“…a poor man is better than a liar….Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches—feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 19:22; 30:7-9).
Because every human has an immortal spirit, there are several notable things much better than great prosperity (see posts on January 15, 2026 and May 7, 2025) and far worse than abject poverty.
Being a liar—one who fails to pre-eminently prioritize truth and thus listens to lies and knowingly deceives others with lies—is worse than an honest man without any money. A liar’s poverty of character is far worse than a man without any worldly possessions, for “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8).
Being a profane person—one who fails to rightly reverence the holy God and His holy Scriptures—is worse than a man without any money. A profane person’s irreverence is far worse than a reverent man who is destitute of material wealth, for without holiness no will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).
Being a liar and/or a profane person is far worse than an honest, reverent man who lives his life in poverty. (If you have any doubts about that statement, the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 will obliterate them.)
