Wisdom about Wealth andPoverty

Patricia F. Walter, OP

Migrations caused by war and economic distress, ever-wideninggaps between rich and poor in and among nations, globalization,the collapse of financial infrastructures, the shock of people who

"did everything right" yet are losing jobs, homes, and life savings. . . .The broad outlines of such a description of our contemporary situationwould not be all that unfamiliar to the sages of the wisdom literature. Foramong the factors prompting their refiections were economic changes thatbrought about shifts in Israel's political fortunes, shifts that threatened thevision and practice of right relationships established according to thecovenant.

Kathleen M. O'Cormor says that the wisdom literature presents a "spiri-tuality of the marketplace." Today's marketplace is both local and global,both real and virtual. As we search for guidance on the path of wisdomfrom the sages we need to respect both the different historical contexts andthe setting of any particular saying within its particular literary and theo-logical framework. This is particularly true of the vast treasury of pithymaxims and adages in Proverbs, which can easily be unmoored from theirsetting in the book and used as proof texts to justify our own ideologies andpractices. At times Proverbs seems to function as one massive Rorschachinkblot, a definite shape susceptible to a wide range of interpretations thatowe more to the interpreter's psyche than to the figure's actual form andcontent. For example, sayings about the correlation between righteousnessand prosperity are cited approvingly by what Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. refers toas "affluence evangelists" promoting a "Prosperity" or "Health and Wealth"Gospel ("The Old Testament Promise of Material Blessings and the Con-temporary Believer/' Trinity joiiriial n.s. 9:151-170), while other lines havebeen favored by proponents of liberation theology.

When tlw Morning Stars Sang Together from The Book of Job.Illustration by William Blake (1757-1827).

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So in order to lay the groundwork for a contemporary "spirituality of themarketplace," let us first briefly examine the contexts in which the litera-ture emerged. Next, theological principles and ethical practices concerningwealth and poverty will be identified. Primary attention will be given toProverbs, with brief examples from Job, Sirach, and Qoheleth.

The Economic Background of Wisdom LiteratureJust economic arrangements were an integral part of covenant living. Inpreexilic times these relationships were basically agrarian and communi-tarian. If people fell on hard times they received assistance from kinfolk.Ideally, every seven years there was a rebalancing of wealth, with landsrestored to their original owners and indentured servants freed of theirbonds. Parts of vineyards and fields were set aside for the poor. The Israel-ites were to live in right relationship with God, the land, their kinfolk,those who were most vulnerable, even strangers and aliens. Any taxeswere normally in the form of a percentage of crops or herds, or in labor.Loss of crops was a misfortune in which everyone shared.

In the post-exilic period, however, the Persians, Greeks, and Egyptiansdemanded taxes and tribute in money rather than goods. Economic migra-tion and the lure of wealth threatened kinship connections and the commu-nitarian economy. To come up with taxes, people had to take out loans andpay interest; they were forced to sell their land or to sell their children intoservitude. What was the path of righteousness in such disorientingcircumstances?

The Good LifeOne of the purposes of Proverbs is "gaining instruction in wise dealing,righteousness, justice, and equity" (Prov 12:3-5). The point of such instruc-tion is to lead a life of wisdom, which is a rich life more than a life of riches.Yet Lady Wisdom brings with her "long life," "riches and honor," "pleas-antness," "peace," and happiness (Prov 3:16-18). Wisdom is comparedrepeatedly with precious things such as gold, silver, and jewels, and foundsuperior to them. "Wealth," then, in Proverbs refers to material possessions,yet it is also a metaphor for what is most valuable in life: wisdom, virtue,and the treasure of relationships (Prov 8:18; 11:18-21, 28).

The basic assumption of the sages is that everything belongs to God,through whose wisdom the world was created and ordered. As Psalm 24:1affirms, "the earth is the Lord's and all that is in it." Acknowledgment ofthis truth engenders awe; thus "the fear of the Lord is the beginning ofwisdom" (Prov 9:10; cf. Prov 1:7; Job 28:28). Convinced of a wisely ordereduniverse and desirous of inculcating virtue, the author of Proverbs believedthat actions have consequences, that acts shape character and flow from

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character. Good people and good actions produce or are confirmed bygood results.

Conversely, people with vices such as drunkenness, gluttony, or sloth(Prov 20:13), or who do evil, experience negative results. So wisdom litera-ture offers abundant examples of well-ordered life in a well-ordereduniverse to show how things ought to be and often are. Yet these authorsknow that all too often such a picture is, as Samuel Johnson said of asecond marriage, "the triumph of hope over experience."

Challenges, Modifications, and LimitsThere are also countless examples of rich people who are neither wise norrighteous. They may simply have inherited wealth, never working—andleading profligate lives. They may be people who obtain and maintain theirwealth by all manner of injustice from unethical business practices todepriving their workers of a living wage to preying on the defenseless.

At the same time, there are virtuous people living in poverty. They mightbe the working poor paid inadequate wages, victims of other forms ofinjustice, or families who haveexperienced crop failure or cata-strophic illness. In this category, mi i . r . . iwidows and orphans represent ^he Wealthy OWe tO thethe old and the young, people pOOr not Only charity,who are particularly vulnerable. Vinf- inc-hiroThe harsh realities of people who •'are destitute are expressed mosteloquently in Job 24:2-12.

Toward these people, those with economic resources have the obligationsof charity and justice. They are to give assistance to the poor (Prov 22:9),refrain from harming them (Prov 22:22), respect their property (Prov 23:14),give loans without interest (Prov 28:8), and insure justice for the poor inthe courts (Prov 15:27; 17:28; 22:22).

