Context No. 3700 of 4322 · Sirach

Sirach 13:17-26: in context

17What fellowship would the wolf have with the lamb? So is the sinner to the godly. 18What peace is there between a hyena and a dog? What peace is there between a rich man and the poor? 19Wild donkeys are the prey of lions in the wilderness; likewise poor men are feeding grounds for the rich. 20Lowliness is an abomination to a proud man; likewise a poor man is an abomination to the rich. 21When a rich man is shaken, he is supported by his friends, but when the humble is down, he is pushed away even by his friends. 22When a rich man falls, there are many helpers. He speaks things not to be spoken, and men justify him. A humble man falls, and men rebuke him. He utters wisdom, and is not listened to. 23A rich man speaks, and all keep silence. They extol what he says to the clouds. A poor man speaks, and they say, “Who is this?” If he stumbles, they will help to overthrow him. 24Riches are good if they have no sin. Poverty is evil only in the opinion of the ungodly. 25The heart of a man changes his countenance, whether it is for good or for evil. 26A cheerful countenance is a sign of a prosperous heart. Devising proverbs takes strenuous thinking.

Sirach observes, with painful honesty, how differently the world treats the rich and the poor. When a rich man stumbles, many rush to support him, and his words are praised to the skies; when a humble man stumbles, he is pushed away even by his friends, and though he speaks wisdom, no one listens.

It is a clear-eyed picture of the injustice of partiality, the way society fawns on the wealthy and despises the poor, regardless of their actual worth or wisdom. Sirach is not commending this; he is exposing it. And he adds a balancing word: riches are good if they are free from sin, and poverty is only evil in the eyes of the ungodly. God does not measure people as the world does. This is a warning against the partiality that judges by wealth and status, honoring the rich and dismissing the poor, and a call to weigh people by their character and their worth before God, not by their bank balance.

Do I judge people by their character and worth before God rather than by their wealth and status, refusing the partiality that fawns on the rich and dismisses the poor?

Sources

Sirach 13:22: "When a rich man falls, there are many helpers... A humble man falls, and men rebuke him. He utters wisdom, and is not listened to."
Sirach 13:23: "A rich man speaks, and all keep silence... A poor man speaks, and they say, Who is this?"
James 2:1: "Don't hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ... with partiality."