Proverbs 13:8 "The ransom of a man's life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke."
What a dramatic proverb! Whenever you hear about a RANSOM, you can't help but think of high stakes drama. Cue the telephone call with the muffled voice and the demand for ten million dollars in untraceable bills dropped off at a very specific place and "if you ever want to see your loved one again, come alone!" This subject always gets a reader's attention and for good reason. While Solomon easily gets out attention, he doesn't easily get our understanding. It is easy to misinterpret and miss the real meaning of this proverb.
As in the previous proverb, Solomon is not condemning wealth or riches. And unlike the first proverb of this chapter, Solomon is not condemning someone for not responding to rebuke. Neither the privileged nor the impoverished are being condemned in this proverb. That being said, Solomon is pointing out the problem that comes with putting trust in any amount of money. We can soundly conclude this because the two statements of the proverb are intentional connected with that clear word of contrast, "but." On one side of the proverb, a man's physical life (not necessarily a grossly wealthy man or else it would read, "a rich man") is connected to his riches while on the other side of the proverb, a poor man is said to avoid rebuke. Therefore, a poor man avoiding any disapproval in contrast to a man seeing his wealth as his ransom would infer that seeing money as power or security creates problems.
Money makes us feel powerful. Anyone with money either unknowingly or knowingly turns to their money or their property when in danger. We think we can buy our way out of harm. When we have something to give, we think we can pay our way out of danger. Movies often cast the wealthy, when staring at the end of a gun or sword, quickly turning to their silver or gold to spare their lives. “Take all my money, just spare my life!” The Bible does the same thing in Jeremiah 41:8 when ten Jewish men were confronted with the likelihood of death by the hands of the madman, Ishmael. They said to him, "Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey." Solomon suggested this is what men would do when caught in adultery in his day in Proverbs 6. Under the Mosaic Law, adultery was a crime punishable by death but apparently hinged on the male victim somehow. Consider Solomon's words in verses 34-35 which read, "Jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts." If we have anything to give, we'll give it when facing death. If we have anything to spend, we'll spend it when facing death. This is why people will spend all of their money on healthcare or on some expensive experimental treatment when staring at the grave. Deep-down, if we have money, we see it as our way out of trouble.
This doesn't sound terrible but the proverb implies that there is something problematic with it, especially when coupled with the previous proverb that references a willingness to forfeit riches for virtue and relationships. If a person with money seeing that money as his security in life is contrasted with a poor person not being rebuked, that would imply that seeing money as our security brings with it reasons to be rebuked. This proverb is less about the impoverished being ignored because they have nothing to give and more about a person with money having problems because of how they view their money. This is less about the wealthy being targeted for their money and more about the poor not having as many problems in life because they don't trust in silver or gold. The poor don't hear rebuke because they're not plagued with as many vices as a wealthy person is. The poor aren't reproved because the abundance of money hasn't corrupted them.
When we see money as power, we pursue more of it since more money means more power. When we feel secure by having bank accounts full of money, we will fill them up more because bigger accounts mean greater security. This misguided perspective of money will lead to greed, covetousness and selfishness. And because the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10), this immoral desire will lead to a host of evils such as dishonesty, theft, lying, cheating, gambling and even hatred. These evils will hurt people and destroy relationships and for all of these reasons, rebukes will be given. The poor lack money and as a result, have nothing of any earthly value to turn to when their lives are in danger. They don't live their lives accumulating money to stay alive longer. They don't have money to love and for that reason, they avoid a great deal of evil and the corresponding rebuke.
If we see our money as a RANSOM for our lives, meaning we NEED it to SAVE us from life-threatening danger, then we will be tempted to love it. If we love money because of the security it brings us, we will be worthy of great and constant rebuke from those around us and above us. Behind the love of money is the love of self. The love of money always makes the heart hard and hard hearts live their miserable lives with a constant ring of disapproval in their ears. If you need money more than you need God, a rebuke is merited. If you need money to extend your life more than you need your spouse happy at the end of life, a rebuke is merited. If you need money to feel secure more than you need a friend to feel secure, a rebuke is merited. If you're unhappy outside of guaranteed income despite having guaranteed salvation, a rebuke is merited. Thanks to the absence of money, the poor learn to value what's really valuable in life and for that reason, they "beareth not rebuke."
