“The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor, but the rich has many friends” (Proverbs 14:20).
Long before Lefty Frizzell stated it musically as “If you got the money, honey, I’ve got the time…And if you run short of money, I’ll run short of time”, Solomon observed that a rich man has many “friends”. That is, he does until he doesn’t have the money. Then, “the poor is separated from his friend” (Prov. 19:4) and hated by his own neighbor.
Wealth has an incredible ability to attract a host of superficial hangers-on. As long as you have money to spend, they will tolerate you long enough to bankrupt your wealth.
Finding a true friend—one who loves you at all times (Prov. 17:17) and will stick closer to you than a brother (Prov. 18:24)—is an invaluable treasure and blessing in life. Being such a friend is something everyone can be.
