The book of Proverbs gives us practical wisdom for dealing with the different people we encounter every day—friends, neighbors, strangers, the rich, and the poor. The central question is simple: How should we treat people?

Jesus gives us the standard:

“Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them.”

Solomon approaches it from the other direction:

“Do not say, ‘I will do to him just as he has done to me.’”

Together, these teach us something important. We should treat people the way we want to be treated, not simply respond according to how they treat us.

That takes much of the guesswork out of relationships. We don’t have to determine whether someone deserves kindness before showing it. Our behavior should reflect who we are trying to be before God.

Solomon gives us the foundation:

“The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord is the maker of them all.”

We need to remember that when dealing with anyone. God made us, and He made them too.

Choose Your Friends Carefully

Solomon recognizes the importance of friendship:

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

He even says there can be “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Family relationships are important, but sometimes a faithful friend becomes one of the closest relationships we have. That’s why we should make an effort to develop friendships rather than isolate ourselves.

Solomon says:

“A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment.”

God did not design us to live completely alone. If we want friends, however, we also need to be friendly ourselves.

But Solomon adds an important warning:

“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

Our friends influence us.

“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”

That’s why Solomon warns against becoming close companions with angry and foolish people. Spend enough time around certain attitudes and behaviors, and eventually we may begin adopting them ourselves.

This doesn’t mean we avoid everyone who is struggling with sin. Jesus spent time with sinners because He wanted to help them. But there is a difference between influencing someone for good and allowing someone to influence us toward wrong.

The elderly Christian woman in the sermon understood this. She stopped attending a weekly gathering because the conversation repeatedly turned into gossip, and she didn’t want to get swept into it.

Sometimes wisdom means removing ourselves from an influence we know is unhealthy.

Solomon says:

“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”

So choose friends who sharpen you.

Be a Good Neighbor

Solomon’s advice concerning neighbors is equally practical.

Do good when you have the opportunity. Don’t devise evil against your neighbor. And don’t start a fight with someone who has done you no harm.

Paul expresses the same principle:

“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

Neighbors can become upset over remarkably small things—property lines, barking dogs, loud music, and countless other irritations. Some problems need to be addressed, but wisdom tells us not to turn every disagreement into a major conflict.

There is practical wisdom in this too. Someday we may need our neighbor, and someday our neighbor may need us.

At the same time, Solomon tells us not to overdo it:

“Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house, lest he become weary of you and hate you.”

That’s simply discretion. Be friendly. Be helpful. Pursue peace. But don’t become a burden.

Jesus expands this idea even further in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Our “neighbor” is not limited to the person living next door. When someone is genuinely in need, we should be willing to show compassion.

Don’t Measure People by Their Wealth

Solomon also recognizes the reality that rich and poor people are often treated differently.

“Wealth makes many friends, but the poor is separated from his friend.”

People naturally gather around those who have money, influence, or something to offer. Those with little are much easier to overlook.

But that’s the world’s perspective. We need God’s perspective.

Under Israel’s law, God made provision for the poor through practices such as gleaning. Landowners left part of their harvest available so the poor and travelers could gather food.

The specific circumstances may be different today, but the sermon’s point is about our attitude toward those who are less fortunate.

Solomon says:

“He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.”

And:

“He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker.”

How we treat the poor matters to God because He is their Maker too.

There may be many reasons someone is struggling, including poor decisions. But this lesson isn’t trying to settle every question about poverty. It is teaching us not to look at someone who has less and conclude that they are somehow worth less.

Solomon says:

“He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord.”

God notices how we treat people who are in need.

Remember Who Made Them

All of this comes back to how we see people.

Solomon says:

“It is not good to show partiality in judgment.”

Our relationships will naturally be different. A close friend is not the same as a stranger, and Proverbs specifically tells us to choose our closest companions carefully.

But our basic treatment of people should be governed by something deeper than wealth, status, familiarity, or even how they have treated us.

God is their Maker too.

So choose friends who sharpen you. Make an effort to live peacefully with your neighbors. Show compassion toward people in need. Don’t measure someone’s value by what they possess. And don’t allow another person’s poor behavior to determine your own.

When we look at friends and enemies, neighbors and strangers, the rich and the poor, we should remember that they were made by the same God who made us.

Treat people accordingly.

That’s wisdom for living God’s way.