Pro 19:6 | KingComments | STEP | People seek the friendship of influential people in order to benefit ( ). To do so, they seek to gain favor with them ( ; cf. ). To “seek the favor” is literally “to caress the face” or “to soften the face”. The considerable are valued because of their possessions, not because of their qualities. Likewise, one who is generous may be assured of having numerous friends. Generosity need not have a negative meaning here. One who is generous attracts people. Everyone wants to belong to his friends. It shows that man is an egoist, someone who is only after his own benefit. If there is something to gain that makes his life a little easier, he is the first to go. This is also how it works in business and politics. That he wants only what makes his life more pleasant is evident in his rejection of God as the great Giver. God gave His Son as a free gift of His grace. But man does not want that Gift, because that means condemning himself as selfish. It puts an end to living for oneself. People shun those who are poor ( ). The thought of “hating”, in the sense of rejecting, indicates that family members and superficial friends will leave the poor man because he can no longer do anything for them. We also see this with the Lord Jesus. His earthly family, the Jews, hated Him. When your luck runs out, even your family shuns you. Your friends wish you to perish. You can shout all you want, but they don’t listen. When they see you coming, they look the other way and pretend not to see you, because it is ‘out of sight, out of mind’.

‏ Proverbs 19:6

Wealth Is Attractive, Poverty Repulsive

People seek the friendship of influential people in order to benefit (Pro 19:6). To do so, they seek to gain favor with them (Psa 45:12; cf. Jude 1:16). To “seek the favor” is literally “to caress the face” or “to soften the face”. The considerable are valued because of their possessions, not because of their qualities.

Likewise, one who is generous may be assured of having numerous friends. Generosity need not have a negative meaning here. One who is generous attracts people. Everyone wants to belong to his friends. It shows that man is an egoist, someone who is only after his own benefit. If there is something to gain that makes his life a little easier, he is the first to go. This is also how it works in business and politics.

That he wants only what makes his life more pleasant is evident in his rejection of God as the great Giver. God gave His Son as a free gift of His grace. But man does not want that Gift, because that means condemning himself as selfish. It puts an end to living for oneself.

People shun those who are poor (Pro 19:7). The thought of “hating”, in the sense of rejecting, indicates that family members and superficial friends will leave the poor man because he can no longer do anything for them. We also see this with the Lord Jesus. His earthly family, the Jews, hated Him.

When your luck runs out, even your family shuns you. Your friends wish you to perish. You can shout all you want, but they don’t listen. When they see you coming, they look the other way and pretend not to see you, because it is ‘out of sight, out of mind’.