Christian Philosophy: How Christ Fulfills Proverbs 10:4

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Proverbs 10:4 says: “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich” (KJV). In other words, the lazy person will become poor, but the diligent person makes rich. Notice that it indeed says that the diligent man makes rich, not becomes rich. [1] So, what picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God [2] and the Wise Son [3] of God the Father, do we have here?

We know the Son was diligent in doing His Father’s business (Luke 2:49). Another way of saying it is we’re aware that Christ was not lazy in doing God’s work. How could Christ be otherwise, since He is the Embodiment of God’s Law [4], given His flawless righteousness? [5] And because He was diligent, Christ made rich. But that raises the questions: 1) makes who rich? and 2) rich in what way? 2 Corinthians 8:9 says: “For ye 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.” How did Christ become poor? He became poor by, despite being in the form of God, making Himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a slave, [6] becoming a man (yet a man without sin), humbling Himself, and becoming obedient to the death of the cross. And Christ Himself was rewarded with the wealth of God’s high exaltation and bestowal on Him of a Name that is above all other names, so that, at the Name of Jesus, every knee should bow (including things in Heaven, things in Earth, and things under the Earth) and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. [7] And Christ made His people (i.e., all who follow Him [8]) rich by bestowing upon them the status of children of God [9], and therefore the status of co-heirs with Christ. [10]

Let’s conclude this post with two sub-topics. The first, which we’ll cover in this paragraph, is how godlessness and christlessness are pictured in this proverb’s first half: “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand”. For one of the best ways to see God’s beauty is to see what the opposite of Him is like. Unlike Christ, the Ultimate Diligent Worker, the christless man deals with a “slack hand.” The godless man does not work, and therefore poverty, in its various forms, is his wages. And the worst poverty of all will be the deprivation of every good thing [11] in the Lake of Fire, the eternal prison of all unrepentant sinners. [12] This is what we see in the portrait painted in this clause.

The second sub-topic we’ll cover in this paragraph. That sub-topic is how the second clause in this proverb pictures the Christian, the one who is becoming conformed to the image of Christ. [13] That second clause, of course, is the one that primarily displays Christ: “but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.” The Christian is not merely one whom Christ has made rich; he is one who, through the riches of Christ, makes others rich. We see this in Christ’s apostle, Paul, who said that, as a minister of God, he was, despite being poor, “making many rich,” [14] and he accomplished this by preaching the “unsearchable riches of Christ.” [15]

Truly, the diligent hand of Christ makes His people rich! And His people, following His example, [16] make many rich through the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, which is received by faith. However, the christless man deals with a slack hand, and merits poverty as a result. [17]

[1] https://biblehub.com/interlinear/proverbs/10-4.htm [2] 1 Corinthians 1:24 [3] Proverbs 10:1; As I said in a reference in my Proverbs 10:1 post, the insight of Christ as the Wise Son, if I remember correctly, is one of Voddie Baucham's in his series on Proverbs. Since I don't know what specific sermon (or sermons) he said it in, I'll link to his Proverbs sermons here: https://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?subsetitem=Proverbs&subsetcat=bible&keyword=Voddie%5FBaucham&keywordDesc=Voddie+Baucham&SpeakerOnly=true&includekeywords=&ExactVerse= [4] Psalm 40:6-8; cf. Hebrews 10:5-7; https://www.gracegems.org/2017/04/Plato's%20wish.html [5] 2 Corinthians 5:21 [6] https://biblehub.com/greek/1401.htm [7] Philippians 2:5-11 [8] Revelation 14:1-4 [9] John 1:12-13 [10] Romans 8:16-17; Galatians 4:7 [11] This characteristic of Hell was impressed on me most memorably by Todd Friel, host of Wretched Radio, who explained this attribute of Hell on a radio program in 2007. The YouTube video where I heard this has, unfortunately, been taken down, and so I can’t link to the video itself. The YouTube video was on a YouTube channel called "LaneCh" (link here: LaneCh - YouTube). [12] Revelation 20:15 [13] Romans 8:28-29 [14] 2 Corinthians 6:10 [15] Ephesians 3:8 [16] 1 John 2:6 [17] This is not to say that non-Christians are lazy in secular work (even though they are slack in the work God calls people to, for an unbeliever’s work in that occupation of occupations is nonexistent). Rather, the slothful man is a christless man. And, if a Christian is being lazy, he is acting christless (2 Thessalonians 3:11).