Proverbs 10:4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
This passage of scripture points out one of the root causes of poverty in nations where there is much opportunity for advancement. It was never the will of God that His people should be poor, for poverty greatly restricts the temporal good that can otherwise be accomplished. It is the will of God that with proper management and the implementation of eternal principles of righteousness, that His people should have an abundance of means to carry forward the work of the gospel, and also to take care of our everyday expenses in a prudent manner. The notion that God desires some people to be poor so that others can practice benevolence is without scriptural foundation, for The Lord clearly stated that if His people were to follow diligently the instructions and principles He has given, there would have been no poor person in the land. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 15:1 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. 2 ... "Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother" .... 4 Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it: 5 Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. 6 For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.
Dealing with a slack hand has to do with the way resources are expended and used for reasons other than that which is justified or necessary. In the parable of the prodigal son we see where the younger brother took his portion of his father's goods, and went on a shopping and a partying spree, splurging with the friends and women who flocked to the feeding frenzy of one who lacked understanding and discretion. In his wild spending, he bought many things that were unnecessary, and he paid for the entertainment of friends and guests with no thought of how he was going to restore that which he had used. And because of his unbridled obsession with bling, and fun, and material things, he made a common mistake that many people now make, that of not not ensuring that his outflows were not greater than his inflows, and because of this, it was not long before he began to be in want. Let's read:
Luke 15:11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Some theologians have interpreted this parable to mean that it was because the younger son had left the church why he came to poverty. But nothing can be further from the truth, for there are many people who have never attended any church, yet they are successful and very wealthy in the things of this world, thus showing that the problem with the young man was a matter of fiscal discipline, rather than a lack of religion or opportunity. Whenever our outflows exceed our inflows on a continual basis for any reason, it's just a matter of time before poverty and indebtedness will start knocking on our doors, and it is a known fact that the stranglehold of debt can be a formidable shackle to shake loose.
In many cases where dire poverty has come upon individuals, the root cause is not a lack of resources or opportunities, but rather what we do with the blessings bestowed, and the wrong management of the resources that are available to us. Success in temporal lines depends not so much in being affluent, but rather in a prudent use and management of that which is lent to us by God, be it little or much. But being prudent and frugal in our ways does not preclude us from being benevolent, for it is usually the frugal ones who have enough and to spare, so that the less fortunate may also be blessed. If one does not have a plan in place to replenish that which is used, then that person should refrain from spending, if it can be avoided, for the godly principle of replenishing is an eternal principle that must be observed in the here and now, and also in the earth made new, if temporal and spiritual poverty is to be avoided.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to acknowledge God, and godly principles in all that we do, so that the sin of dealing with a slack hand, and the accompanying poverty it brings, can be avoided wherever possible. Let's read:
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!