Proverbs 10:15_

The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor. Proverbs‬ ‭10:15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I could write quite a bit about wealth and poverty. Some consider them both to be avoided. Yet they both instruct and are capable of providing great value.

Solomon uses the same phrase, speaking of the rich in another proverb, yet it describes wealth as a strong city, but only in his imagination or thoughts.

The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale. Proverbs‬ ‭18:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Having wealth does not make one rich in soul. Just like lack of money does not make one poor. Being rich is neither good nor bad. The same can be said for poverty. But both are most often the results of my behavior (which Solomon speaks of elsewhere). Yet they both can have an impact on the mind and heart. Jesus was given all things by his Father, yet was poor on earth. Herod had much wealth, even building a Jewish temple, yet worked diligently to kill Jewish babies when he felt threatened by Jesus’ birth.

My status when viewed in the context of my possessions can mess with my thoughts and attitudes. It can tell me things which may or may not be true. And nothing can be more of a barometer of security than wealth or poverty. With wealth, I know I can buy what I need, build, plan and be secure. And maybe even be a benefactor of public service (build a strong city). With poverty, it’s easy to forecast the impact of not having money: no food, no clothes, no roof. I am a city that one may invade and overrun! Terror.

It’s a mistake to rely on my earthly possessions as an indicator of my security. Jesus told a parable about a rich man and Lazarus who was destitute, comparing the provision each had on earth. Yet when this life was over, the tables were turned and Lazarus was the one to be envied.

It’s a mistake for me to over spiritualize wealth and poverty. There is an alignment with God and His kingdom that naturally and in real terms gives us all that we need. Even more than we need. But, must it be in my pocket before I believe in who God is and who He tells me I am? Even if so, he accommodated doubting Thomas who would not believe in his friend’s resurrection until he put his fingers in Jesus’ scars. He is THAT good to us. In contrast, He withholds in order to also reflect another reality that exists in my heart (and in heaven): poverty of soul. This is not a good poverty. It’s a poverty that believes there is lack in God, His kingdom, or possibly an arbitrary withholding because “He is just that way.”

Wealth gives one an advantage on earth. Poverty, not so much. But even more valuable is the promise of my future. It is an incredibly strong city. As a child of a king, and co-heir with Christ, what is it in my current situation should get me down? Nothing that a glimpse into my future should not cure. And the very next proverb affirms those benefits!