The title of Craig Blomberg’s book, Neither Poverty nor Riches : A biblical theology of possessions is based on Proverbs 30:8 (click here for my short devotion on this verse).
Blomberg takes us on a journey through the Bible examining beliefs about wealth and poverty. The journey is detailed and thorough as he begins with ancient Israelite thinking and progresses all the way to John and his Revelation.
Blomberg comes to several conclusions. These are the ones that particularly struck me. The disparity between the wealthy and the poor didn’t become an issue for the Israelites until the introduction of the monarchy. The prophets often prophesied against the excesses of the wealthy and the oppression of the poor during the monarchy period.
When the tithe was introduced, the financial standing of Israelite families was similar so it was reasonable that everyone was more or less contributing the same amount. However, by New Testament times, with the greater discrepancy between rich and poor, Paul emphasises generosity and giving what people were able, rather than adhering to a tithe. Many wealthy people were able to give more than a tithe and the poor couldn’t afford to give that much.
Towards the end of the book, Blomberg shares his applications. Wealth is a blessing that God gives to some of his children. Wealth can be seductive so giving to others helps us to resist the temptation to rely on our possessions. One sign of spiritual maturity is generosity. The extremes of wealth and poverty are both unacceptable and Christians will look for opportunities to help others even in small ways. While helping financially is good, it’s also important to find ways to help holistically.
Overall, the Bible doesn’t see wealth as evil and poverty as a virtue, but rather only condemns extreme wealth and abject poverty. Neither poverty nor riches is an important but challenging read for those of us who live in affluent nations as we consider our responsibilities towards those in less fortunate circumstances.
More reviews of this book can be found on Goodreads and for more of my book reviews click here.
