Proverbs 14:31

Proverbs 14:31 "He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor."

When studying or at least contemplating the proverbs, it has been my pattern to take careful note of which words were used and which words weren't used by their wise writer.  In this proverb, the word, "reproach" stood tall as a unique word.  In its place, we don't read words such as, "offendeth," "disobeyeth" or "angereth."  Surely, anyone who oppresses the weakest of society would offend God.  One would think anyone who oppresses those who are already down on their luck would provoke God's anger.  Without question, taking what little the poor has to enrich ourselves would violate the moral law of God.  This proverb doesn't say those things however.  This proverb tells us that if we oppress the poor, we'll be guilty of "reproaching" our Mighty Maker.  Why "reproach" and not "offend," "anger" or "disobey?"  The answer to that question holds the key to the deeper meaning of this proverb.  There's always more meaning to a proverb than just the immediate subject of the proverb.  In other words, there is more to this proverb than just how we treat the poor.  This proverb teaches a truth that can be applied to our treatment of the poor as well as to the rich.  It contains a truth that can be applied to our treatment of the sick as well as to the healthy.  The poor are the characters to teach an important lesson for the sake of our character.

What does it mean to "reproach" someone?  To reproach is to charge someone with a fault but with severe language.  To reproach someone is to blame them for something with scorn.  As a noun, it is attached to a great fault.  Of an adulterer, Solomon wrote, "A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his REPROACH shall not be wiped away" (Proverbs 6:33).  This is why when someone is blameless and without fault, we say that they are "beyond reproach."  To reproach God is to severely accuse Him of something.  In 2 Kings 19, it is said four times that the king of Assyria "reproached the living God" in a message he sent to the Israelites.  When reading that message in the previous chapter, it is clear that the Assyrian king was accusing God of being too weak to stop him from coming into the land of Israel and taking what he wanted.  The foolish king was blaming the God of Israel for Israel's collapse since, eight years earlier, the Assyrians took the northern portion of the nation.  The king foolishly assumed that God was too weak to save the Israelites from the Assyrians when in reality, God delivered them into the hands of the Assyrians as a form of punishment for their idolatry and sin.  His reproach of God was the irreverent blaming of God for Israel's demise instead of rightly blaming the idolatrous Israel.

Knowing the unique meaning of "reproach" and realizing that it's quite different than "offending," "angering" or "disobeying," we can better appreciate the deeper lesson of the proverb.  Someone who oppresses the poor is blaming God for something to do with the poor.  Anyone who oppresses the poor chooses to oppress the poor for the same reasons the Assyrian king chose to oppress the Israelites in 2 Kings - they believe that God is too weak to save the poor.  The evil act of oppressing the poor is the direct result of the foolish belief that God can't help the poor.  Anyone who chooses to oppress the poor doesn't have a healthy fear of God.  Anyone who chooses to treat the poor poorly doesn't believe God will punish them.  In fact, the poor being poor enables the oppressor.  The poor being poor empowers their oppression.  In their foolish minds, poverty itself is evidence that God is weak, or at the very least, distant.  For foolish minds, poverty in our world is evidence that there isn't a God and if there is, He is doesn't care about people.  For skewed hearts, the homeless prove that God is unable or unwilling to take care of people.  For evil hearts, the poor remaining poor and homeless is proof that God has forsaken them and that belief emboldens their evil oppression of them.  "If God has punished them, He won't mind if I add a little more oppression."  "If there is a God, why do we have so much poverty and tragedy?"  "If God is Who the Bible says He is, then why are there women and children on the streets?"  These are questions or statements that lay irreverent blame at the feet of God.  These are statements and beliefs that accuse God of being weak or careless or even worse, non-existent.  In all of these cases, the reproach of God fuels their wicked ways.

By using the words and subjects it does, this proverb teaches us that our view of God creates forms our morality.  This proverb applies to more than just our treatment of the poor.  It teaches the important truth that our theology determines our morality.  What we believe about God will determine what we will do before God.  What we think of God's character will determine what we do with God's law.  If we have incorrect theology, we will have an impure morality.  If our view of God is twisted, our morality will be twisted.  If we falsely believe God doesn't care about the poor, we'll oppress them foolishly believing that God doesn't care what happens to them.  If we falsely believe that God is too weak to defend the poor because He hasn't fixed their poverty, we'll make the big mistake of oppressing them.  Bad theology brings confidence to bad behavior.  On the flip side, sound theology fuels sound morality.  Those who know the Person and Character of God make educated moral decisions.  Correct theology concludes that God cares about the poor and that He takes special note of those in life who have endured hardships out of their control such as loss of parent, spouse or health.  Sound theology also concludes that God lets sinners remain impoverished if that poverty is the result of their sin, in which it is intended to be the motivation for true repentance.  Such beliefs lead a wise person to have mercy on those who have tasted the bitter taste of misfortune as well as on those who are struggling in their sin.  Knowing God is watching both parties very closely will lead a sane person to behave in such a way that will provoke God's pleasure, not His anger.  A respect for God's character and interests will naturally result in acts of virtue.

This proverb boldly proclaims: Theology, THEN Morality.  How we view God dictates what God will view in us.  If we see God as good, our behavior will reflect that.  If we view God as cruel, our behavior will reflect that as well.  If our theology is sound, our character will reflect that.  If our theology is messed up, our morality will be messed up.  While the Bible is full of examples, consider the example of Judas Iscariot.  At some point in his life and ministry, he let his theology slip.  At some point in his life, he stopped seeing Jesus as the worthy Son of God.  At some point, he stopped seeing Jesus as the Eternal Maker of all things and started seeing Him as just another mortal man no more deserving of worship than anyone else.  At some point, he had a lower view of Christ than he should have had.  His once sound theology became corrupt and his view of the Son of God became diluted.  As a result of that bad theology, he got angry when Mary anointed Jesus with an expensive box of ointment.  He couldn't believe that Jesus allowed it.  He couldn't accept the fact that Jesus tolerated such "waste."  This led to the terrible moral decision to betray Christ that led to His crucifixion.  How Judas viewed Jesus dictated how he treated Jesus.  How we view God dictates how we treat God.

If we're going to blame God for the problems in our world, we're going to contribute to the problems in our world.  If we're going to reproach God, we'll oppress the people He is watching closely.  If we're going to blame Him for the effects of sin in our world, then we'll sin more and create more negative effects in our world.  However, if we properly know Him to be just, pure, and holy, we'll treat people with love, mercy and fairness.  If we respectfully credit Him for being loving, we'll love people.  Theology is far more important than people think.  Our view of God, correct or incorrect, is far more influential than we think.  Our understanding of God is truly what forms and fuels our behavior before God.  How we treat the poor will be determined by how we view God.  How we raise our children is determined by our view of God.  How we behave as spouses is directly decided by how we see God.  How we respond to our enemies will be determined by how we view God.  This proverb is so much more than oppressing or assisting the poor.  It says loud and clear, "Theology, THEN Morality."