When is it better being poor than being rich? (Proverbs 28:6)
Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is crooked though he be rich.
Integrity beats wealth. If riches come through cheating or lying, then it’s better not to be rich. The short-term satisfaction of riches can’t match the long-term happiness of integrity.
When forced to choose between our integrity and wealth, leave wealth. “How we accumulate” is more important than “how much we accumulate.” Our quality of life is more important than our quantity of assets.
We should be suspicious of Consumerism’s claim that “more is better.”
More is more; better is better. We must not confuse the two. More assets do not guarantee more contentment or a fuller life. This text identifies a major conflict: More versus Better. More is not better. Ten jalopies are more cars than one BMW, but ten old jalopies are not better than one new BMW. Consumerism in our affluent society has infected our thinking; believing that “more” is not always “better” is difficult.
If we sacrifice our integrity to gain more assets, we become rich losers. We can begin to see this conflict between “more” and “better” by studying the translation here.
Translation: poor man
The particular Hebrew word for poor man here, רָשׁ (rāš, pronounced “rash”), appears frequently in Proverbs, with the implication that a man may be voluntarily poor—that he chooses poverty over dishonesty. There are two other Hebrew words in Proverbs that are translated as poor, with the subtle difference being that roosh can be voluntary.
Note the word “his” in “his integrity.” This implies that integrity is personal—the same way one might personalize their coffee with different amounts of cream and sugar. Romans 14 deals with matters of individual integrity and preferences. God commands Christians to allow each other some “personal space,”—some diversity in living out their righteousness before Him. Some are vegetarians and others enjoy meat. Neither should impose their personal preferences on the other. Likewise, God may expect different standards of integrity, so long as it’s all truthful in His eyes.
The Cost of “More” in Money and Time
“More” demands higher maintenance, storage, and insurance. “More” typically generates clutter and haste. “More” can reduce our quality of life by provoking our anxiety and imposing on our free time. Each of us has a limited capacity to manage material wealth. If we forfeit intangible treasures to increase tangible possessions we end up net losers.
Ron Blue, a noted authority on personal financial management warns against careless pursuit of “more.” He tells of a fisherman in a coastal town, sitting on the dock and relaxing after he caught enough for his family and his modest fresh-fish stand.
A successful businessman passing by asked him, “Why aren’t you fishing?”
“I have enough,” the fisherman replied.
The businessman suggested that he should work harder—catch more fish, expand his business, purchase more boats, and build up his capital.
“Why would I want to do that?” the fisherman asked, puzzled.
“So you could sit back and enjoy life,” was the reply.
With a wry smile, the fisherman responded, “What do you think I’m doing now?”
Complexity Facilitates Crookedness
The marginal reading of “crooked” is “perverse of two ways.” Not all wealthy people are crooked, but many have gained their riches by acting “perverse of two ways.” Honesty and simplicity come together, as do complexity and crookedness. Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) said it well, “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive!” If we’ve lost our personal integrity on the road to riches, we must back up to recover it. That requires a deliberate—maybe painful—commitment to repentence, and a return to simplicity and transparency.
Personal wealth is measured with dollars and is plainly evident. But how is personal integrity measured? That gets less attention. Organizations like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) offer public recognition for businesses run with integrity. Most professional organizations have a code of ethics as a membership requirement. But in the end, it’s the people who count who know—our family and friends.
Failing at Ethics
Many business schools offer a course in business ethics, but most cannot teach it effectively, simply because they have no ethical anchor. They do not believe in moral absolutes, so their entire “framework” is cost/benefit analysis. It’s like trying to establish a global mapping system without first establishing the Prime Meridian. This line runs from the North Pole and South Pole, right over the British Royal Observatory in Greenwich England. A brass strip about five centimeters wide, embedded in the cobblestone, marks “zero degrees” longitude. The Western Hemisphere on one side and the Eastern Hemisphere on the other. It serves as an unchanging reference point.
In the same way, ethics needs a line of demarcation between right and wrong. Unless God and His Bible are grasped, all ethics or moral standards become relative. Other sacred books, like the Qur’an (Islam), Vedas (Hinduism), or Dao de Jing (Taoism) may give guidelines, but they are slack—unable to stand the test of time and pressure of reality, since they’re not inspired the the Creator of the entire globe and North Star. This is God, the Word, born in flesh into the world.
Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, rose from the dead in his physical body, just as He said He would (John 10:18). Indeed, if Jesus did not rise from the dead physically, His followers are pitifully deluded (1 Corinthians 15:14). Yet both believing and non-believing Biblical scholars today (like Gary Habermas or N.T. Wright) are increasingly convinced by the historical evidence of Jesus Christ’s many post-crucifixion, physical appearances among His friends and followers.
So, any educational institution that rejects the reality of Christ’s physical resurrection, and all its implications, simply cannot teach true ethics. Marine veteran and lawyer Chuck Colson, who served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon, wrote an excellent paper titled, “Why Harvard Business School Cannot Teach Ethics”1 proving this very point. When moral absolutes are rejected, business ethics become purely relative and ultimately fail the marketplace and businessmen themselves.
- Memorize the text in your favourite Bible translation and think about it often.
- Study keywords “more assets (quantity)” and keywords “better life (quality”
- Crookedness sometimes comes in the form of cheating or stretching the “truth” on tax reports. Certainly don’t overpay taxes, but also don’t think that withholding legitimate taxes will bring you more of God’s blessing.
