The Rich Poor and the Poor Rich

Money means problems, whether we are poor, middle class, or rich. Whether we have it or lack it, money causes fear, anxiety, and stress, while also straining our relationships with God and others. That’s why Jesus spoke more about money than any other subject.

How can we improve our relationship to money and therefore to God and to others? Proverbs 13:7 points the way: “One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth” (13:7).

Bruce Waltke calls this verse “wonderfully ambiguous”16 because the handful of Hebrew words behind it can be translated in three ways—“make,” “delude,” or “pretend”—each of which challenges us with regard to our relationship with money, and therefore to God.

We Value Ourselves Wrongly (13:7)

One makes himself rich, yet has nothing. Bob was materially rich but spiritually poor. A ruthless businessman, he squeezed his suppliers’ margins, overworked and underpaid his workers, and ripped off his customers with poorly made but overpriced goods. When he looked at his bank balance, he saw riches. When God looked at his life, he saw poverty. He had no ethics, no friends, no faith, and no relationship with God. Bob’s spiritual bankruptcy ended in eternal bankruptcy (Luke 16:22–24). He made himself rich, yet had nothing.

Another makes himself poor, yet has great wealth. James asked, “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5). We can be materially poor but spiritually rich.

It’s better to be the rich poor than the poor rich.

But I think I’ve got money sorted out. Why should I be worried?

We Delude Ourselves Easily (13:7)

One thinks himself rich, yet has nothing. Mike Tyson earned $400 million, and at one point had $300 million in the bank, yet in 2007 he filed for bankruptcy. He was rich, but he wasn’t that rich. Like many, he thought he had a lot of money, but he didn’t have as much as he thought. Similarly, people can delude themselves into thinking they have spiritual riches, when they are spiritually bankrupt (Rev. 3:17–18).

Another thinks he is poor, yet he is rich. The rich have less than they think, but the poor have more than they think. America’s poor may be poor compared to other Americans, but they are rich compared to most of the world’s poor. Yet, because some don’t have everything, they think themselves poor.

We’re deluded if we think we can’t be deluded.

What happens when we delude ourselves? We mislead others.

We Pretend to Others Convincingly 13:7

One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing. Most of us want to be thought of as richer and more successful than we really are. Bernie Madoff, the king of Ponzi schemes, lived a lavish lifestyle while conducting one of the biggest financial frauds of all time, eventually costing his clients $65 billion. He died in prison in 2021.

Another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. Oil tycoon Jean Paul Getty was worth more than two billion dollars when he died. Yet he installed a pay telephone in one of his homes to make sure friends and family paid for calls.

Be a giver, not an actor.

Changing Our Story with God’s Story

Though Jesus had the riches of heaven, he made himself poor. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake, he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). Increased faith is far more valuable than increased finance, and having God is worth more than having gold.

Summary: How can we improve our relationship to money and therefore to God and to others? Be honest with God, yourself, and others when it comes to your financial and spiritual wealth.

Question: How is money damaging your relationship to God (and others), and how can you change that?

Prayer: Supreme Investor, help me to manage your gifts in a way that glorifies you, benefits me, and does good to others.