”He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: But he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.“
Proverbs 14:31
To press on someone that is weak or lowly is an insult to their Maker
This thought hits many levels and layers.
Levels:
Personally- if you look at a weak person and take from them because you feel no reprisal is possible then you are personally destitute of the mercy the Maker has been showing to you.
There is a story in the book of Matthew chapter 18 verses 21-35 that illustrates this level well. A short summary goes like this: a lord finds out a man owes him a large sum of money. The man cannot pay and begs for mercy. The lord grants mercy and allows the man to go. That same man located another which owes him a small amount of money and physically assaults him demanding payment. When the lord hears of this matter he is quite angry and commands his debtor be captured and tortured until he has paid his debt.
This is the philosophy we see at play in this level.
Interpersonally- we are to view each other as equals. Money, power, status, fame, position, age, sex or where you come from has no bearing on what any other person is or how they should be treated. We are to view each other as equal in humanity. If we are to pass judgement it must be to judge the person for what they have made out of themself by what they have chosen to do. To be clear, if a person has attained a high status but is a turd, then they are a turd holding high status. If a person is of lowly status but is a saint then they are a saint occupying a lowly status. We are what we are despite what position we are currently occupying. Treat others with respect for what they are, not what position they occupy. Although, we do need to respect the position because that authority has been handed to whomever holds it. More on that in the following section on Authority.
Authority- a position of authority is granted by a higher power. If you hold a position of authority it is your duty to execute it faithfully. If you are under an authority it is your duty to respect it faithfully. If you are over those in positions of authority it is your duty to monitor those under you as their actions are a reflection of your authority.
In regard to the passage we are discussing, the Maker is observing the disdain of his creation by another creation that feels superior. This is disrespectful to the Maker and to the Creation. His authority is being challenged by a Creation which assumes superiority.
Stop and think for a moment of a Biblical story in which a Creation felt superior and devised a plan to challenge the authority of the Maker. There are several, but the chronologically oldest instance is when Lucifer instigated a coup in the heavens. This is not the action we should aspire to replicate, nor is the outcome one I wish to bring on myself for disrespecting the Maker.
Responsibility- a stronger person or entity which views themself as superior because they are in a position of strength compared to their compromised counterpart fails to see their true position and future position. One day we all will be vulnerable. It is our responsibility to have compassion on the weak as our Maker has compassion on our weakness.
Concerning layers:
Consider for a moment the relationships one might hold. Parent, Child, Sibling, Relative, Employee, Employer, Teacher, Student, Alumni,Citizen, Human, etcetera. Each of us has multiple ties to those surrounding us. Each one of these relationships is a “handle,” as in, “a thing to hold,” which gives us connections to others and others connections to us. These connections create layers in our lives. An example goes like this:
I am standing in a parking lot directing traffic for a community function when I see an old Teammate of mine which I have not seen or heard from in almost three decades. Instantly there is a recognition and we are so happy to see each other. We did a quick catching up and he had to move on. The connection we formed decades before was still there.
Each relationship has at least it’s own layer and if the relationship is fostered it builds several layers deep. A Co-Worker can be a Friend and could turn into a Relative. Each layer has a specific handle which each party holds. The handle and connection can be used or mis-used by each party.
In the passage under discussion, the Maker holds an equal bond to each Creation. Each Creation holds an equal bond to the Maker as well as an equal bond to each other. One of the Creations is mis-using a position of authority to oppress the other Creation. This situation is not resolved by switching places, the problem is solved my mercy. Mercy is not punishing someone for hurting you or taking from someone because you can seize without reprisal; Mercy sets the handles back in balance between the Creations which honors the Maker.
Relationships are not the only layers others can be:
Time
Context
Value
Motivation and more.
Back to the proverb at hand.
As previously stated- To press on someone that is weak or lowly is an insult to their Maker
BUT the person that honors the Maker shows mercy to the poor.
Perhaps after we utilized four levels: Personally, Interpersonally, Authority and Responsibility to explain why the Maker is reproached by the oppression of the Poor, it is easier to understand why showing the Poor mercy honors the Maker. Then understanding the layers involved, we see Mercy brings all three relationships back into balance.
We honor the Maker by keeping our Levels and Layers in proper order, which keeps us in our proper place.