The Terrible Gift of Sunlight Text: Proverbs 29:13
Introduction: The Level Ground of Reality
We live in an age that is obsessed with sorting humanity into two neat piles: the oppressed and the oppressors. This is the central dogma of the cult of social justice. In this simplistic morality play, one group is assigned permanent victim status, and is therefore assumed to be righteous, or at least, not responsible. The other group is assigned permanent villain status, and is therefore assumed to be wicked, and responsible for everything. This is a childish and profoundly unbiblical way of looking at the world. It is a worldview that cannot handle the complexities of a world governed by a sovereign God.
The book of Proverbs, being the word of God, consistently blows up such tidy, man-made categories. It presents us with a world that is far more rugged, far more interesting, and far more dangerous. It is a world where a poor man can be a fool, and a rich man can be wise, and vice versa. It is a world where responsibility is personal, and where every single individual, regardless of their tax bracket or social standing, stands accountable before the living God. Our text today is a compact statement of this reality. It is a dose of divine realism, designed to clear our heads of the sentimental nonsense that our age tries to pass off as compassion.
This proverb forces us to look at the world from God's vantage point. It shows us two men, seemingly at opposite ends of the social spectrum, and tells us that they share something profound in common. They are not just two opposing teams in a sociological tug-of-war. They are two men, standing under the same sun, breathing the same air, and accountable to the same Creator. And in this, we find the foundation for true justice, not the counterfeit justice of our day.
The Text
The poor man and the oppressor meet together in this,
Yahweh gives light to the eyes of both.
(Proverbs 29:13)
The Common Stage (v. 13a)
The first clause sets the scene for us.
"The poor man and the oppressor meet together in this, " (Proverbs 29:13a)
The word for oppressor here can also be translated as "usurer" or "man of exactions." This is the man who uses his power, his wealth, his position to grind others down. He is the powerful, and the poor man is the powerless. They represent the two extremes of the social order. And the text says they "meet together." This is not talking about them having lunch. It means their lives intersect; they exist in the same world, on the same stage. They are bound together in the fabric of society.
In a fallen world, this meeting is inevitable. You will always have the poor, and you will always have those who are tempted to exploit them. The existence of one provides the opportunity for the sin of the other. The world is the arena where the drama of their interaction plays out. The oppressor needs someone to oppress. The poor man is the one who is oppressed. They are defined, in this proverb, in relation to one another.
But the modern mind stops here. It sees the meeting and immediately assigns blame and virtue based on category. The poor man is the victim, the oppressor is the villain, end of story. But the Bible does not end the story there. It does not allow us to create a system of ethics based on class. It pushes us further, to the ultimate reality that governs them both.
The Sovereign Giver (v. 13b)
The second clause is the theological sledgehammer that demolishes all simplistic, man-centered views of justice.
"Yahweh gives light to the eyes of both." (Proverbs 29:13b)
What does this mean? It means that the fundamental reality of their existence, the very fact that they are alive and conscious, is a gift from God. The "light of the eyes" is a Hebrew idiom for life itself. To see the light of the sun is to be alive. So, the proverb is teaching us that both the poor man and his oppressor draw every breath they take from the same divine source: Yahweh.
This is the doctrine of common grace. God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). The oppressor's ability to scheme, his intelligence, his energy, the beating of his heart as he plots his exploitation, are all gifts from the very God whose law he is breaking. He is using God's gifts to rebel against God. This is the height of audacity. He is a vandal in God's museum, using the strength God gave him to smash God's artwork.
Likewise, the poor man's resilience, his ability to wake up in the morning, to see his children's faces, to work with his hands, to endure his suffering, is also a gift from God. His life is not a cosmic accident. He is not forgotten. The same God who sustains the life of the man who is crushing him is also sustaining his life.
This puts them on level ground before the throne of God. One man has wealth and the other has poverty, but these are circumstantial. The ultimate reality is that they are both creatures, utterly dependent on their Creator for every moment of their existence. The light in their eyes is borrowed light. And when you borrow something, you are accountable to the one who lent it to you.
The Great Equalizer
This proverb is a great equalizer. It teaches us several crucial things. First, it demolishes all forms of human pride. The oppressor cannot boast in his strength or his wealth, because it is a temporary loan from God. He is a steward, and a wicked one at that. He has no ultimate claim to any of it. The power he wields is delegated power, and he will answer for his abuse of it.
Second, it gives dignity to the poor man. He may be invisible to the powerful man, a mere cog in his machine, but he is not invisible to God. Yahweh is the one who gives him light. His life has meaning and purpose because it is sustained by the King of the universe. He is not a victim of blind, impersonal forces. He is a man living in God's world, under God's care.
Third, it establishes the basis for true justice. Because God is the giver of life to both, He is the ultimate judge of both. Justice is not a matter of siding with one economic class against another. Justice is a matter of applying God's one law to every man equally. The oppressor is guilty because he has broken God's law, not because he is rich. The poor man is not automatically righteous because he is poor. He too is a sinner, and if he responds to his poverty with envy, bitterness, or theft, he too is guilty before God. Both men will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for what they did with the light God gave them.
The Folly of Godless Justice
Our generation has rejected this foundation. We have rejected the sovereign God who gives light to all. And as a result, our concept of justice has become a complete sham. We have replaced divine justice with mob justice. We have replaced individual responsibility with group identity.
The modern social justice warrior looks at the poor man and the oppressor, but he does not see two men made in the image of God. He sees two abstract categories, two warring tribes. He doesn't want justice; he wants revenge. He doesn't want reconciliation; he wants revolution. He wants to tear down the oppressor and seize his stuff, becoming the new oppressor in the process. This is the story of every godless revolution in history.
But the Christian worldview provides the only real solution. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. The oppressor must repent of his greed and theft, and the poor man must repent of his envy and bitterness. Both are sinners in need of a savior. Both need to have the light of their eyes, which is temporary, replaced by the light of the world, which is eternal. Jesus Christ is that light. He came to give sight to the blind, both the rich blind man and the poor blind man.
When both the poor man and the oppressor are converted, they meet together in a new way. They meet as brothers in Christ. The former oppressor now uses his resources to help his brother. The former poor man now works diligently and thankfully. They are no longer defined by their economic status, but by their shared identity in the Son. This is the only social program that has ever, or will ever, actually work. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ, which brings light to the eyes and life to the soul, and makes all things new.