The Posture of Need and the Arrogance of Power Text: Proverbs 18:23
Introduction: The World As It Is
The book of Proverbs is a book of applied theology. It is not a collection of sentimental platitudes for cross-stitching onto pillows. It is a divine field manual for navigating reality as God made it, and as sin has corrupted it. Solomon, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, does not just give us commands; he gives us observations. He tells us how the world works. And in our verse today, we are given a stark, unvarnished observation about the intersection of poverty, wealth, and speech.
This is not a command. It is not telling the poor man he must supplicate, nor is it commending the rich man for his harshness. It is simply stating a fact of fallen human nature. It is a sociological observation with profound theological implications. We live in a world that is constantly trying to deny reality, to pretend that sin has not warped our interactions, that power does not corrupt, and that need does not humble. Our modern sensibilities want to flatten all distinctions and pretend that the CEO and the janitor approach a negotiation with the same posture. The Bible is far more realistic. It tells us that a man's economic condition profoundly affects the way he talks.
This proverb is a diagnostic tool. It reveals the heart. What is your automatic posture? What is your default tone? The answer reveals a great deal about your perceived station in the world, and more importantly, your actual station before God. For the Christian, this verse is not just about how the world is, but about how we are to be in the world. It forces us to ask whether our speech patterns are being dictated by our bank accounts or by the Gospel of grace. It is a mirror that shows us our natural, sinful tendencies, and in so doing, points us to the radical counter-culture of the kingdom of God, where the rich are called to a spiritual poverty and the poor are exalted.
The Text
The poor man speaks supplications,
But the rich man answers with strong words.
(Proverbs 18:23 LSB)
The Posture of the Poor (v. 23a)
The first clause sets the scene with a simple observation:
"The poor man speaks supplications..." (Proverbs 18:23a)
The word for "supplications" here carries the idea of entreaties, of pleading for favor or grace. The poor man knows his position. He does not have leverage. He cannot make demands. He cannot issue threats. His position of need dictates his posture and his tone. He must appeal to the mercy or goodwill of the one he is addressing. He knows, down in his bones, that he is dependent.
This is not, in itself, a virtuous thing. It is simply a description of reality. A man with an empty stomach asking for bread does not march in and present a list of non-negotiable demands. He asks. He pleads. Necessity is a powerful tutor in the school of humility. This is the observable world. When you need something from someone who has the power to grant or withhold it, your speech softens.
But the spiritual parallel is the central point for us. This is precisely the posture that God requires of every single man, woman, and child who comes before Him. Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with this very principle: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). To be poor in spirit is to recognize your spiritual bankruptcy before a holy God. It is to know that you have nothing to offer, no leverage, no righteousness of your own to bring to the table. You cannot negotiate with God. You can only come with supplications.
The Pharisee in the temple answered with strong words, thanking God that he was not like other men. He was spiritually rich, or so he thought. The tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" (Luke 18:13). He was the poor man speaking supplications. And Jesus tells us he is the one who went home justified. The gospel gate is a low one. You have to get on your knees to get through it. You have to adopt the posture of the poor man.
The Arrogance of the Rich (v. 23b)
The proverb then presents the sharp contrast.
"...But the rich man answers with strong words." (Proverbs 18:23b LSB)
The Hebrew for "strong words" can also be translated as "roughly" or "harshly." The rich man's position of strength, his independence, and his lack of need create a temptation to arrogance. Because he does not need anything from the poor man, he feels no compunction to be gentle. His wealth insulates him from the need for supplication, and this insulation hardens his heart and his speech.
He sees the poor man's plea not as an opportunity for mercy, but as an annoyance, an imposition. His answer is rough because his heart is rough. His wealth has become a fortress, and his harsh words are the guards on the wall, keeping the needy at a distance. Think of Nabal's response to David's men. They came asking for provision, and he answered with insolence: "Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse?" (1 Samuel 25:10). That is the voice of a rich fool, answering roughly.
Again, this is a statement of tendency, not of divine command. The Bible does not condemn wealth, but it relentlessly warns against the spiritual dangers that attend it. The deceitfulness of riches chokes the word (Matthew 13:22). It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25). Why? Because wealth creates the illusion of self-sufficiency. It whispers in your ear that you are the master of your fate, that you need no one, not even God. And a man who believes he needs nothing cannot ask for mercy. A man who answers his fellow man harshly will one day find himself speechless before a God who owes him nothing.
The Apostle James picks up this theme and drives it straight into the church. He warns against giving deference to the rich man in fine clothing while despising the poor man (James 2:1-4). He says, "Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?" (James 2:6). James understood this proverb. He saw how easily the patterns of the fallen world could infiltrate the household of God.
The Gospel Reversal
So, what is the application for us? This proverb describes the world, but the gospel transforms it. The cross of Jesus Christ turns this entire dynamic on its head. In the gospel, we see the ultimate reversal of these roles.
First, we see the ultimate rich man. Jesus Christ, who possessed all the riches of heaven, who was in very nature God, did not answer our need with harsh words. Though we were utterly impoverished, spiritual beggars with nothing to offer, He did not treat us roughly. Instead, "though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9). He emptied Himself. He laid aside His strength and took on the posture of a servant. The richest man in the universe became the poorest man on earth, and He did it so that He could answer our desperate supplications not with harshness, but with His own blood.
Second, this means that for the Christian, our posture before God must always be that of the poor man. No matter how much your earthly portfolio grows, you are always and forever a beggar at the throne of grace. You never graduate from your need for mercy. The moment a Christian begins to feel spiritually self-sufficient is the moment he is in mortal danger. We must constantly cultivate a spirit of poverty, a posture of supplication. Our prayers should not be demands, but entreaties. "Give us this day our daily bread... forgive us our debts." These are the prayers of the poor.
And third, this must transform how we speak to others, particularly those in need. If you are a Christian who has been blessed with material wealth, this proverb is a flashing warning light. Your natural tendency, your sinful default setting, will be to answer roughly. The gospel commands you to crucify that tendency. You, who have received infinite mercy when you were destitute, are now called to be an agent of that mercy. Your wealth is not a fortress to protect your comfort; it is a storehouse from which you are to generously provide. Your words to the needy should not be harsh, but gentle, reflecting the grace you yourselves have received.
As James says, "Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation" (James 1:9-10). The poor Christian can glory that he is exalted in Christ. The rich Christian must glory in the humiliation that reminds him of his utter dependence on God. He must fight the pride that wealth generates by intentionally cultivating the posture of the poor man. He must learn to speak with supplications to God, so that he will learn to answer the supplications of others with grace.
This proverb, then, is a call to self-examination. How do you speak? Does your tone change depending on the net worth of the person you are addressing? Do you speak with supplications to God in prayer, only to answer the needy with harshness five minutes later? May God give us the grace to see ourselves in this mirror, and may the gospel so transform us that we, who are all poor beggars made rich in Christ, would learn to speak to one another with the same gentleness and mercy that God has shown to us.