Is poverty usually related to sin or the absence of God's favor?
I understand there are exceptions to this (i.e. Job's wealth being taken away because he was being tested) but I'm asking "usually".
Proverbs 24:33 - 34
NLT - 33 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - 34 Then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
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Asked April 25 2013
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James Wong
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Benjamin Wellman
There's a saying that "Idol hands are the devil's workshop". The Bible talks about being lazy/idol quite a bit. It says those who refuse to put their hand to the plow or in another scripture that if you refuse to lift your hand to your face (to eat) then you'll suffer the consequences. I think that God shows favor on everybody (birds/flowers scrip. as an example), but the fact that the world is sinful. What I mean by that is that people aren't necessarily poor because of personal sin in their lives, but by their poor choices (some people don't know God and don't have the "favor" or power to know better). I also think that God doesn't care (outside basic necessities) about nice clothes, big houses, fancy cars etc. Scripture is clear when we're told that Earthly treasures fade away and not to invest solely in them, but in God's Kingdom where your treasure will be with and in Him for ever. God is a spirit and just because someone is rich doesn't mean they're blessed with favor and vice versa. You can be poor, but rich in God's favor. Its easy to see that true followers are going to suffer just like Jesus did. When you pick up your cross and follow Him you sometimes have to give up the wealthy things of the world in pursuit of giving it all to God for His glory. So to answer your question poverty is usually caused by both physical (bad choices) and spiritual (lack of knowledge) because we are flesh (physical) and souls (spiritual).
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