One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
Summary: This proverb is not really about being rich or poor. Instead, it is about pride and humility.
A dear friend of mine who passed on to be with the Lord many years ago lived his life as an insurance salesman in Texas. He was a quiet man of small physical stature but had a big heart. He was gentle in his ways and had developed the skill that all good salespeople have when they seem to be your best friend. The difference was that Elmar really was a friend to everyone he met.
Over the years I knew him (he had retired and moved up north to be closer to his wife’s family). He shared many stories of his time as an insurance salesman. Among them were stories of people who pretended to be rich.
Apparently, some people equate living in a big house to being rich. Some of the so-called “rich” people Elmar called on in his business were almost destitute. He would drive up to a stately mansion and knock on the door for his appointment. The house would be very impressive on the outside. Inside, it was stark. Little or no furniture. Nothing on the walls for decoration. Almost empty.
Of course, he would be given excuses. “Our furniture is still in storage…” or some such comment. But he could tell.
Another salesman I knew as a friend was himself pretentious. He had been to the seminars on “How to Impress People and Make More Sales in Real Estate” and he had believed them. I visited him and his wife one evening at their home and he proudly showed me all of his “stuff.” The dining room set was polished mahogany. The paintings on the walls were top drawer. His bedroom included two king-sized beds and his prized possession was his collection of dozens and dozens of pairs of Italian-made leather shoes.
At the time, he and his wife were both retired. It was clear that they could not hire the help they needed to take care of their home. Dust was everywhere, and the place had the air of a second-hand store that had been closed for years. When I left them, they settled down to eat their dinners from TV trays in a small sitting room. It was the only room they kept heated while the rest of the house stayed cold.
Pretending to be rich is not easy to do for very long. People see through it. The emptiness in such lives is tragic and obvious.
And what about great wealth? True wealth is not found in worldly things, but in knowing Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:19). Why do I say this? What is more valuable than life? We may think our possessions have value, but without life, they are worth nothing. A person who has fallen into deep water and is on the edge of drowning does not value the cars in their garage or the paintings on their walls. They value their next breath.
Jesus offers us life. Not physical life — he has already given us that, but spiritual life. The life that comes from being reunited with the Source of all Life, the Father (John 14:6). To the one who truly understands what this means, the physical world has little or no value. We pretend to be poor, yet in Christ, we have great wealth.
Application: Do a self-check on what you value. Do your values aline with God’s Word?
Food for Thought: What does Solomon mean by pretending to be poor?
Great devotion brother.
It is funny that you ask this question. I have never knowingly met someone who was poor who pretended to be wealthy – as in the stories you shared here. But I have known a couple of wealthy people who appeared to be of average wealth. They downplayed their success and you couldn’t tell from their lifestyle they had any more than anyone else. One of those gave a lot of money away. He backed many Christian causes through being generous with his money. He once told me that “it is not mine anyway, it all belongs to God.” He didn’t just say that, he lived it.
He seemed poor (or average)financially because he was also wealthy spiritually. He knew God and saw all that he had as the Lord’s.
Jesus said, “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5: 3). We all should realize our need before the Lord and that our need is the Lord. If not, no matter how much we have, we are poor.
Rich,
I appreciate the encouragement. I have known people like you describe, too. I totally agree with the sentiment that it is not ours, it is all God’s. Amen!
08-07-2021. Proverbs 13:7, What does Solomon mean by pretending to be poor?
Living our lives in genuine humility before our God and those around us. Not boasting in our salvation but gratefully sharing all we have been given by God.
Begin by giving our time to those in need of a brief moment with Christ.
Thank you, Ron.
I think sharing “a brief moment with Christ” is your personal superpower. 🙂
If that were to be true it would also be true for you, and only by God’s Grace would we be empowered with the power to become givers over takers.
Blessings Brother!
Ron
Amen! 🙂
I have seen both sides of this verse.
I’m my time traveling for ballet, having roommates, seeing family, and cleaning houses, I’ve seen a lot of situations.
There are times that someone who should live paycheck to paycheck, but buys not functional pretty things all the time. What’s worse is that these kind of people don’t even take good care of themselves or their baubles, they just think having them is important.
There are those who have money, yet they don’t act any different than the first type of person. Yeah, they have the means, but pointless pretty things are just as pointless, just as empty, and apparently what they choose to fill their mind with.
There are those who are poor and live it well. They know their means and are thankful for what they have. And, importantly, they take care of what God has given them. These are the two main factors that I’ve seen make a huge difference in whether someone is ‘rich’ or ‘poor’.
There are those who have modest money, and in this we see the same contrast of someone who is thankful and takes care of what they’ve been given, and someone who wants more but can’t even care for what they’ve got.
And then the wealthy…. Here again we see sub categories. The ones who are poor ( already highlighted); the ones who manage what they have and have a healthy stash; the ones who manage what they have and give up the excess.
Sorry, I’m rushing at the end. Point being there is tangible poor and rich, but each of those have varying levels of … Shall we call it spiritual wealth?
Most likely I’m just expanding on what everyone said earlier, nothing new.