What is the meaning of Proverbs 17:5? He who mocks the poor • To “mock” is more than casual teasing; it is scorning someone God loves. When James confronts believers for showing partiality, he says, “You have dishonored the poor” (James 2:6), echoing this proverb’s warning. • Jesus identifies Himself so closely with the needy that He says, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40). Mocking the poor therefore rejects Christ Himself. • Scripture insists that poverty is no grounds for contempt; God’s law protected the vulnerable with gleaning rights (Leviticus 19:9-10) and debt release (Deuteronomy 15:7-11). Ridicule ignores that divine compassion. insults their Maker • God is the Creator of rich and poor alike: “The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the Maker of all” (Proverbs 22:2). Mockery questions His wisdom in assigning earthly resources. • Job refuses such arrogance, asking, “Did not He who made me in the womb make them?” (Job 31:15). Recognizing a common Maker demolishes superiority. • By insulting the Creator, the mocker steps into rebellion against the sovereign God who “gives everyone life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:25). whoever gloats over calamity • Schadenfreude—taking pleasure when someone else suffers—violates love of neighbor (Leviticus 19:18). • Obadiah condemns Edom for rejoicing when Jerusalem fell: “You should not gloat over your brother’s day of calamity” (Obadiah 1:12). • When enemies fell, David prayed, “I mourned as one would for a friend” (Psalm 35:13-14), modeling compassion instead of gloating. will not go unpunished • Every slight against the defenseless invites divine justice: “Do not exploit the poor… for the LORD will take up their case” (Proverbs 22:22-23). • God’s response may be temporal discipline or final judgment, but it is certain. Paul warns, “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, he will reap” (Galatians 6:7). • The cross itself shows both justice and mercy: Christ bore punishment for those who repent, yet unrepentant mockers face accountability (Revelation 20:12-13). summary Mocking poverty or celebrating disaster despises the God who lovingly crafts every person and governs every circumstance. His heart aligns with the lowly; to scorn them is to challenge Him. Compassion, dignity, and humble solidarity flow from recognizing that we all stand before one Maker who will right every wrong. |
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