Opus 2015-162: Monday Pulpit: Sources of Poverty, part 3 of ?, Oppression

According to the media and the educational elites, poverty is caused by the greed and oppression of the rich.  How can you deny that?  I guess the key reason is because it isn’t a genuinely true statement.  The falsehood is not in the listing of oppression as a cause of poverty but in making it the action exclusively of the rich.  The lie is in blaming the rich and ignoring the government angle.  Yes, oppression happens.  Proverbs is not blind to that and has something to say about it.

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

It happens, but oppression by the rich in modern America is a blip on the road of life.  It is something that is done to you, but most causes of poverty are things we do, or don’t do, to ourselves.  It is the result of repeated bad choices and a refusal to learn by experience.

If we are looking for outside forces, oppression by the government is much more prevalent and difficult to overcome.  Proverbs also points out that you don’t need to be rich or powerful to be an oppressor.

(Proverbs 28:3 KJV)  A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

I want to get beyond those popular targets.  I know of many people who came to America with nothing and fit all the minority stereotypes except attitude and went on to build wealth and find success.  I want to look at some of the overlooked causes of poverty that are at the root of our problem in American today.  A large part of what I suggest will be based on what the Bible teaches about the issue in the book of Proverbs.

To be continued...