Don't see your riches as the ransom for your life - see God's mercy alone as the ransom for your life.
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24
As in the previous proverb, Solomon is not condemning wealth or riches. And unlike the first proverb of this chapter, Solomon is not condemning someone for not responding to rebuke. Neither the privileged nor the impoverished are being condemned in this proverb. That being said, Solomon is pointing out the problem that comes with putting trust in any amount of money. We can soundly conclude this because the two statements of the proverb are intentional connected with that clear word of contrast, "but." On one side of the proverb, a man's physical life (not necessarily a grossly wealthy man or else it would read, "a rich man") is connected to his riches while on the other side of the proverb, a poor man is said to avoid rebuke. Therefore, a poor man avoiding any disapproval in contrast to a man seeing his wealth as his ransom would infer that seeing money as power or security creates problems.
Money makes us feel powerful. Anyone with money either unknowingly or knowingly turns to their money or their property when in danger. We think we can buy our way out of harm. When we have something to give, we think we can pay our way out of danger. Movies often cast the wealthy, when staring at the end of a gun or sword, quickly turning to their silver or gold to spare their lives. “Take all my money, just spare my life!” The Bible does the same thing in Jeremiah 41:8 when ten Jewish men were confronted with the likelihood of death by the hands of the madman, Ishmael. They said to him, "Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey." Solomon suggested this is what men would do when caught in adultery in his day in Proverbs 6. Under the Mosaic Law, adultery was a crime punishable by death but apparently hinged on the male victim somehow. Consider Solomon's words in verses 34-35 which read, "Jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts." If we have anything to give, we'll give it when facing death. If we have anything to spend, we'll spend it when facing death. This is why people will spend all of their money on healthcare or on some expensive experimental treatment when staring at the grave. Deep-down, if we have money, we see it as our way out of trouble.
This doesn't sound terrible but the proverb implies that there is something problematic with it, especially when coupled with the previous proverb that references a willingness to forfeit riches for virtue and relationships. If a person with money seeing that money as his security in life is contrasted with a poor person not being rebuked, that would imply that seeing money as our security brings with it reasons to be rebuked. This proverb is less about the impoverished being ignored because they have nothing to give and more about a person with money having problems because of how they view their money. This is less about the wealthy being targeted for their money and more about the poor not having as many problems in life because they don't trust in silver or gold. The poor don't hear rebuke because they're not plagued with as many vices as a wealthy person is. The poor aren't reproved because the abundance of money hasn't corrupted them.
When we see money as power, we pursue more of it since more money means more power. When we feel secure by having bank accounts full of money, we will fill them up more because bigger accounts mean greater security. This misguided perspective of money will lead to greed, covetousness and selfishness. And because the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10), this immoral desire will lead to a host of evils such as dishonesty, theft, lying, cheating, gambling and even hatred. These evils will hurt people and destroy relationships and for all of these reasons, rebukes will be given. The poor lack money and as a result, have nothing of any earthly value to turn to when their lives are in danger. They don't live their lives accumulating money to stay alive longer. They don't have money to love and for that reason, they avoid a great deal of evil and the corresponding rebuke.
If we see our money as a RANSOM for our lives, meaning we NEED it to SAVE us from life-threatening danger, then we will be tempted to love it. If we love money because of the security it brings us, we will be worthy of great and constant rebuke from those around us and above us. Behind the love of money is the love of self. The love of money always makes the heart hard and hard hearts live their miserable lives with a constant ring of disapproval in their ears. If you need money more than you need God, a rebuke is merited. If you need money to extend your life more than you need your spouse happy at the end of life, a rebuke is merited. If you need money to feel secure more than you need a friend to feel secure, a rebuke is merited. If you're unhappy outside of guaranteed income despite having guaranteed salvation, a rebuke is merited. Thanks to the absence of money, the poor learn to value what's really valuable in life and for that reason, they "beareth not rebuke."
Don't see your riches as the ransom for your life - see God's mercy alone as the ransom for your life.
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24
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