Principles Pertaining to Prosperity and Poverty

The material for this devo is borrowed from an article I read by Bob Deffinbaugh called “A Proper Perspective of Poverty and Prosperity”. This is an extremely important as we continue to see the ways our lives are set up with so many opportunities for us to do well in society and earn a good living. At the same time, we have been challenged as a church to see the poverty around us and in the world and how we are suppose to respond as Christians. Let’s see what God is going to share with us in today’s text.

Read Genesis 47:13-31

Here it is important to understand the whole story of Joseph. I hope that you have been following with us in this whole series of Genesis devotions and have come along with us in the narrative. If you haven’t, I hope that you have time to do that. We get to the point of the story where Joseph is in charge and administering food for Pharaoh. This is an extremely important job as there is a severe famine in the land.
As you read this passage, we see that the verses describe the prosperity of Pharaoh and the people of God in amidst poverty and famine. It is important for us to see several principles which help us to more precisely define the relationship between prosperity and poverty. I have selected just two principles from his article:

1) Prosperity is not a right, but a privilege and a responsibility. In the Old Testament God promised Israel prosperity if they would faithfully obey Him and keep His commandments as described in Deuteronomy 15:4-6. But God also made it clear that while this was His promise, this ideal would never be fully realized – “For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, “You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land” Deuteronomy 15:11. In the book of Proverbs it is oft repeated that prosperity is the result of diligence, while poverty is the result of idleness. Paul in Philippians challenges us to learn the secret of contentment which he has in both poverty and prosperity. Wealth is to be employed in ministry to others. Poverty does not prohibit a genuine desire to minister, while prosperity provides greater opportunity and greater responsibility.

2) The problem of poverty cannot be solved simplistically. The simple solution to the problem of the famine in Egypt, we suppose, would have been for Joseph to open up the granaries of Egypt and give the grain to the Egyptians. The question then becomes, “On what basis should the grain be given out?” How would you feel about the fellow who drove up in his new Rolls Royce and asked you to “fill er up” with grain? Welfare is never quite so simple as it first seems. In some scriptures we are told to give to those in need: He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his food to the poor as stated in Proverbs 22:9. Then we see in 2 Thess. 3:10 – “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat.”

We have a wide range of responsibilities to the poor because there are a wide variety of reasons for poverty. To those who are willfully poor, that is, those who will not work, we have no obligation but to rebuke them. We must allow their hunger to prod them into activity. For those who are temporarily without funds, we should loan them money with the expectation of being paid back, but not with interest. Others who are completely helpless should be given what they need with no thought of repayment.

Two primary goals should be fixed in our mind regarding charity that really benefits the recipient: First, it should seek to preserve the dignity of the needy; and second, it should promote the diligence of the needy. In Old Testament times the able-bodied who were in need were provided for by leaving sufficient food for them to glean.

I hope that we reflect on the passage and also these principles to allow God shape our hearts, minds and understanding of how God wants us to live as His disciples. It is important for us to see the ways God continues to lead us and gives us wisdom from Him to be able to handle all of life’s complexities.