Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter 17. Proverbs 17. I'd like to look at verse 5,
Proverbs 17. The scripture declares, Whoso
mocketh the poor reproacheth his maker, and he that is glad
at calamities shall not be unpunished. You know, we've brought this
scripture up often while going through the book of Proverbs.
And it's that scripture where the Lord was asked by His apostles,
and they said, why do you speak in parables?
Scripture says without parables, the Lord didn't speak. And He gave this answer, because
it's given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. But to them, it's not given. Now, you know, you must admit,
our Lord made a distinction right there. Why do you preach in parables
all the time? Why do you preach in Proverbs?
When you preach, you preach in these parables, this is the reason. Because God's
going to teach you. He's not going to teach them. I want us to look at this passage
of Scripture and observe the distinction between someone reading
one of the parables, or any of the parables, and coming up to
an obvious or a natural conclusion about it, and then look at the
same parable in light of the gospel and see the difference. I want us to look first of all
at the carnal obvious. The carnal obvious. Now, you
know that we've read parables. And when you read them, it just
appears as though, well, I understand that. Anybody should be able
to understand that. Well, here's one this morning
that anybody ought to understand this. Whoso mocketh the poor,
reproacheth his maker. He that is glad at calamities
shall not be unpunished." Now, before we look at the carnal
obvious, or something that appears to be obvious to the carnal mind,
remember this. The earth is the Lord's, and
the fullness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein.
Everything belongs to God. And men will say, I agree with
that. It's the Lord's. It's funny how
stingy men get with the Lord's. It's the Lord's, but I'm going
to hang on to mine. But being owner of all things, obviously it would appear that
the Lord is the one that distributes all things. If everything belongs
to Him, then obviously anything that is given out must be His. 1 Corinthians 7.17 says, But
as God hath distributed, allotted, bestowed, to every man as the
Lord called every one, so let every one walk. Let him walk.
Believers, unbelievers. An unbeliever breathes just like
a believer does. That's God's air. We drink water. We eat food. We have houses. The earth is the Lord's. Well,
the natural man will surely admit, at least in his head, well, the
Lord has truly blessed me because I have health and I have some
money and I have some honor. And every time an unbeliever
will read a passage of Scripture like we just read, whoso mocketh
the poor reproaches his master, the natural man will Get some
comfort. He's going to congratulate himself
by saying this, I don't mock. I don't make fun of. I don't
ridicule the poor. I pity them. I really do. I feel sorry for them. In fact,
I even obey God. Turn to Deuteronomy 15. I obey God. Deuteronomy 15, verse
7, 8. I obey the Lord by obeying this
Scripture right here. Deuteronomy 15, 7 and 8. If there be among you, poor man,
one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which
the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart. nor shut thine hand from thy
poor brother, but thou shalt open thy hand wide unto him,
and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he
wanteth." I see pictures of these poor kids on TV, and I mean,
they're just so pitiful. I mean, they're over in those
foreign lands, you know, and those famines and things like
that. I've gotten a lump in my throat.
I pity them. In fact, I remember one time
even sending some money, I think I gave to somebody, I'm sure. So therefore, I know I don't
reproach the maker. The Scripture says, whoso mocketh
the poor, reproaches. defames, defies, blasphemes the
Maker. And because I'm not glad, I don't
rejoice in those calamities, those misfortunes, their ruin. Therefore, I'm not going to be
punished. I've kept that Scripture right
there. Now that thought process has one fatal flaw. It gives all the glory and honor
to me. I don't mock. I don't reproach. I'm not glad at calamities. Therefore,
I'm not going to be lost. That's just about as natural
an understanding as you're going to have. Now, I'd like to look
at that same verse of Scripture in light of God's mercy and grace
and compassion to His people. This verse has everything to
do with the poor and our attitude to the poor. Look at it again.
Whoso mocketh the poor, reproacheth his maker. And he that is glad
at calamities shall not be unpunished." Can I see the gospel in that?
That's what we're looking for. Take any passage of Scripture.
