Wealth brings many new friends,
but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes out lies will not escape.
Many seek the favour of a generous man,
and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.
All a poor man's brothers hate him;
how much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words, but does not have them.Proverbs 19:4-7
The theme in 4, 6 and 7, which should be taken together, is 'fair-weather friends', and what is said indicates once more that the writer of Proverbs is a shrewd and acute observer of life, well able to portray the harsh and rather unsavoury realities of society. The lesson they teach is by contrast i.e, we who are Christians should determine that in these issues our standards will not be the standards of the world. We should start a new trend, and set a new example. We must be different, refusing to allow material circumstances to dictate moral and social attitudes in our relationships with our fellows. In tomorrow's Note we include a notable passage by Dr. James Denney which well underlines the true Christian position in these matters. In the meantime we remind ourselves that there is a way in which we can look at 4 rather differently. Jesus once spoke of making friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness so that they will meet us when we go to the everlasting habitations. It is possible to invest one's 'mammon', one's natural wealth, in gospel work, and in the end reap a harvest of souls. Wealth in this sense can make the best kind of friends, and we should thank God for those who thus invest their resources in the spread of the gospel, creating untold opportunities for the winning of men for Christ. The return on such investment is imperishable wealth and treasure.