Commentary - Proverbs 28:3

Bird's-eye view

This proverb presents us with a picture of unnatural and self-destructive sin. The Bible consistently condemns oppression of the poor, particularly when it is done by the rich and powerful. That is a straightforward sin, a rebellion against the God who identifies Himself as the defender of the poor. But here we have something even more twisted: the poor oppressing the poor. This is not just sin; it is a kind of lunacy. It is a suicidal rage that destroys the very ecosystem in which the oppressor himself must live. The imagery used, that of a driving rain that washes away all the seed and topsoil, is one of utter desolation. It is not a productive rain that brings life, but a catastrophic flood that leaves nothing behind. This proverb teaches us that sin is not only a transgression against God's law, but is also profoundly illogical and ultimately self-defeating. It is a picture of envy and rage eating its own.

The principle here is that when men are given a little bit of power or advantage, however small, their fallen nature will tempt them to use it to crush those around them, even if those people are in the same desperate circumstances. It is the parable of the unforgiving servant in miniature. This is a stark warning against the kind of envy that cannot stand to see a neighbor get ahead, the "crabs in a bucket" mentality that ensures everyone stays down. The ultimate solution to this kind of oppression is not a reshuffling of economic classes, but the regeneration of the human heart through the gospel of Jesus Christ, which alone can replace envy with charity and oppression with service.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

The book of Proverbs is intensely practical, concerned with teaching wisdom for navigating God's world as it actually is. Chapter 28, like much of the book, is a collection of antithetical proverbs, contrasting the way of the wicked with the way of the righteous. The chapter touches on themes of justice, wealth, poverty, integrity, and the rule of law. Verse 3 fits squarely within this context, providing a specific and startling example of wickedness. It follows verses contrasting the cowardice of the wicked with the boldness of the righteous (v. 1) and the instability of a transgressing land (v. 2). It is part of a larger tapestry that illustrates how sin, in all its forms, leads to destruction, while righteousness leads to stability and life. This particular proverb is unique in its focus on the perpetrator. It is not the expected "rich man" who oppresses, but a "poor man," highlighting the deep-seated nature of sin in the human heart, which is not a mere function of economic status.

Key Issues

The Suicidal Logic of Sin

Oppressing the poor is always a heinous sin. The prophet Amos and the apostle James are just two of the witnesses in Scripture who pronounce God's fiery judgment on the rich who defraud the poor. When a rich man oppresses a poor man, he makes God his enemy, which is a fool's bargain of the highest order. But while that sin is wicked, we can at least see a kind of twisted, short-sighted logic to it. The rich man is trying to get richer.

But when a poor man oppresses the poor, the sin is not only wicked, it is suicidal. It is pure, unadulterated spite. It is the rage of a man who, having nothing, decides to burn down his neighbor's shack, forgetting that the wind will carry the flames to his own. He gains nothing from it but the momentary satisfaction of seeing someone else brought as low as he is. This is the logic of hell. The proverb's illustration of a "driving rain which leaves no food" is precise. A gentle, soaking rain nourishes the crops. A violent, flooding rain washes away the seed, the soil, and any hope of a harvest for anyone. This is what the oppression of the poor by the poor does; it creates a universal desolation.

Verse by Verse Commentary

3 A poor man who oppresses the lowly Is a driving rain which leaves no food.

Let's break this down. First, we have the subject: a poor man. The Hebrew word here is rosh, which can mean poor or needy. This is not the powerful landlord or the wealthy king. This is a man who is himself in a precarious position. He is one of the "have-nots." This is a crucial part of the setup. The Bible does not romanticize poverty. The poor are capable of great wickedness, just like the rich, because the variable that matters is the human heart, not the size of one's bank account.

Next, we have his action: he oppresses the lowly. The word for lowly is dal, which refers to the weak, the feeble, those without resources or influence. So we have a picture of someone who is poor using what little advantage he has, perhaps a temporary position of authority or some piece of information, to crush someone who is even weaker than he is. This is the unforgiving servant of Matthew 18, who, having been forgiven an astronomical debt, goes out and throttles his fellow servant over a few bucks. It is the "crabs in a bucket" syndrome, where those in the bucket will pull back any crab that is about to escape. This is the sin of envy in its rawest form.

Finally, we have the result, described in a simile: he is a driving rain which leaves no food. A driving rain, a torrential downpour, does not water the earth in a way that helps things grow. It is a destructive force. It causes a flash flood that strips the topsoil, washes away any seed that has been planted, and ruins the fields. After such a rain, there is no hope of a harvest. There is no food. The oppression of the poor by a fellow poor man brings about a total and complete devastation for the entire community. It is not a targeted strike; it is a carpet bombing. It ruins everything for everybody, including, ultimately, the oppressor himself. The sin is not just wrong; it is profoundly stupid.

Application

The first and most obvious application is to check our own hearts for this kind of suicidal envy. It is easy to point the finger at the one percent, at corrupt politicians, or at systemic injustice. It is much harder to admit that when we are given a small amount of authority, say, in our homes, in a business meeting, or in a church committee, we can be tempted to use it to put someone else in their place. We can be tempted to resent the success of a friend, the promotion of a coworker, or the good fortune of a neighbor. This proverb warns us that this spirit, the spirit of a poor man oppressing the poor, is a desolating force. It will ruin our relationships, our churches, and our own souls.

The second application is to recognize that the ultimate problem in the world is not economic disparity but sin. Marxist and other critical theories want to divide the world into the oppressed and the oppressor based on group identity. But the Bible teaches that the line between oppressor and oppressed runs straight through every human heart. The poor man in this proverb becomes the oppressor in his turn. The only thing that can break this cycle of sin and retribution is the gospel.

Jesus Christ was the truly poor man, who had nowhere to lay His head. Yet He did not oppress the lowly. Instead, He lifted them up. He was the truly oppressed one, crushed by the weight of our sin on the cross. And through His oppression, He became for us a life-giving rain, not a destructive one. He did not come to leave no food, but to be the Bread of Life. The gospel crucifies our envy and rage. It kills the poor-man-oppressor within us and raises us to new life, a life where we use whatever we have, little or much, not to crush others, but to serve them for the glory of God.