The Rich and Poor are Met Together

The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all.
—Proverbs 22:2

This Scripture reminds us of the account of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. Both were very different in their social status and material possessions. But although very different in this world, they both met in the same judgment. The rich man’s money meant nothing now. It did not purchase him a ticket to paradise. But Lazarus, who was as poor as anyone we’ve ever met, was now rejoicing in that paradise. Then from this example can we conclude that God hates rich people and loves poor people?

No. In God’s sight, rich and poor are all equal—He is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Unlike us, God looks at the heart, and not the outside (1 Sam. 16:7). In God’s sight, there are no rich people or poor people—only righteous people and unrighteousness people. It does not matter if you have a lot of money or nothing at all. What matters is righteousness, and not riches.

Not all rich people go to hell. Abraham certainly was rich, yet he is called the friend of God. I knew a man from Virginia that had a decent amount of money, but he loved God and he gave a lot of that money for the work of God. If God has your heart, then He will also have your money.

The rich man in Luke 16 obviously did not give God his heart or his money. He could have helped Lazarus. He could have fed him, taken him to a doctor, and it probably wouldn’t have hurt his wallet. But he didn’t. But that wasn’t his worst sin—that was that he didn’t give his heart to God. Because he did not give his heart to God he faced eternal separation from Him.

Don’t let your financial condition affect your relationship with God, because in that judgment day that relationship is the only thing that matters.