The Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing Text: Proverbs 13:8
Introduction: Two Economies
The book of Proverbs is a book of applied theology. It is God's instruction manual for how His created order actually works. It is not a collection of pious platitudes for needlepoint pillows. It is a series of hard-nosed, reality-based directives for navigating the world as it is, under the eye of the God who made it. And in our day, a day waterlogged with economic sentimentalism and socialist fantasies, a proverb like this one lands with the force of a blacksmith's hammer on a flimsy piece of tin.
We are told constantly that wealth is the problem. The rich are the villains in every story our culture tells itself. We are catechized from our youth to believe in a zero-sum world where one man's gain is necessarily another man's loss. This is the central lie of all Marxist and egalitarian thought, and it is a lie that has seeped under the doors of the church. But the Bible does not condemn wealth; it condemns the love of wealth. It does not condemn riches; it warns of the dangers that attend them. Scripture teaches that wealth can be a blessing from God, a tool for dominion, and a means of grace. But it also teaches that it can be a snare, a burden, and a very heavy anchor.
This proverb sets before us two men, the rich man and the poor man. It describes a particular advantage and a particular disadvantage that attends each station. But as with all proverbs, this is not merely a bit of financial advice. This is not a snippet from King Solomon's Wall Street Journal. This is a revelation of two different ways of living in God's world, two different economies of existence. One man has a life that can be threatened by external forces demanding a price, and the other man has a life that is, in a very real sense, off the books. One man is a target, and the other is not. One hears the constant threat of rebuke and shakedown, and the other does not. Understanding this proverb is crucial for understanding how to live wisely in a world full of kidnappers, extortionists, and critics, both literal and spiritual.
We must therefore come to this text prepared to have our modern, egalitarian assumptions challenged. We must be willing to see that both wealth and poverty have their own peculiar temptations and their own peculiar blessings. And ultimately, we must see how this proverb points us to the one who was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might become rich.
The Text
The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,
But the poor hears no rebuke.
(Proverbs 13:8 LSB)
The Rich Man's Ransom (v. 8a)
The first clause lays out the precarious position of the wealthy man.
"The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth..." (Proverbs 13:8a)
A ransom is a payment made to redeem someone from captivity, to free them from a threat. The classic picture is that of a kidnapping. The kidnappers don't snatch the son of a pauper. They target the son of the millionaire because they know the millionaire has the means to pay. The rich man's wealth, therefore, is both his great advantage in the world and his great vulnerability. His riches are the very thing that make him a target.
In one sense, this is a blessing. When trouble comes, when a lawsuit is filed, when a medical crisis hits, when a tyrant makes a demand, the rich man has resources. He can write a check and make the problem go away. He can ransom his life, or his peace, or his son, with his money. The ability to do this is a form of power, a form of dominion. It is a good thing to be able to provide for your own, to have a defense against the calamities of a fallen world.
But in another, more profound sense, this is a curse. Because he is a target, the rich man lives under a constant, low-grade threat. His wealth attracts thieves, con men, tax collectors, and revolutionaries. Everyone knows what he has, and many of them are scheming how to get it. He has to spend a great deal of his time and energy protecting what he has. He builds walls, hires guards, and buys insurance. His life is complicated by the very thing that is supposed to make it easier. He has much to lose, and so he has much to fear.
This applies not just to literal kidnapping, but to every kind of societal pressure. The wealthy man is expected to fund every cause. He is subject to the rebukes and threats of those who want a piece of his pie. If he doesn't donate to the right political campaign, or fund the latest social justice initiative, he is threatened with public shame, boycotts, and cancellation. His wealth becomes the leverage used against him. He is constantly being told, "That's a nice business you have there. It would be a shame if something happened to it." This is the rebuke, the threat, that the rich man constantly hears.
Spiritually, the danger is even greater. A man who gets used to ransoming his life with his wealth can begin to believe that everything has a price, including his own soul. He trusts in his riches. This is the man Jesus described, the rich young ruler, who could not ransom his soul because he was unwilling to part with his wealth. His riches were not his tool; they were his master. The ultimate ransom for a man's life is not his earthly wealth, but the precious blood of Christ. But the man who trusts in his earthly ransom is often the last to recognize his need for the heavenly one.
The Poor Man's Freedom (v. 8b)
The second clause presents the contrasting situation of the poor man.
