October 6, 2026

Business by the Book

Proverbs 14:31 He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.

Throughout Scripture there is a thread of instruction concerning the treatment of poverty stricken people. Concerning the poor Jesus made an astounding statement in Mark 14:7, For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good:… Yes, there have always been poor people and there will always be poor people. Some are poor of their own choosing, some are poor from no fault of their own, but the result is the same, they are poor.

The word “poor” is used 197 times in the Bible; evidently the Lord has much to teach us concerning those that are afflicted by poverty. Today’s verse teaches that to oppress the poor is to reproach the Maker of the poor; which of course is the Lord. When a person has mercy on the poor that person does so in order to give honor to the Maker of the poor (not that the Lord makes people poor, but that He is the Maker of the people that are poor).

There are businesses that through their marketing strategies and pricing structure oppress the poor. The word “oppresseth” means to “press upon, violate, defraud, get deceitfully, wrong, extort” (Strongs). Because of the lack of education, lack of knowledge of market conditions, or lack of the ability to obtain wise counsel, the poor are suitable targets for all manner of scams, charlatans, manipulation, and swindles.

There is an old term in business that is too little valued today. It is “Buyer beware.”  Those with wherewithal may be able to “beware” better than the poor because of their resources. In the short term oppressing the poor may be attractive, but in the long term their Maker will respond to being reproached.

Remember Jesus’ words from above about the poor, …whensoever ye will ye may do them good…  By doing good to the poor their Maker is honored, by oppressing them their Maker is reproached. It’s always sound business advice to honor instead of reproach. Especially those in high offices and, by the way, there is no office higher than the one the Maker of all holds.

Dr. William Howe