Generous with the Gospel (Proverbs 28:27)
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Proverbs 28:27
Whoever gives to the poor will not want,
but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
When I read this, my first instinct is to pray: “Lord, open my eyes. Don’t let me turn away from those in need. Make me someone who blesses, not someone who hides.”
The Bible consistently tells us that generosity is the pathway to true wealth. As one old commentator put it: “Not getting but giving is the way to wealth. God blesses the bountiful man’s barn and basket.” (Deut. 15:10, Ps. 112:3).
But notice the warning: God does not bless the one who ignores the poor. To “hide our eyes” is not just stinginess—it’s a refusal to see people as God sees them. It’s a shrinking of the heart.
Now, Proverbs usually talks about tangible poverty. But let me take this a step further.
What if the deepest poverty isn’t material, but spiritual?
Think of how many people around us are poor in their faith—and just to be clear—I’m not using the phrase ‘poor in spirit’ the way Jesus does in the Beatitudes. There, it’s a posture of humility before God. What I’m talking about here is spiritual impoverishment—people who lack Christ, who haven’t yet tasted his grace. They may be wealthy, educated, successful on the outside, but inside their souls are famished. They’re hungry for meaning, desperate for forgiveness, longing for hope.
If we “hide our eyes” from that kind of poverty—if we stay silent about Christ—we withhold the greatest treasure.
In fact, generosity in its fullest sense isn’t just giving money; it’s giving the gospel.
And why can we give so freely? Because we’ve already been given everything in Christ. We’ve seen this this week…Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8:9: “Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
Jesus didn’t hide his eyes from our need. He saw us in our sin, and instead of turning away, he came down, emptied himself, and gave his life. That’s why Christians can open our hands—because we first received grace from the open hands of Jesus.
So today, let this proverb challenge us on two levels: yes, to open our eyes to the materially poor, but also to the spiritually lacking. And when we give—to meet needs, to share Christ—we won’t be left wanting. In fact, we’ll discover what true riches really are: to participate in the generosity of God himself.
