“Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.”
– Proverbs 28:27
Proverbs 28:27 is a pretty simple Proverb, yet we are constantly tempted not to live according to it, particularly in a materialistic world.
This Verse Reminds Us to Give
“Whoever gives to the poor will not want,” I love that phrase. “In our giving, we won’t want.” That’s the exact opposite of what materialism says. Materialism says we want more, we want better, we want nicer, we want bigger. So, get, get, get. But what does getting lead to? Wanting more. And getting more leads to wanting more, getting bigger leads to wanting bigger. Our tastes can never be satisfied when you’re tasting of the material things of this world. They create a longing for more and more and more that never leaves us satisfied. Never leaves us content.
In our giving, we will not want. This is the antithesis of the way of this world. May God give us grace to give generously and to be content in Him.
Proverbs 28:27 Reminds Us We Will Find Joy In Giving
The opposite, though, is what Proverbs 28:27 is addressing. “He who gives to the poor will not want,” will be free from this quest for more and more and more and more. Instead, in giving, we will find contentment. In giving, we will find joy. In giving, we will find satisfaction for our souls. In giving to the poor, we will find our joy, our good.
“Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.” “He who hides his eyes to the poor, who turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the poor, will get many a curse.” This is so dangerous, isn’t it? It is possible, especially for those who are not poor, for those who have the basic daily necessities of life, and not just necessities. In many cases, most everything we could want.
And when we have these things, if we’re not careful, we can turn a deaf ear and blind eye to the poor. We can go on with our lives, business as usual, enjoying the things that we need and the things that we want, and never giving second thought to those who don’t have those things, those who are impoverished.
But when we hide our eyes in this way, even implicitly, almost unknowingly, it leads to curse. So, “Open your eyes,” the Bible says, “And give to the poor.” You will find joy. You will find good in giving for the good of others.
Proverbs 28:27 Leads Us to Pray For Help When Giving
Oh God, please help me. Please help us to give to the poor as you would have us. Lord, help us to give generously, cheerfully, sacrificially, willingly. In light of urgent need in people’s lives right around us and far from us. We pray that you would cause generosity and blessing to abound to the poor through our lives, through our families, through our churches.
God, please, may it be so. Don’t let us get caught up in this constant quest for more and more and more in this materialistic world, and in the process, to turn a blind eye and deaf ear to those in need around us. God, please, please, please help us to heed Proverbs 28:27 to give to the poor and to find satisfaction in this. Not to hide our eyes and find curse in that.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
