Prov. 10:15 -- wealth vs. poverty

So, I've been reading Proverbs, off and on, as I try to make up for some reading I missed in my Bible study class (Disciple, yay Disciple, great class -- I may have mentioned it before :) ).

10:15 The wealth of the rich is their fortress; the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

I thought that was kind of challenging, the Bible putting wealth in a good light and poverty in a bad one, so I dug a bit more.

16 The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain of the wicked to sin.

The annotation in my Bible refers to these two verses together. It says:

V. 15 is a neutral observation about the reality of wealth and poverty; v. 16 adds ethical comment on the gain of the wicked. Cf. 11.28 and 18.11, where the protection of wealth is declared to be illusory.

So...

11:28 Those who trust in their riches will wither, but the righteous will flourish like green leaves.

(the annotation for this verse and v. 30 (which I'm not quoting here) refers us to Ps. 1:3 and Ps. 92:12--14)

and

18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.

11 The wealth of the rich is their strong city; in their imagination it is like a high wall.

and the annotation on 18:10--11 says:

A proverb pair: The name of the Lord is reliable (Ps 61.3; 124.8); the protection of wealth may prove to be imaginary (10.15--16 [emphasis mine -- isn't it fun how all this stuff ties together?]; 11.4).

Neet, huh?

That's just my Bible. There's also the Oxford Commentary, which says

V. 15 contrast an advantage of wealth with a disadvantage of poverty. Wealth provides protection and security against the vicissitudes of life (cf. 18:11), whereas the poor have no resources to fall back on. For this the poor may sometimes have only themselves to blame (v. 4). But not all wealth is advantageous. How it is acquired is the test of whether it is an asset or a liability (v. 2) The instruction in 1:8--19 illustrates the liability of ill-gotten gain (cf. also 20:17; 21:6; 28:20). By contrast, the wealth that accrues through 'righteousness' [note the single quotes -- British book!], i.e., honesty and integrity, is a mark of divine blessing and provides for a long, secure, and anxiety-free life (v.22; cf 11:4).

And finally, my HarperCollins Commentary has the following:

Only one clearly observational, neutral saying is found: the poor are ruined by lack of goods, but wealth is the fortified city of the rich (10:15). However, this comment is immediately contextualized by v. 16 and later by v. 22. The sages would prefer to believe that wealth is a gift of Yahweh that confirms its possessor's righteousness. Otherwise, the standard act-consequence relationship is displayed throughout the chapter.

So, we do have this sort of view that good things happen to the righteous in this world, but I guess we can't quite accuse Proverbs of glorifying wealth.

You can make up your own mind on whether you agree with the commentaries. It's entirely possible that I'm taking things out of context. Anyway, food for thought.

(I recently heard a couple of references to "the prayer of Jabez" and "the gospel of prosperity," so I was a little sensitive to this when I ran across it.)

Praise the Source of Faith and Learning

I don't normally put up hymns, just like I don't normally put up prayers, but this one really struck me last Sunday when we sang it in church.

I love it when hymns have messages for me.

Praise the source of faith and learning who has sparked and stoked the mind with a passion for discerning how the world has been designed. Let the sense of wonder flowing from the wonders we survey keep our faith forever growing and renew our need to pray.

God of wisdom, we acknowledge that our science and our art and the breadth of human knowledge only partial truth impart. Far beyond our calculation lies a depth we cannot sound where your purpose for creation and the pulse of life are found.

May our faith redeem the blinder of believing that our thought has displaced the grounds for wonder which the ancient prophets taught. May our learning curb the error which unthinking faith can breed lest we justify some terror with the antiquated creed.

As two currents in a river fight each other's undertow till converging they deliver one coherent steady flow, may we blend our faith and learning till they carve a single course and our seeking and our yearning join in praising you their source.

Here's a link to the music, pardon the crappy midi rendering:

• http://www.hymnsite.com/fws/200420.mid
  
• http://www.hymnsite.com/fws/hymn.cgi?2004

Propaganda War

I guess we can view Vietnam as the first war of information, propaganda and public opinion.

In future, I suppose almost all wars (except all-out war between, say, the U.S. and China) will be wars of public opinion.

I bet that, in the end, the side that can steer the closest to the truth while spinning it properly will win. Now this is a useful thing for Republican spinmeisters to do: spin the world, not us.

Prayers for Kids

I've been sort of on the lookout for good, simple prayers for children, to teach my own someday, once I'm done with this divorce and I have some kid time to myself (those who know me know what this is in reference to: mom is alienating them from me).

This is one my parents taught my sister and me when we were young, and I've taught it to my kids, although we don't get much of a chance to practice it.

Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest.
Let these, thy gifts to us, be blessed.

It's a good one, but I always thought there should be more. Finally, I stumbled across something else that might also make a good children's prayer. It's hymn 621 in the Methodist hymnal, written by John Cennick in 1741, and we sang it during today's communion, but... who cares?

Be present at our table, Lord;
Be here and everywhere adored;
Thy creatures bless and grant that we
May feast in paradise with thee.

(The melody, by the way, is that same "Praise God from whom all blessings flow", except that it's 100% quarter notes, so the tempo is very even.)