- Work harder at being honest and consistent than at being rich.
- Return all funds (adjusted for inflation) obtained by crooked means.
Which of these steps, if any, does Jesus want you to take first? Ask Him.
Integrity beats wealth. If riches come through cheating or lying, then it’s better not to be rich. The short-term satisfaction of riches can’t match the long-term happiness of integrity.
When forced to choose between our integrity and wealth, leave wealth. “How we accumulate” is more important than “how much we accumulate.” Our quality of life is more important than our quantity of assets.
We should be suspicious of Consumerism’s claim that “more is better.”
More is more; better is better. We must not confuse the two. More assets do not guarantee more contentment or a fuller life. This text identifies a major conflict: More versus Better. More is not better. Ten jalopies are more cars than one BMW, but ten old jalopies are not better than one new BMW. Consumerism in our affluent society has infected our thinking; believing that “more” is not always “better” is difficult.
If we sacrifice our integrity to gain more assets, we become rich losers. We can begin to see this conflict between “more” and “better” by studying the translation here.
Translation: poor man
The particular Hebrew word for poor man here, רָשׁ (rāš, pronounced “rash”), appears frequently in Proverbs, with the implication that a man may be voluntarily poor—that he chooses poverty over dishonesty. There are two other Hebrew words in Proverbs that are translated as poor, with the subtle difference being that roosh can be voluntary.
Note the word “his” in “his integrity.” This implies that integrity is personal—the same way one might personalize their coffee with different amounts of cream and sugar. Romans 14 deals with matters of individual integrity and preferences. God commands Christians to allow each other some “personal space,”—some diversity in living out their righteousness before Him. Some are vegetarians and others enjoy meat. Neither should impose their personal preferences on the other. Likewise, God may expect different standards of integrity, so long as it’s all truthful in His eyes.
The Cost of “More” in Money and Time
“More” demands higher maintenance, storage, and insurance. “More” typically generates clutter and haste. “More” can reduce our quality of life by provoking our anxiety and imposing on our free time. Each of us has a limited capacity to manage material wealth. If we forfeit intangible treasures to increase tangible possessions we end up net losers.
Ron Blue, a noted authority on personal financial management warns against careless pursuit of “more.” He tells of a fisherman in a coastal town, sitting on the dock and relaxing after he caught enough for his family and his modest fresh-fish stand.
A successful businessman passing by asked him, “Why aren’t you fishing?”
“I have enough,” the fisherman replied.
The businessman suggested that he should work harder—catch more fish, expand his business, purchase more boats, and build up his capital.
“Why would I want to do that?” the fisherman asked, puzzled.
“So you could sit back and enjoy life,” was the reply.
With a wry smile, the fisherman responded, “What do you think I’m doing now?”
Complexity Facilitates Crookedness
The marginal reading of “crooked” is “perverse of two ways.” Not all wealthy people are crooked, but many have gained their riches by acting “perverse of two ways.” Honesty and simplicity come together, as do complexity and crookedness. Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) said it well, “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive!” If we’ve lost our personal integrity on the road to riches, we must back up to recover it. That requires a deliberate—maybe painful—commitment to repentence, and a return to simplicity and transparency.
Personal wealth is measured with dollars and is plainly evident. But how is personal integrity measured? That gets less attention. Organizations like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) offer public recognition for businesses run with integrity. Most professional organizations have a code of ethics as a membership requirement. But in the end, it’s the people who count who know—our family and friends.
Failing at Ethics
Many business schools offer a course in business ethics, but most cannot teach it effectively, simply because they have no ethical anchor. They do not believe in moral absolutes, so their entire “framework” is cost/benefit analysis. It’s like trying to establish a global mapping system without first establishing the Prime Meridian. This line runs from the North Pole and South Pole, right over the British Royal Observatory in Greenwich England. A brass strip about five centimeters wide, embedded in the cobblestone, marks “zero degrees” longitude. The Western Hemisphere on one side and the Eastern Hemisphere on the other. It serves as an unchanging reference point.
In the same way, ethics needs a line of demarcation between right and wrong. Unless God and His Bible are grasped, all ethics or moral standards become relative. Other sacred books, like the Qur’an (Islam), Vedas (Hinduism), or Dao de Jing (Taoism) may give guidelines, but they are slack—unable to stand the test of time and pressure of reality, since they’re not inspired the the Creator of the entire globe and North Star. This is God, the Word, born in flesh into the world.
Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, rose from the dead in his physical body, just as He said He would (John 10:18). Indeed, if Jesus did not rise from the dead physically, His followers are pitifully deluded (1 Corinthians 15:14). Yet both believing and non-believing Biblical scholars today (like Gary Habermas or N.T. Wright) are increasingly convinced by the historical evidence of Jesus Christ’s many post-crucifixion, physical appearances among His friends and followers.
So, any educational institution that rejects the reality of Christ’s physical resurrection, and all its implications, simply cannot teach true ethics. Marine veteran and lawyer Chuck Colson, who served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon, wrote an excellent paper titled, “Why Harvard Business School Cannot Teach Ethics”1 proving this very point. When moral absolutes are rejected, business ethics become purely relative and ultimately fail the marketplace and businessmen themselves.