Proverb for the Day 28:6 — Guilty…Not Guilty!

Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.

Here’ s another of the “better…than” wise sayings of Proverbs. This is the second time it’s “better the poor whose walk is blameless than…” someone else in Proverbs — here “the rich,” last time it was a “fool” (19:1).

Neither wise saying suggests being poor is a virtue — that it’s a great thing to be poor! But here it does remind us that just being rich isn’t so great, either.

The “better” part about being poor is when their “walk is blameless” or they “walk in integrity.” The term suggests no guilt — and there’s only one way for us to be like that!

While none of us will ever be sinless, we can be blameless — that is, without blame or guilt. We won’t stop sinning, but we can admit our wrongs and face-up to our character defects. That’s being “blameless.”

So “blameless” is the way to go — whether rich or poor!

But our wise saying also doesn’t say it’s bad to be “rich,” either. The problem these guys and gals have is not their money!

Their problem is being “perverse” or “crooked” in their dealings with others. “Perverse” is being guilty — the exact opposite of “blameless!”

So, our verse is a contrast between two people who sin. It’s better to be the one who faces up to what he or she has done than to be the one who doesn’t. Their financial condition is immaterial!

If this wise saying is to be believed…I really need to spend a lot more time and focus in being “blameless” than on being “rich!”