Here is the text (NRSV):
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it"--when you have it with you.
Do not plan harm against your neighbor who lives trustingly beside you.
Do not quarrel with anyone without cause, when no harm has been done to you.
These verses are talking primarily about relationships with our neighbors. When Scripture, particularly the Old Testament, uses the word "neighbor", it is not referring strictly to people who live within three or four properties of your residence. The term "neighbor" describes people who live in such proximity to you that you encounter them. In ancient times, your neighbor would have been someone who lived and worked fairly close to you, since transportation was obviously more difficult; but "neighbor" also describes others with whom you would interact in places such as the temple or the marketplace. So in Jerusalem, for example, a fairly major city in ancient times, you could describe your "neighbor" in similar ways as we do in modern America. Our neighbor is anyone who lives in our proximity such that we encounter them, whether they live next door or halfway around the world (such as a colleague in Germany or India).
Our world in 21st-century America emphasizes the idea of doing no harm to others. You may have seen the popular Gadsden Flag, which has been used in recent years as a symbol of libertarian thought:
The words on this flag, "don't tread on me", represent an attitude in our society that we ought not to do harm to one another, lest we violate one another's freedoms and liberties. And this is certainly compelling! I don't want people to come and attack, pillage or overtake my household! And therefore I ought not to do this to others. Doing no harm is certainly important when we think of how to treat our neighbors; I don't want you thinking I believe otherwise!!
But in Proverbs 3, Scripture has a different set of expectations for us in our relationships with our neighbors. Verse 29 reflects the "don't tread on me" attitude, affirming the goodness of doing no harm; but verses 27-28 take this idea much further. Verse 27 talks about withholding good that is due when it is in our power, and verse 28 talks about giving to a neighbor when it is available. Rather than simply living in a world where no one hurts anyone else, Scripture wants us to go further and be part of a society that seeks opportunities to bless others.
As Christians, we are called to live and serve sacrificially to those around us, whomever we encounter in our daily routine. When our neighbor is in need of something that we possess, we are not to merely defer assistance to the next day, hoping that by then someone else will provide, or the need will no longer be there, or, as in most cases, hoping that our neighbor will give up asking and not come for any more. No, as this proverb and so many other passages of Scripture assert, we are called to help provide for one another in this society as far as we are capable. This is very different from the attitude of "don't tread on me", which focuses on the well-being of the self, and then stops there. The proverbs suggest that we are to focus on the well-being of others, who in turn will help focus on our well-being. Of course, this is an ideal situation, but we see it happening every day in (some) churches around the world. [Note: I'm not suggesting we don't take care of ourselves; I'm suggesting that our focus is on others, because as humans we become inwardly-focused so easily.]
What would our society look like if Christians took this proverb to heart? What does it mean for us as a church to grow into this calling more each day? I mean, no one is going to perfectly live selflessly, but what if we worked hard to retrain our thinking and actions to be part of a community where we take responsibility not only for ourselves, but for the well-being of others? Does that sound like anyone you know...?
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