The treatment of the poor by those with resources is of concem to God,who created all people. Whatever economic differences may obtain, theyare relativized by the fact that poor and rich alike are created by God."The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord is the maker of themall" (Prov 22:2). What is done on behalf of the poor is done to God: "Thosewho oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who are kind to theneedy honor him" (Prov 14:31; cf. Prov 17:5; 19:17; 29:13).

Although it is better not to be poor, material wealth is not an absolutevalue. The "better than" sayings reverse normal estimations of materialgoods in favor of virtues or immaterial blessings. "Better is a dinner ofvegetables where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it" (Prov 15:17).It is better to have dry bread than strife, to be poor rather than share unjust

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spoils or lie (16:19; 19:22b), to have a good reputation rather than wealth(Prov 22:1), to be poor and discerning rather than wealthy and ego-inflated(Prov 28:11).

The regular refrain of the sages is that the enduring value of wisdom isbeyond all material possessions (Prov 16:16; 3:14-15; 8:18; 11:18-21, 28).Ill-gotten wealth is evanescent (Prov 13:11; 21:6), of no use "on the day ofwrath" (Prov 11:4). Getting rich should not be one's all-absorbing acfivity:"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint"(Prov 23:4). The wealthy may be kidnapped for ransom; this is not a dangerfor the poor (Prov 13:8). The rich can be tempted to trust in their wealthrather than in God. They can neglect the needs of the poor (Prov 18:23;29:7):

Remove far from me falsehood and lying,give me neither poverty nor riches;feed me with the food that I need;

or I shall be full, and deny you,and say, "Who is the Lord?"

or I shall be poor, and steal,and profane the name of my God." (Prov 30:8-9)

The wise person, then, desires moderation and contentment with respect tomaterial goods, since the temptation to violate covenant relationships isoften more acute in the extremes of affluence and deprivation.

SirachSirach basically accords with Proverbs' view of possessions, poverty, andalmsgiving, with one striking exception: the author does not reiterate anyof the sayings that blame or judge the poor. Instead, Sirach intensifies thedemand to give alms, which can serve as a sin offering (Sir 3:30b). Thisobligation is expressed in Sirach 4:1-6:

My child, do not cheat the poor of their living,and do not keep needy eyes waiting.

Do not grieve the hungry,or anger the one in need.

Do not add to the troubles of the desperateor delay giving to the needy.

Do not reject a suppliant in distress,or turn your face away from the poor.

Do not avert your eyes from the needy,and give no one reason to curse you;

for if in bitterness some soul should curse you,their creator will hear their prayer.

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This passage powerfully acknowledges the claim of the poor on those whohave resources. They should be helped immediately, for their need is im-mediate. Their anger over mistreatment or lack of assistance is righteous;God will hear their curses as prayers. Their innate human dignity is un-diminished by their material straits; rather, the lack of resources necessaryto survive, let alone thrive, is an affront to their intrinsic worth. So Sirachenjoins his readers to treat the poor respectfully: "Give a hearing to thepoor, and return their greeting politely" (Sir 4:8).

Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes)The first example of futility Qoheleth presents is that of gaining profit fromlabor. The recurring refrain of profit and loss is a clear example of Qoheleth'sironic use of financial language and economic metaphors to critique greedand the Hellenistic market economy. Work does bring satisfaction, butthere is no lasting profit from it. Death ends the laborer's enjoyment ofaccrued wealth; heirs may squander what is left to them (2:18-22). So forQoheleth human wisdom lies in enjoying what are, in reality, gifts of God(cf. 3:12-13; 5:17-18; 9:7-10).

JobJob is the rock upon which the Prosperity Gospel founders. The bookopens with a description of Job's immense wealth; no lesser witness thanGod applauds Job's unparalleled rectitude. Job himself describes his righ-teous treatment of the poor in a splendid passage that details the actions ofa just man whose use of wealth is faithful to the covenant (Job 29:12-17).So the terrible sufferings of Job demolish the assumptions of the retributivetheory. Job's friends are still caught in its grip, advancing one suggestionafter another about how Job's actions caused his poverty, sickness, and thedeath of family members. God's eventual response to Job shows that Godhears prayers, despite appearances to the contrary. God knows the innerworkings of everything and everyone in the universe. With this Job issatisfied.

ConclusionThe sages offer instruction on the path of abundant life. A component ofthat life is the blessing of material goods sufficient to provide for one'sfamily, to live comfortably, to offer hospitality to family and friends, and toassist those in need. Some advice is mere common sense: diligent worknormally brings rewards; laziness leads to failure. Some advice expresseswhat the affluent would like to believe: "people get what they deserve."However, the impact of growing economic disparity, the loss of a

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communitarian system of exchange, and the devastation caused by wars,migration, and tribute to foreign overlords threaten people of everyeconomic status, revealing such an adage as an expression of hope anddesire for justice rather than a universal statement of fact. The sages remindtheir readers that there are limits to creation and to wealth, that true wealthlies in the wisdom to live in right relationship with God, one another, andthe land, and that justice and charity are key dimensions of covenant livingin every economic climate.

Patricia F. Walter, OP, is an associate professor of systematic theology atAquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis. She holds an STL from theJesuit School of Theology in Berkeley and a PhD from the Graduate Theo-logical Union. She has published in the areas of theological education andDominican spirituality.

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