Proverbs 19:17 Commentary and Bible Study

Our attitude to the poor is an important test of the presence of mercy in our hearts. Do we turn our back on the needy, attributing our relative affluence to our own skill and ready to blame them for their own condition? Certainly the fact that Christ says we will always have the poor with us and the apostles’ concern to remember the poor suggest that we should not think like this. There may be obvious cases in which it is clear that the beggar in question is a fraud, but this ought not to be our default assumption. We should instead give thanks to God for delivering us from poverty and realise that it is his kindness to us and not our superior competence that has made the difference. Even where people are to blame for their miserable status, because they have turned to gambling or drink, we should still be capable of pity, for the Lord has delivered us from many of the evil consequences of our behaviour. What is beautiful about this proverb is the exercise of faith involved in giving to the poor. We give because we believe that God sees our giving and is pleased with it, and will take it into account in how he assigns future blessing to us. We do not draw attention to what we have done before men in a desire to obtain praise from them, but we do it secretly in a way that only God can see. We give wisely but we give confident that this is pleasing to the Lord and he forgets nothing. We do not give ostentatiously, but we give in reliance on God to read the motive of our hearts. Thus we have secret communion with the Lord and rejoice that this is something that we share with him alone. We do it also in confidence that God will repay us. It is something wonderful to see how he repays us, for the reward comes often in a way that we could never have predicted, and in a way that fills us with admiration for his sovereign control over all the affairs of our lives. We praise him for his thoughtfulness towards us which goes far beyond what we deserve and beyond what we might imagine. On reflection, we are amazed that he takes so much trouble with each individual human being and that no detail escapes his attention.