Proverbs 18:23

The poor uses entreaties; but the rich answers roughly. 

The biblical worldview maintains a sharp contrast to the Marxist worldview which dominates most developed nations today. The Marxist finds it morally unacceptable whenever some people possess more wealth than others, and forces equalization through redistribution. From a biblical perspective, however, there is nothing wrong with material inequities. Some will be poor, and some will be rich, and it is not for men to call it a “problem” or to work to rid the world of it.

In a socialist society driven by envy, you will find slothfulness, disrespect, and a collapse of character and manners. This is because the poor no longer feel any need for the rich, either for their charitable contributions or for business opportunities. After all, if the government is redistributing the wealth and handing out jobs, who needs to maintain good working relationships with wealthy business owners?

When a man is poor, he cannot afford to lose any of the business relationships he has cultivated. To lose these relationships might mean bankruptcy or even starvation for his family. Meanwhile, a rich man who has plenty of business and $500,000 in the bank feels as if he can rest on his laurels. Often rich people do not take the time to cultivate relationships. They are too busy making money. This is more the case today in wealthy Western nations than anywhere else. The average person’s relationships with family and church community are fairly weak, largely because they feel they have sufficient wealth (either through their own savings accounts or through government social security programs) to sustain them through hard times.

The desire for financial gain can sometimes cause the watering down of a congregation’s character. For example, a pastor may wish to correct his congregation in their sins, and risk their disapprobation. But a pastor who is in debt for his house and relies heavily on a salary from the church may be less likely to speak firmly and directly to the church. The pursuit of money is the cause of much of modern Christianity’s problems.

Proverbs 18:24

A man that has friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. 

Seeking friendships does not produce friends, for those who seek friendships often find themselves friendless. But those who are friendly will soon find good friends all around them! Friendships cannot be formed on a quid pro quo basis. For example, someone should not give gifts and exercise hospitality with the expectation that those things will be returned in kind. He may find this helpful in the cultivation of business relationships, but it doesn’t work for true friendships.

The Bible does not prescribe a certain minimum number of friends. Because of differences in personalities, some people will have more friends than others. No matter what, there is value placed on the “friend that sticks closer than a brother.” Good friendships tend to be somewhat tenuous in the present age, due to the transient nature of modern life. The friends we knew in our early years are not the same friendships we developed in college. After moving through five different churches in three different communities over twenty years, it would be hard to develop any life-long friends who would stick closer than a brother! If we cultivated close friendships in the places where we live, perhaps we would be a little more hesitant to move all the time! Friendships should be worth something to us. Certainly they should mean far more to us than material wealth.

Family Discussion Questions:

1. What sort of manners should we use to construct good business relationships in our work? Is it ever appropriate to speak “roughly” or “rudely” to others?

2. In what situations might we be hesitant to speak in a confrontational manner?

3. What are you doing to cultivate friendships? How do you show yourself friendly?