Dr. Stieglitz
May 17, 20171 min
Proverbs 17:5
"He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker;
He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished."
The word mock means to deride, to ridicule, to treat with contempt. When we are arrogant and look down our noses about the station in life of others and somehow feel that because we are in a different station we are better, we are challenging and taunting God's wisdom.
In the United States, we have embraced that idea that no one needs to remain poor, and, therefore, their financial condition is their own responsibility. While the idea of personal responsibility is a biblical idea and a needed theme in every culture, personal responsibility isn't the only reason, cause, and solution to poverty. A person's station in life must take into account the cultural values that one is immersed in; nor the relative justice or injustice around the person; nor opportunities for advancement and the needed mental, physical, and emotional skills needed to take advantage of them. God does, in some cases, put a person in a circumstance in which they will not be able to make much money, but that person should not be derided or mocked or insulted or put down because they have little money.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz