The Cry Of The Poor

⏱️ 5 minutes.

He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor
Will himself also cry and not be answered.
— Proverbs 21:13

Here we find a foundational truth worth sitting with carefully. Solomon introduces us to a cause and an effect — a person who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor, and the consequence that follows.

The Posture of the Heart

Notice first that the proverb does not tell us anything about the financial status of this person. It does not tell us whether he is rich or poor himself. It does not tell us whether he is in a position to help or perhaps in the very same situation as the poor. What the proverb does tell us is simply this — the person had ears to hear.

This is a vital observation, because it immediately shifts the entire focus of the proverb. We might be tempted to rush to this person’s defense and say that he was not in a position to help, or that he lacked the means to do anything. But the proverb is deliberately not interested in any of that. By telling us only that this person had ears to hear, the proverb moves the conversation entirely away from financial ability and directs our attention instead to the posture of the heart.

And Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us why the heart is so central to this discussion:

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?
— Jeremiah 17:9

Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself tells us that every negative thing proceeds from the heart — that adultery, anger, lust, and all the rest find their origin there.

It is easy to assume that if only we had more — more wealth, more time, more resources — then perhaps we would be the kind of people who give freely and hear the cries of those in need. But what this proverb supposes about the condition of the human heart is that the inability to hear and respond to the cries of the poor is not primarily a problem of lacking resources. It is a problem of a disordered and hardened heart. Such a person, even if they had everything this world has to offer, would still be the same person who closes their ears — whether rich or poor.

John makes this precise point in his first epistle:

But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
— 1 John 3:17

Who Are the Poor?

It is also important to take a closer look at who the poor actually are. When we hear the word poor, we often picture a very specific kind of person — someone at the lowest rungs of society — and it then becomes easy to conclude that there are no truly poor people in our circles, given the neighborhoods we live in or the communities we are part of. But Scripture is clear that the poor will always be with us.

In Deuteronomy 15 we are told that the poor will never cease from the land. And in the Gospel of John, Jesus makes the same point to His disciples — the poor will always be among them.

So it is worth broadening our understanding of what poverty actually looks like. On the surface, it refers to those who are unable to support themselves financially. But the term extends much further than that. The poor in our lives may be those struggling with mental health, loneliness, grief, illness, broken relationships, or financial hardship. They are very likely already among us — perhaps closer than we think.

If one has ears to hear, the responsibility to listen to those cries falls immediately upon them. And it is the posture of the heart that determines whether or not they will.

The Consequence

The consequence the proverb describes is striking. The person who shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will themselves cry out — and not be answered. This is a clear judgment upon the one who was given ears to hear, and yet hardened their heart against those in need. In closing themselves off from others in their poverty, they will one day find themselves in a poverty of their own — a poverty not merely of goods, but of a good and compassionate heart.

Loved When We Were Poor

Let us remember that love was shown to us when we ourselves were utterly poor. When we were dead in our sin and trespasses, Christ for our sakes became poor, so that through His poverty we might become rich.

May we be a people so filled with the love of God, and so deeply indebted to His grace, that when we hear the cries of those around us in need, we are the first to extend a helping hand.

And let us remember that this helping hand does not have to be financial. It may be our presence — a shoulder to cry on, emotional support, the sharing of the gospel with the lost, protection for the vulnerable, or provision for those who are lacking.

Hearing and Responding

As the Lord has loved us, so let us love those around us — not with closed ears and a hardened heart, but with the open and generous heart of those who know how much they themselves have received.

Amen.