The Lord sends poverty and wealth

Understanding who God is has been one of the greatest questions of humanity throughout history. Every culture, every civilization and every generation has lifted its eyes to heaven seeking an answer. Although many have heard His name and have briefly read some of the works mentioned in the Bible, the deepest question still remains: do we truly know the God who created all things? For many, the word “God” becomes a distant concept, but the Scriptures invite us to behold Him as a real, personal, sovereign, and near Being.

The God of the Bible is not a philosophical idea, but an absolute King, omnipotent, eternal, and full of mercy. This God not only created the heavens and the earth, but also sustains every detail of human life, reminding us that our existence depends entirely on Him.

God, who is God? Many people have only heard this name and some other works mentioned in the Bible, however, do we really know who God is? The Bible tells us about a God who is absolute, master, King and creator of all things, omnipotent, who knows everything and if we go a little further we realize that our lives depends totally on God.

The Great Question of Humanity

From the earliest generations until our own day, mankind has wrestled with the question of who God is. This is not a small or secondary matter. It is the most important question any human being can ever ask, because everything else in life is shaped by the answer. How we think about God determines how we think about ourselves, about morality, about suffering, about hope, and even about eternity. If our understanding of God is false, then the whole direction of our lives will also be distorted. But if we know Him as He has revealed Himself, then we begin to understand truth at its deepest level.

Many people speak about God in general terms. Some think of Him merely as a force, others as a distant creator, and others as a vague spiritual concept that can be adapted to personal preference. But the Bible does not allow us to shape God according to our imagination. Scripture reveals Him as He truly is. He is not the product of human thought. He is not created by culture, tradition, or personal desire. He is the living God, eternal in His being, perfect in His holiness, limitless in His power, and glorious in all His ways. The God of Scripture is not discovered by speculation, but by revelation.

This means that if we truly want to know God, we must listen to what He says about Himself. Human philosophy may ask great questions, but only God can give the full and final answer. That is why the Bible is so central. In it, God makes Himself known—not exhaustively, because no finite creature can fully contain the infinite God, but truly and sufficiently. He reveals His name, His works, His character, His will, and His saving purposes.

To ask who God is, therefore, is not merely an intellectual exercise. It is a matter of worship, submission, and life itself. The more clearly we know Him, the more clearly we see our dependence, our need, and our purpose. And the less we know Him, the more easily we become confused, proud, and spiritually lost.

The God of the Bible Is Personal and Real

One of the most important truths Scripture teaches is that God is not an abstract principle or a distant mystery cut off from creation. He is personal. He speaks, acts, wills, judges, loves, commands, comforts, and reveals Himself. He is not a cold force without mind or heart. He is the living Lord who knows all things and relates to His creatures according to His wisdom and purpose.

This truth changes everything. If God were merely a concept, then our response to Him would be no different from our response to an idea. But because He is personal and real, we are accountable to Him. We do not merely study Him; we stand before Him. We do not simply analyze His existence; we are called to bow before His majesty. The God of the Bible speaks and expects to be heard. He commands and expects obedience. He reveals mercy and calls sinners to repentance and faith.

At the same time, the personal nature of God is a source of immense comfort to believers. He is not indifferent to human life. He sees, knows, and cares. He is near to the brokenhearted, attentive to prayer, and faithful to His promises. Because God is personal, His mercy is not abstract mercy, but covenant love shown toward real people in real need. He is high above all things, yet near to those who call on Him in truth.

This balance is vital. God is both transcendent and near. He is exalted above the heavens, yet He is not absent from the details of life. He governs all things, yet He is attentive to the footsteps of His people. This is one of the glories of the biblical revelation of God: He is infinitely great without becoming distant, and intimately near without ceasing to be holy and sovereign.

God as Absolute King and Creator

The Bible tells us about a God who is absolute, master, King and creator of all things, omnipotent, who knows everything and if we go a little further we realize that our lives depends totally on God. This means that God is not one authority among many. He is the highest authority. He does not derive His power from anyone else, nor does He answer to a greater court above Him. He is the supreme ruler, the absolute King over heaven and earth.

As Creator, God is the source of all existence. Everything that exists outside of God exists because He willed it into being. The heavens, the earth, the seas, the stars, the animals, and humanity itself owe their existence to Him. Nothing created is self-existent. Nothing stands independently. All things come from Him, through Him, and under Him. This truth gives God absolute rights over His creation. Because He made all things, all things belong to Him and are accountable to Him.

