Proverbs

Proverbs 22: The LORD made rich and poor

Begin in prayer

Before we read that the LORD made both rich and poor, let us bow before our Maker. Ask Him to teach our family trust, truthful words and care for those who are easily exploited.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.

Exodus 20:12

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Help us hear Your instruction and trust Your care. Show us our need for Jesus, and give us wisdom to teach children and protect vulnerable neighbors. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

A good name is better than riches, and the LORD made both rich and poor. Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth, honor and life, while the prudent avoid dangers that the simple ignore. Parents must train children, and the rod of discipline drives folly from their hearts. Generosity shares bread with the poor, while oppression and gifts used for advantage end in poverty. The wise sayings aim to teach trust in the LORD and give reliable words for sound answers. He will plead the poor person’s case and take the life of those who plunder them.

As you read Proverbs 22, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

The LORD made rich and poor, and His instruction teaches trust and forbids oppression.

Riches do not make one person a different kind of creature from another. Both stand before the LORD who made them, so poverty gives no permission to exploit a neighbor. A boundary stone marks the edge of someone’s land, and moving it steals what belongs to another. The LORD’s defense of the poor makes courtroom oppression a matter of life and judgment. The adulteress’s mouth is a deep pit, and the person under the LORD’s wrath falls into it. Within the home, training and correction address folly already rooted in the child’s heart. Verse 6 says a child trained in the way he should go “will not depart from it.” Like verse 4, this describes how God usually blesses wisdom, and it does not promise that every taught child will believe. The teacher’s stated aim is trust in the LORD, reaching beyond polished behavior to dependence on Him.

How does Proverbs 22 show us that the LORD made rich and poor, and His instruction teaches trust and forbids oppression?

Our Maker forbids taking advantage of the poor.

The rich and poor share the same Maker. The poor person’s weakness gives no right to steal land or crush him in court. The LORD will plead his case and judge those who plunder him.

The LORD’s instruction teaches trust within the home.

Wise words must be heard, kept and ready on the lips. Parents train children and correct the folly in their hearts. Loving instruction aims at trust in God, while a parent remains patient and self controlled.

Memorise

The rich and the poor have this in common: Yahweh is the maker of them all.

Proverbs 22:2

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, when have I been unkind to someone weaker, and will I bring it to Jesus?

“Yahweh is the maker of them all.” Wealth cannot lift us above His judgment, and poverty cannot remove our need for mercy. The folly of sin is bound within the heart.

Jesus came to redeem people who cannot make themselves clean. He bore the sins of His people in His body at the cross. He endured their condemnation and rose from death. His finished obedience and sacrifice are fully sufficient for their acceptance before God.

Turn from your selfishness and trust Jesus alone for salvation. Neither your family’s training nor your good name can take His place. Those who come to Him receive forgiveness freely. Ask Him for a heart that hears His instruction and shows mercy to others.

Parent's note

Tell your children that loving training addresses folly, while correction requires the parent’s self control and must never become harmful. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God for making rich and poor and teaching us to trust Him. Bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

Our Maker, thank You for teaching us the way of trust and mercy. Please turn us from pride and bring us to rest in Jesus. Give parents patient wisdom and children willing ears. Help us treat poor and powerful neighbors with honesty and refuse every opportunity to exploit weakness. Amen.