Classic KJV - Proverbs 17:5

This proverb addresses the uncontrollable factors in our finances. God Himself is the ultimate source and first cause of anybody’s poverty or wealth. The text is similar to Proverbs 14:31: “He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honours Him.” The expression “taunts his Maker” is identical and is analyzed in the question, “Why are the poor so very important?”

Translation: Poor, Mock

The Hebrew word translated as “poor” here, רָשׁ (rāš, pronounced “rash”), is used twenty-two times in the Old Testament. Rāš is a word that refers to the dispossessed and expresses their hardship. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT) says its root “refers to a condition common in the lower class.” David used this word to describe himself to King Saul as being unworthy to marry the king’s daughter. It’s used frequently in Proverbs.

The word translated as “mock” here is the Hebrew, לעג (lā•'ăg, pronounced “lah-ag”), which is used seventeen times and also translated, “insult,” “scorn,” and “make fun of.” When first used in 2 Kings 19:21 lā•'ăg is translated as “laugh to scorn” (KJV). So those who laugh at the poor, perhaps mocking their shabby clothing, ramshackle housing or “beater” cars, must answer to God.

Accidents Happen

The second sentence of this proverb refers to calamity. Any of us can end up poor because of a miscalculation, unavoidable accident, or unpredictable circumstance. The text warns us that anybody’s calamity could be our calamity. It may even be cautioning against crude slapstick humour—laughing at another’s spills, trips, and falls—though it may be beneficial and righteous to laugh at our own.

Insurance is a tool to share in the risk of calamity and share the cost of another’s accident. From this perspective, paying an insurance premium is really helping someone else in their misfortune. That’s almost a form of charity—provided that the insurance company is competitive in its rates and not gouging.

Pride Precedes Punishment

The text warns us not to extract our enjoyment from the trouble of others. It could happen to us. Or are we so arrogant, that we think ourselves immune from disaster and so superior to them? Are we thinking that our wealth is the result of our own effort and intelligence, while the poverty of others is the result of their laziness and stupidity? Think again! (Exodus 4:11).

If we take credit for our wealth and fail to recognize God’s hand in our blessings, then we’re blind in our arrogance and destined for a reckoning. Likewise, if we belittle the poor, we’re implying that God has made a mess. As the preacher John Gill said, “He that derides a work derides the workman.” Our treatment of the vulnerable and handicapped reflects  our reverance of God Himself ( Leviticus 19:14).

Our Maker, Saviour, and Friend

Jesus always treated the poor with dignity.

Jesus taught his apostles “to remember the poor” (Galatians 2:9-10) as part of spreading the Gospel.

Jesus warned against even poisonous attitudes when we see accidents happen to others. We must not laugh even privately at their calamity, because we’re thinking we’re superior (Luke 13:4).