If we don't see the glory of God, if we don't see man's depravity,
God's glory, God's honor, God's praise in it, then we've missed
it. If it's just about something that's going on temporarily in
this world, we missed it. The first thing that we must
do is look farther, and that by the grace of God and the carnal
man can look. When the Lord was anointed with
the precious ointment, there was some ointment that was poured
on Him, some oil that was poured on Him. Matthew 26, 7. The disciples
had indignation. They had anger and resentment
toward this woman that had poured the oil on the Lord. And they
asked this, to what purpose is this waste? For this ointment
might have been sold for much and given to the poor. And the
Lord, who commanded in the Old Testament Scriptures to truly
care for. We just read it. The naturally poor refuted them. And he said, you have the poor
always with you, but me you have not always, for in that she hath
poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Now here's my question. the poor. Who truly is the one
who is poor? 2 Corinthians 8-9 says this, you
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich,
yet for your sakes he became poor. that ye through his poverty might
be rich." I looked up that became poor, and both words, it's just
became poor, it's just one word. And it comes down to this point
right here. He who absolutely must live by
the good pleasure of another. Absolutely reduced to utter poverty. Just down to the dregs. Had nothing except that which
was given him. And as I began to think upon
the poverty of the Lord Jesus Christ, my mind completely was
lost. I just couldn't go that low,
Neal. They began to speak of the one,
he who was rich. I'm lost in the height of his
richness. I can't even go there. You can't
either. But how low? Was he made in poverty to be rejected? Look at Philippians
2. Philippians 2, verse 5 to 8. I tried to think, I tried to read
the definition and get just to the heart of it. Nobody that I've ever met,
and you haven't either. I'm talking about the poorest
of the poor that ever, ever was reduced to absolute dependence. Could do nothing without the
aid of another. We don't know anything about
that. Philippians 2, 5-8, let this
mind be in you. which was also in Christ Jesus,
who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal with God. And as I've told you before,
what that 6th verse means is this. He didn't usurp authority
from God. Didn't try to become God. Didn't
try to steal that authority. He's God. Satan tried to steal
it. I will exalt myself. Man by nature. desires to rob God, not him. But made himself of no reputation,
took upon him the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of men,
and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. In my embarrassment, all of our
embarrassments, we do not realize the depth of His poverty that
He was reduced to. Highly exalted now, but came
into this world, rejected of men, despised by men, despised
by family, rejected of God. My God, my God. All that the Father had given
Him in electing grace, for all that He surely redeemed, He stripped
Himself of all privileges and rightful dignity and became a
man that He might suffer the penalty owed to His people. How
low was his people? I don't know. But I do know this. He was made sin. And I don't
realize the depth of that poverty. Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. Was He? Isaiah 53, 3-5. He was despised and rejected
of men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. We hid, as it were,
our faces from Him. He was despised and we esteemed
Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs,
carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten
of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace
was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. Considering Him
who made Himself poor, here is the One who alone satisfied God's
demand for righteousness. Here is the one in whom life
is found. This is the Savior of sinners
who made Himself humble. He humbled Himself. What does
that mean? I don't know. If you ask me to
describe His humility, I'm so proud I can't even tell you anything
about that. I'm so arrogant, I don't know
anything about utter poverty. Now in closing, back in Proverbs
17, verse 5, Whoso mocketh the poor, whoso mocketh him, Compared to
him, nobody was as poor. Nobody ever saw poverty as he
did. Nobody had any lack of humility
as he did. Whoso mocketh him, whoso ridicules
him, Makes light of Him, front of Him. Believes not God's report
concerning Him. To not believe Him, to bow to
Him. And Lord God of Heaven, have
mercy on me right now. Because I'm telling you right
now, if God were to mark iniquity, in our utter disrespect of Him
who is altogether lovely. If God marked iniquity in our
disrespect of Him who made Himself poor under the hand and judgment
of God's law, and submitted Himself to the absolute justice of God,
He said, I will be made like unto my brethren. Made sin. I'm telling you, there's the
key to it right there. I just can't tell you the depth
of it. Whoso mocks Him, reproaches and continues to reproach
his Maker. That means he blasphemes God.
That's the definition. Defies and blasphemes his Maker. Just what the Father said, this
is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him. To not hear Him is to mock the
poor. To mock Him who made Himself
No reputation. And he that's glad, he that rejoices,
he that's joyful at calamities, the oppression. Not only others
that we see. I mean, when we do see, as I
looked at a moment ago, people in poverty. I mean, to mock that,
not help them. He that sees a brother in need
and doesn't meet that need, how is the love of God found there?
But he that is glad, he that rejoices, he that is joyful, thinking that Christ deserved
as those that mocked Him ridiculed Him, they passed by. They reviled
Him at His crucifixion, wagging their heads and saying, Thou
that destroyed the temple and built it in three days, save
Thyself. He saved others. Himself He cannot
save. He trusted in God. Let God deliver
Him now, if He will have Him. For He said, I am the Son of
God. Matthew 9 says they left him to scorn. Here's the sad truth of those
that mock the poor. They think light of. They're glad at that which he
bore. To not look upon him with thankfulness. Lord, have mercy on me. Lord,
have mercy. Lord, forgive me. Lord, teach
me of thyself. Lord, let me not be found one
that mocks you. Let me be not one that's found
to be glad, thinking that he deserved. That's what they did. They mocked him. Kiss the Son. Kiss the Son. Lord, I say as old John Newton
said, Lord, if I've never believed for today, let me begin right
now for Christ's sake.