Articles
Proverbs To Live By (30:8-9)
Give me neither poverty nor riches – feed me with the food You prescribe for me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God.
This proverb counsels contentment, being satisfied with God’s provisions for us. It presents two extremes – poverty and riches – and it identifies each as being a potential source of temptation.
Greed is not merely a weakness of the wealthy. Sometimes poverty is the result of those who crave but also recklessly squander their resources. Perpetual need drives many to sinful activities in order to acquire more that quickly runs through their fingers.
On the other hand, abundance creates the illusion of well-being, of having control of one’s life and circumstances. Success and wealth open the door to pride and consequent denial of a need for God. This is well-documented in the case of Israel, a nation that entered Canaan and promptly forgot the God who got them there.
The key, then, is contentment with little or much so that God is kept clearly in focus.
