Commentary - Proverbs 28:27

Bird's-eye view

Proverbs 28:27 sets before us a stark, covenantal choice with two and only two outcomes. This is not a piece of sentimental advice for a charity drive; it is a fundamental law of God's moral universe. The verse employs a sharp antithetical parallelism to contrast the open-handed man with the tight-fisted man. The one who gives to the poor operates in accord with the grain of God's creation and receives the covenantal blessing of sufficiency. He will not lack. The one who willfully ignores the plight of the poor, who "shuts his eyes," is living in rebellion against his Creator's design and thus brings upon himself the covenantal sanction of "many curses." This is not karma; it is the direct and personal administration of the covenant Lord, who identifies with the poor and takes generosity to them as a loan to Himself.

The core issue is the state of the heart, which is then revealed by the hands. An open hand reveals a heart that has been opened by grace. A closed hand and averted eyes reveal a heart that is closed, blind, and selfish. The proverb, therefore, is a diagnostic tool. It does not teach a works-righteousness where we buy God's favor with alms. Rather, it describes the fruit of two different kinds of hearts. The righteous man, justified by faith, will inevitably be a generous man because he serves a generous God. The wicked man, curled in on himself in unbelief, will be stingy, and the world he creates for himself will be a cursed and impoverished place.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

This proverb sits within a larger collection of Solomon's wisdom that frequently contrasts the righteous and the wicked, the wise and the foolish, the diligent and the lazy. Chapter 28 is particularly concerned with matters of justice, integrity, and rule. The surrounding verses deal with the fearfulness of the wicked (v. 1), the instability of a transgressing land (v. 2), the folly of the rich oppressor (v. 3), and the blessing of integrity (v. 6). Our verse fits squarely within this context by showing how a society's economic health and justice are tied to personal piety and generosity. A just society is one where the poor are cared for, not out of state-coerced redistribution, but out of the free and faithful generosity of God's people. This verse is a companion to others like Proverbs 19:17, which says, "Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed." The principle is consistent: God's economic system is built on faithful stewardship and open-handed generosity, and He personally guarantees the results.

Key Issues

Covenant Economics 101

Modern man, particularly modern secular man, thinks of economics as a closed system, a machine that operates according to impersonal laws of supply and demand. If you want to understand poverty and wealth, you go to an economist. But the Bible teaches that economics is a subset of theology. All transactions, all harvests, all profits and losses happen before the face of God and under the terms of His covenant. This proverb is a concise lesson in what we might call covenant economics.

The operating principle is straightforward: God blesses generosity and curses stinginess. This is not a mechanical formula for getting rich. The prosperity gospel hucksters who twist verses like this into a heavenly slot machine are guilty of a gross distortion. The promise is not "wantlessness" in the sense of having every material whim satisfied. The promise is "will never want" in the sense of sufficiency. It is a promise of God's providential care. The generous man has made himself a conduit for God's grace to flow to others. God, in turn, ensures that the conduit does not run dry. The man who shuts his eyes, on the other hand, has dammed up the channel. He wants to be a reservoir, not a river. And the result is that his little pool of resources becomes a stagnant, cursed pond.

Verse by Verse Commentary

27a He who gives to the poor will never want...

The action here is simple: "gives to the poor." This is not about sentiment or feeling sorry for them. It is about a concrete action. It is about taking something that is yours and making it theirs. The promise attached is breathtaking in its scope: he "will never want." The Hebrew word for want is machsor, which means lack or poverty. This is a promise of sufficiency. The man who makes a habit of giving will find that God makes a habit of providing. He is not giving in order to get; he is giving out of a heart transformed by grace, and the getting is a covenantal consequence. God is a generous God, and He wants His people to be like Him. When we imitate His generosity, He delights in refilling our hands so that we can give again. This is the divine economy of grace. As Paul says, God loves a cheerful giver, and "is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work" (2 Cor. 9:7-8). That is the New Testament echo of this very proverb.

27b But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.

The contrast could not be sharper. The second man is not described as one who "does not give," but rather as one who "shuts his eyes." The Hebrew literally says "hides his eyes." This is not passive neglect; it is an active, willful decision to remain ignorant. He sees the poor man out of the corner of his eye and deliberately looks the other way. He knows the need exists, but he chooses to pretend it does not. This is the sin of the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan. They saw the man in the ditch and crossed to the other side of the road. Hiding your eyes is a profound act of unbelief. It is to live as though God does not see you hiding your eyes. It is to deny that your neighbor is your brother. And the result is not neutrality; it is "many curses." The curses of the covenant are not arbitrary thunderbolts from heaven. They are the natural and inevitable consequences of living against the grain of God's world. A man who is a spiritual black hole, sucking everything toward himself, will find his life filled with strife, anxiety, dissatisfaction, and ultimately, judgment. He sought to secure his own world and in doing so, he brought a world of curses down upon his own head.

Application

The application of this proverb must begin with the gospel, otherwise it collapses into mere moralism. We are all, by nature, the man who shuts his eyes. We are spiritually destitute, blind, and poor, yet we hide our eyes from our own need and from the God who can meet it. We try to hoard up our own pathetic righteousness, and the result is a life of many curses under the condemnation of the law.

But God, in His mercy, did not shut His eyes to our poverty. In Jesus Christ, He looked upon us, and though He was rich, for our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). He did not just give to the poor; He became poor for us. He gave not just His resources, but His very self. When we, by faith, receive this ultimate gift, our hearts are transformed. We are given new eyes to see and a new heart that desires to give.

Therefore, Christian generosity is not a grim duty performed to keep the curses at bay. It is the glad and spontaneous overflow of a heart that has been filled to overflowing with the grace of God. We give because He first gave to us. When you see a brother in need, you are being given an opportunity to act out the gospel you believe. You are being given a chance to lend to the Lord, and He is a debtor who always repays with extravagant interest. Do not, then, shut your eyes. Open them. See the need. And then open your hands, and in so doing, reflect the character of your Father in heaven, who opens His hand and satisfies the desires of every living thing.