Sunday, January 22, 2012

Proverbs 29:13 commentary; both the poor and his oppressor need Christ

13 ¶ The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD lighteneth both their eyes.

The contrast here is between the poor and the deceitful rich man, the usurer who charges interest to the poor (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36; Ezekiel 8, 13, 17: 22:12), the oppressor (Proverbs 22:22; Amos 4:1; Zechariah 7:10; James 2:6.) Notice the use of deceit by parallel phrasing in the following verses.

Micah 6:10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? 11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? 12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

The implication here is regarding the man who gains his wealth by trickery, particularly taking advantage of and preying on the poor.

God is the only one who can enlighten the minds of both the victim and the victimizer. Salvation for the just and the unjust, the evil and the good, the poor and his oppressor can only come through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit of God opens up the eyes of the poor man and the rich to their need for salvation, to the wickedness of their hearts, and whether or not in this wicked world system you are the bug or you are the windshield you desperately need Christ before you die and “split Hell wide open” entering therein.

We can understand the deceitful and crooked going to Hell but the point is that being the poor victim doesn’t mean you get a pass in eternity. Both types of people must be saved or spend eternity in agony undescribable and regret unending.

Proverbs 22:2 The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.

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