Do Business Honorably (Proverbs 22:16)
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Proverbs 22:16
Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
“Do business honorably.”
Three words that should be engraved on every invoice and whispered over every handshake. But today, that phrase feels like a museum relic—admired, but no longer applied. Everyone loves how it sounds; few love what it costs.
And even if the whole world could hear those words, I’m not sure they’d know what they mean anymore.
Why? Because we’ve let the definition of “honor” become subjective to each person. We’ve unhooked it from God’s standard and let it drift into whatever feels right in the moment. If honor is just “whatever I feel right now,” then honor today looks like a customizable Starbucks order—different for everyone, satisfying no one. That’s right. I said it.
But for you and me, as believers, Proverbs 22:16 draws the line in the sand. It shows us what honor actually looks like in real life—in contracts, in meetings, in money. It says:
“Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.”
Now what’s going on here? What’s the thread between oppressing the poor and giving to the rich?
It’s a heart with no compassion. One man gains wealth by stepping on the needy. The other gains approval by flattering the powerful. Both are building ladders—but neither reaches heaven.
And to both, God says: “You’re headed for poverty.”
That’s not just financial. It’s spiritual. It’s relational.
The man who pads his bank account by crushing the poor may be rich in dollars but bankrupt in soul. And the one who gives to the rich—looking for favor, clout, or influence—may win applause from men but lose the smile of God.
Poverty comes—not as a thief in the night, but as the just reward of a cold, calculating heart.
Now, just to be clear—this isn’t the Bible’s way of saying, “Only care about the poor, and ignore everyone else.” This is about the heart of compassion.
This is about honoring the image of God in every person—but especially refusing to ignore the one the world finds easiest to overlook. Because when you love those who can’t pay you back… that’s honor. What do they say?
You learn a lot about a man’s character by the way he treats someone he doesn’t need.
So what does that look like for you today?
Where have you been doing business, doing life dishonorably?
And how does this verse challenge you today?
Let’s pray.
(“Lord, we confess how easy it is to live dishonorably. Sometimes we step on others to get ahead. Sometimes we flatter the powerful to gain approval. But neither of those ladders leans on You.
Thank You, Jesus, that You never lived that way. You never oppressed the weak or flattered the rich. Instead, You honored us when we had nothing to give You. You became poor so that through Your poverty we might become rich in grace.
So today, help us to do business honorably. Help us treat people with compassion, not calculation. Help us reflect the honor You’ve already shown us at the cross.
Amen.”)
