7 The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. 8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail. 9 Whoever has a bountiful  eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

10 Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarrelling and abuse will cease. 11 He who  loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend. 12 The eyes of the  Lord  keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor. 13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!”

14 The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit; he with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it. 15  Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him. 16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich,  will only come to poverty. (Proverbs 22:7-16 English Standard Version)

What is the sad reality of vs 7?

People who are financially poor will always face struggles in life. It's the way of the world. Verse 9 then is a reminder of how God is pleased when people show compassion to those whose poverty is not of their own making. In the days Proverbs was written there were no welfare states to look after widows and orphans, or people who were reduced to begging because of blindness or some other crippling infirmity. But while the Bible encourages us to show compassion to people in need, it also teaches steps people can take to escape poverty? What is a big cause of some people's poverty that vs 13 tells us of?

It's just plain laziness – laziness that they excuse with whatever reason they can think up. In those days it was 'a lion in the street' – in our day it may be some 'difficult to diagnose' ailment. Some people are just unwilling to work and find any excuse to avoid it. What can be another cause of poverty according to vs 16?

People who exploit the vulnerable, or try to bribe their way into good positions, also eventually end up as losers. They may prosper for a while, but their dishonest scams are eventually discovered. Verse 8 points out that brute force will not succeed. Why is this? (vs 12)

God sees the evil that goes on in the world and, in His own time, brings an end to those who betray others. Sometimes, as vs 14 suggests, His judgment may come in the form of giving such people over to the results of their own sinful choices in life.

But the writer may have had in mind something even worse than financial poverty. It could he is thinking of the spiritual bankruptcy that dishonest people end up with. They are not rich towards God. What are some steps that can be taken to avoid the road that leads to spiritual bankruptcy – and the financial poverty that can come with it? (vs 10-11)

We mustn't keep company with people who scoff at all that is good and who stir up arguments and bad feelings. The apostle Paul warned Christians of people whose slogan for living was “let's  eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (Let's live it up because there's no such thing as eternal life). Then he says: “Don't be deceived -bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) On the contrary, says the writer of Proverbs, keep your hearts pure and your conversations full of God's grace. Keep company and speak often with those who know Jesus Christ as Saviour and who don't scoff at the gospel of God's goodness.

And, if you have young children, teach them these things too, and don't neglect to discipline them if they are heading the wrong way. (vs 15) In doing so you will keep them from ending up in spiritual bankruptcy.