"...But the poor hears no rebuke." (Proverbs 13:8b LSB)
At first glance, this seems counterintuitive. Don't the poor get rebuked all the time? Aren't they looked down on, told they are lazy, and so on? Yes, but that is not the kind of rebuke the proverb has in mind. The word here for rebuke, or threat, is connected to the kind of shakedown the rich man experiences. It's the threat of extortion. The poor man hears no such threat because he has nothing to extort. The kidnapper drives right past his house. The revolutionary propagandist isn't interested in his opinion. The tax man isn't auditing him. In this specific sense, his poverty is his shield.
The poor man can sing in the presence of a robber, as the old saying goes. He has a freedom the rich man does not. He is not a target. No one is trying to get his money, because he doesn't have any. This is a profound blessing. He is free from the anxieties, the fears, and the constant pressures that come with managing and protecting great wealth. He sleeps soundly, not because he has great security systems, but because he has nothing to steal.
Of course, poverty has its own set of very real difficulties, which other proverbs address. The point here is not to romanticize poverty, but to de-romanticize wealth. We live in a culture that worships wealth and sees it as the solution to all problems. The Bible is far more realistic. It says that wealth solves certain problems, but creates others. Poverty, while creating its own set of problems, solves the problem of being a target for financial predators.
The poor man hears no rebuke. This means he is left alone. He is not invited to the important banquets, but he is also not presented with the bill. He is not asked to sit on the board, but he is also not held responsible when the company tanks. He is overlooked, which is often a painful experience, but it is also a form of protection. His insignificance in the eyes of the world is his security blanket.
The spiritual parallel is this: the man who is "poor in spirit" is the one who hears no ultimate rebuke from God. The man who comes to God with empty hands, with no righteousness of his own to offer, with nothing to bargain with, is the one who receives the kingdom of heaven. He is the one who is not trying to ransom his own life, and so he is the one who is truly free. He hears no rebuke from the law, because Christ has answered all its demands. He is poor, and therefore he is safe from the ultimate threat.
Living in the Proverb
So what do we do with this? This proverb is not an encouragement to pursue poverty. Godliness with contentment is great gain, but the Scriptures also tell us that the diligent hand makes rich. The Bible does not have a problem with wealth, but with a disordered love for it. This proverb is a diagnostic tool and a bucket of cold water for our materialistic assumptions.
If you are wealthy, or are striving to be, you must take this warning to heart. Your wealth makes you a target. You will be threatened. You will be rebuked. People will want what you have. You must therefore cultivate a detached heart. You must hold your wealth with an open hand, recognizing that it is a tool God has given you, not your ultimate security. You must be prepared to use it as a ransom in this life when wisdom dictates, but you must never believe it can ransom your soul. Your true treasure must be in heaven, where thieves cannot break in and steal.
If you are poor, you must recognize the peculiar blessing of your station. You are free from a thousand anxieties that plague the rich. Do not despise your freedom by coveting their gilded cage. Do not listen to the serpent's whisper that tells you your life would be better if only you were a target. Instead, thank God for your safety. Your lack of worldly importance is a great protection from worldly evil. Use your freedom to pursue the true riches, which are found in Christ alone.
The Great Ransom
This proverb, like all of Scripture, ultimately points us to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate fulfillment of both sides of this equation.
First, He was the truly rich man. He owned everything. All the wealth of the world was His. And because of His great riches, His life was demanded as a ransom. Satan, the world, and the religious authorities all came to Him with their threats. They sought to extort Him, to trap Him, to kill Him. And in the end, He gave His life, the ultimate treasure, as a ransom. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
But in another sense, He was the truly poor man. He had no place to lay His head. He had no earthly wealth to protect. He was not a target for kidnappers. He heard no rebuke from those seeking His money. He was utterly free from the love of mammon. And in His poverty, He was safe. No one could touch Him until His hour had come. No one could buy Him, and no one could threaten Him into submission.
He embraced the vulnerability of the rich man, giving His life as a ransom, and He embraced the freedom of the poor man, trusting not in earthly things but in His Father alone. And in doing so, He purchased for us a treasure that can never be threatened and a freedom that can never be lost.
Because of His ransom, we who were poor and destitute have been made rich beyond all measure. And because we are now hidden in Him, we hear no ultimate rebuke. The accuser may threaten, the world may rage, but our lives are secure. We have been bought with a price, and the one who paid it is the one who holds us. In this world, we will have troubles. The rich will be threatened and the poor will be afflicted. But in Christ, we have an economy that transcends both. He is our wealth, He is our security, and He is our freedom from every threat.