Christian Philosophy: How Christ Fulfills Proverbs 10:15

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Proverbs 10:15 tells us: “The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty” (KJV). At first, it may seem improbable (if not impossible) to get a picture of Christ from this proverb. However, there is a way! And that way will be demonstrated in this post! A note though: my analysis of these proverbs in this series on my blog is NOT meant to dive into the original meaning of these proverbs. Rather, they are attempts to show from Scripture how Christ matches what the Proverbs say. With all that said, let’s begin!

As usual, let’s consider the first clause: “The rich man's wealth is his strong city.” The Holy Spirit, through Paul the apostle, tells us in 2 Corinthians 8:9: “For ye [the Christians at Corinth] know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (KJV). Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ is rich, abounding in possessions, for, being God the Son, He is the Creator of all things (John 1:1-3). And, being the God-Man ever since He took on sinless human flesh, He is indeed THE “Rich Man.” And that wealth, which, again, is literally ALL THINGS, is His strong city. NOT that He trusts in it or that His well-being depends on His riches (for His ability to create wealth for Himself is limitless and inexhaustible), but rather they are a demonstration of His strength. Indeed, that strength is demonstrated in the New Jerusalem that He builds (Revelation chs. 21-22)!

And now, we turn to the second clause of this proverb: “the destruction of the poor is their poverty.” This half of the proverb illustrates the hopelessness of the creature apart from the Creator. The Son, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, is self-sufficient, not needing anything from His creations (Acts 17:24-25). His creatures, on the other hand, are in COMPLETE need of Him. As the Holy Spirit tells us in Acts 17:25, God gives to all their life, their breath, and all things. This is the “poverty” of all creatures, in stark contrast to the richness of their Creator. Creatures, because of their dependent nature, are “poor,” and this “poverty” is their “destruction” if they are in rebellion against their Creator, for they’re fighting the very One who gives them even the strength by which they struggle against Him.

So, we wrap up this post by repeating the conclusion of our findings here: Christ, being the Ultimate Rich Man, shows His strength by His riches, similar to how a builder displays his strength by the strong city he builds. All things, which are Christ’s creations, are poor, and their poverty is their utter dependence on their Maker for literally every thing. And this poverty is the undoing of those creatures who rebel against Him. The glory of Christ’s richness, His richness lying not in His riches but in His very Nature, shines all the more beautifully against the poverty of His creations.

O Christian! O one who trusts and loves the Lord Jesus Christ (along with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit) only! If you are united to Christ by faith in Him, you not only have Christ’s riches, but you have Him Himself! O reader, if the description of the Christian above does not characterize you right now, turn away from whatever you are putting your trust and your love in right now and set your heart instead on Christ, not trusting in anything you are or anything you do! If you repent and believe like this, you will possess the True Treasure (Matthew 13:44)!