach.
Spiritual corruption brings the greatest discredit to the Gospel. Some leaders have used the name of Jesus for personal gain, building mansions and now flaunting their wealth on social media.
2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
Poverty cannot rob people of the spiritual sensitivity to be rich in God’s grace. Poverty becomes folly when there is a reckless pursuit of material wealth. Absurdities occur when people lose humility regarding their possessions.
All presumption is folly; it is harmful and evil. The glory of the poor lies in being rich in spirit through Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. The Word of God brings understanding that surpasses all thoughts regarding poverty. We are neither saved by wealth nor condemned by poverty, but rather by the grace of Christ, who became poor to enrich us.
We embrace the Biblical principles extracted from the Word of God for the prosperity of the believer, which is prosperity in “all things including the soul and being in good health” (3 John 1:2)
Psalms 35: 27 Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”
The inclusion of the prosperity of the soul is what separates the believer from the individual who relentlessly pursues “materialistic prosperity” at all cost.
Jesus Himself warns us of the perils of pursuing this path.
Matthew 16:26
26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
From this we can immediately conclude that material wealth and possessions do not validate the level of spirituality/God consciousness of an individual.
FAITHFULNESS, CONFIDENCE AND TRUSTING IN THE INTEGRITY OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD ATTRACTS PROSPERITY
The words of Job after he had suffered great loss reveals a heart that is after God
Job 1:20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” 22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
Job rebukes his wife for her “counsel”, revealing his integrity and internal code of righteousness
Job 2:9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Job trusted in the integrity of the righteousness of God to reward faithfulness in His sons through seasons of testing that reveal His Divine nature (gold)
Job 23:10 But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
Proverbs 28:20 A faithful man will abound with blessings ….
Faithfulness, which is credited as righteousness attracts prosperity (Genesis 15:6)
Job 42:12 Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters.
THE APOSTLE PAUL HOLDS A SIMILAR POSITION CONCERNING HIS PROSPERITY
Philippians 4:11-13
11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Paul says “for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content”
The Greek word for learned is …….
manthánṓ̄
to have learned something, to understand it; it is equivalent to epiginṓskō (G1921), to know more fully. The synonymous use is also indicated in 2 Timothy 3:7 where the two words, manthánō and epígnōsis (G1922), a full knowledge, are used
This would infer that this is not a random or emotionally inspired thought that Paul had; Paul was fully convicted and persuaded through the “manthano process” that his state of “prosperity” had no influence on his relationship with Christ
Like Job, Paul chose to worship the Lord in all circumstances. The acid test of the believer’s faithfulness in the Lord is evidenced by our ability to worship the Lord in the absence of prosperity. This reveals the true inclination of the soul.
When the believer, like Paul, is able to keep his eyes fixed on Christ in all circumstances, in sickness or in health, in abundance or in lack, then the believer has command over his or her soul.
This is a major expression of DOMINION.
WHEN WE DEMONSTRATE DOMINION OVER THE STATE OF OUR SOUL
David commanded his soul and all that was within him to “BLESS THE LORD”
Psalms 103:1
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
COMMAND THE SOUL TO DEMONSTRATE RIGHTEOUSNESS IN SACRIFICIAL GIVING
Malachi 3:8-9
8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.
9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.
Not only the corrupt priesthood, but also the whole nation of Israel has been held accountable for defrauding the storehouse of God. A failure to address this Divine observation uttered by the prophet of God would attract judgement over the potential agricultural harvest and prosperity of the nation.
This is a “revelation and reflection” of the condition of the “soul” of the priesthood and the whole nation.
2 Chronicles 20:20
20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”
THE REFORMATION BROUGHT BY JESUS CHRIST – A NEW COVENANT
Jesus flipped the tables and He drove out the money changers in the Temple; He dismantled operations that sold doves. He declared the house of His Father had become “a den of thieves” and a place for the exploitation of the people of God. His actions announced the season of Reformation in the Temple by declaring His Father’s House as a “House of Prayer”
The spirit of Jesus resonates with the Prophet Malachi who declared the priesthood and the nation as “robbers”
This season of Reformation in perfect alignment with the Word of God is demonstrated by Jesus, the One who is greater than the Temple
Matthew 12:6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.
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