Proverbs 19:7

The book of Proverbs is a collection of ancient Hebrew wisdom literature — short, pointed observations about how life actually works, meant to help people navigate the world with discernment. This proverb makes a blunt social observation: when someone loses their wealth or status, even the people closest to them — relatives first, then friends — quietly disappear. The writer is not endorsing this behavior; he is naming it with unflinching honesty. In the ancient world, poverty often meant social death, as a person's network and standing were tightly tied to their resources. The verse ends with a striking image: the poor person still pursuing those who have left, pleading for connection, and finding no one.

God, I'm more prone to drifting from hard people than I like to admit. Show me who I have been avoiding, who is reaching out and finding no one. Give me the courage and the love to stay when staying costs me something. Amen.

There's a cruelty in this proverb that the writer doesn't try to soften. He just says it: when you have nothing, people leave. Relatives first. Then friends. And the person chasing after them — reaching out, pleading — finds an empty room. There's no resolution offered here, no tidy lesson appended to the end. Just a hard truth about human nature sitting on the page. But here's what's worth sitting with: Proverbs includes this because naming something honestly is the first step toward not perpetuating it. Who in your life right now is harder to call back because their circumstances have become inconvenient? Who have you quietly drifted from because their grief has gone on 'too long,' or their problems have grown too complicated, or their company no longer carries any social benefit for you? This verse isn't just a lament about the world — it's a mirror. The question it presses into your hands is uncomfortably specific: *will you be the one who stays?*