The Benefits of Poverty

Why do people want to be rich? Because they believe it will give them a better life—a better car, better house, better vacations, better health, better education, better pensions, and so on. But does all that make for a better life? Not always. You can have all these things and be no happier, as Solomon lamented in Ecclesiastes 2:1–11.

He, therefore, makes the case for poverty by offering three answers to the question Why would anyone want to be poor?

The Poor Have Better Morals (19:1)

“Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool” (19:1). The poor usually have fewer temptations than the rich. Lacking wealth, they lack many opportunities to sin. They are forced to live a simple life and therefore cannot afford many sins. They are so busy working all hours to survive that they lack the time for the lust that thrives in rich idleness. Lacking power, they have to be more submissive to authorities.

The rich, on the other hand, are often marked by crooked speech and foolish conduct. Having more money than sense and more time than self-control, they can abuse their bodies, their minds, their families, their employees, and the poor.

But God looks down and says it’s better to be poor with morals than rich without them.

The rich can have poor morals, while the poor have rich morals.

But don’t the rich have more friends?

The Poor Have Better Friends (19:4, 6–7)

You can hear Solomon speaking from bitter personal experience here: “Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend. . . . Many seek the favor of a generous man, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts. . . . All a poor man’s brothers hate him; how much more do his friends go far from him!” (19:4, 6–7).

As a rich man, Solomon had no shortage of friends. But why were they lined up to befriend him? Because they wanted some of his wealth. They didn’t want his friendship; they wanted his finances.

The poor person does not need to worry about insincere friends. They fade quickly when poverty comes. Even his family may turn against him. But as Solomon noted at the end of the previous chapter: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (18:24). Yes, when money runs out, the rich man’s friends run away. But the poor will often have one friend who sticks even closer than a brother.

One best friend is better than many bought friends.

But don’t the rich have lots of people to look after them?

The Poor Have Better Care (19:17)

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed” (19:17). God here identifies with the poor, which indicates that the poor in view are those who are poor in finances but rich in faith. He is united to them so much that whoever gives to these poor, gives to the Lord, and the Lord will not allow that to go unrewarded (Matt. 25:31–46).

The Lord is therefore looking after the poor, associating with the poor, and repaying care for the poor.

Changing Our Story with God’s Story

The friend that sticks closer than any brother is Jesus. He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). He experienced the pain of rejection from friends when he was at his lowest point. Though he was rich, for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9).

Summary: Why would anyone want to be poor? Accept poverty because it often means better friends, better morals, and better care.

Question: How have times of poverty helped you spiritually? What about times of wealth?

Prayer: Rich God, thank you for your beautiful care of the poor and for becoming poor so that I might be rich.