This also means that our lives are not self-defined. We are not autonomous beings free to invent our own purpose apart from God. Since He is Creator, He alone has the right to define truth, morality, and the meaning of life. The creature is not above the Creator. Human beings may resist this reality, but resistance does not change the truth. God remains Lord whether men acknowledge Him or not.

Understanding God as Creator also brings humility. It reminds us that we are dependent beings. We did not make ourselves. We do not sustain ourselves. We do not control the world around us as if it were ours by right. Everything we are and everything we possess is under the hand of God. Such truth should lead us away from pride and into reverence, gratitude, and submission.

The Bible says:

7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
on them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.
“It is not by strength that one prevails;
1 Samuel 2:7-9

The Sovereignty of God Over Human Circumstances

In these verses we can see part of the things that our God can do. First, the Lord can make us prosper, and so He did with many kings in the Old Testament, but the best example we see with Job, since he was greatly enriched, but we should not have the thought that God wants all of us to be rich or that the Christian cannot be poor, because we see our beloved apostles suffering great needs and this does not mean that they were in sin.

This passage from 1 Samuel teaches a truth that many people struggle to accept: God rules over every human condition. He sends poverty and wealth. He humbles and exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and seats them with princes. These statements show that God’s sovereignty is not limited to the spiritual realm in some narrow sense. His rule extends over the visible circumstances of life. Material condition, social standing, influence, honor, and humiliation all stand under His providence.

This does not mean that every earthly circumstance should be interpreted simplistically, as though wealth always means favor and poverty always means judgment, or the reverse. Scripture itself rejects such shallow conclusions. Job was righteous and yet suffered deeply. The apostles were faithful and yet endured hardship, hunger, imprisonment, and persecution. Therefore, we must never reduce the sovereignty of God to a formula that treats prosperity as the automatic measure of spiritual health.

What the text does teach is that no human condition lies outside God’s authority. Men often boast in success as though they created it entirely by themselves. Others despair in lowliness as though God had forgotten them. But Scripture calls both attitudes into question. The prosperous must remember that all they have is from God, and the poor must remember that their condition is not beyond His power or care. God is sovereign in abundance and in lack.

This truth should produce deep dependence. We should not trust wealth, fear poverty as if God were absent from it, or build our sense of identity on outward conditions. Instead, we must look to the Lord who governs all circumstances wisely. He gives, He withholds, He tests, He provides, and He orders all things according to His purpose.

God Exalts and God Humbles

On the other hand, the Bible also shows us a God who impoverishes and abates and this is also necessary, since there are those who feel very high and God has to knock them out of that cloud so that in this way they understand that the only one deserving of glory is called God.

This is an uncomfortable but essential truth. Fallen humanity naturally drifts toward pride. When men gain influence, wealth, ability, or recognition, they often begin to imagine that they are self-made, secure in their own strength, and deserving of glory. But God will not give His glory to another. He knows how to humble the proud, and throughout Scripture He repeatedly demonstrates that human arrogance cannot stand before Him.

The humbling work of God is not random cruelty. It is often a righteous act that exposes human pride and restores proper order. When people begin to trust in themselves rather than in God, humiliation may become the very means by which they are forced to see reality. This is why Scripture warns so often against pride. Pride not only distorts self-perception; it opposes the very truth that God alone is supreme.

We see this pattern in kings, nations, and ordinary individuals throughout the Bible. The Lord raises one up and brings another low. He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. The rise and fall of men are never outside His hand. Therefore, those who have much should walk humbly, and those who are lowly should not despair. God knows how to reorder all things according to His righteous purpose.

This truth also teaches believers to receive all of life with reverence. If God humbles, He does so wisely. If He exalts, He does so purposefully. In both cases, the right response is not resentment or pride, but submission. We must learn to say with sincerity that the Lord alone is worthy of glory.

The Foundations of the Earth Belong to the Lord

The truth is that God does what He wants, and God keeps us firm regardless of the circumstances, since He is the founder of all existence and there is nothing impossible for Him.

The phrase in 1 Samuel that “the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s” is immensely powerful. It reminds us that creation itself rests on Him. God is not simply present in the world as one actor among many; He is the One upon whom the whole created order depends. The foundations of the earth are His. This is a way of saying that the structure, stability, and existence of all things are grounded in His power.

Such a truth gives believers profound confidence. If the foundations of the world belong to God, then nothing is unstable in an ultimate sense for those who trust Him. Circumstances may change, nations may shake, and personal trials may come, but the Lord remains the One who upholds all things by His will. He is never surprised, never weakened, and never unable to act. There is truly nothing impossible for Him.

This also means that our lives are secure only in Him. We often build our sense of stability on visible things—health, finances, relationships, plans, or human systems. But all these things are secondary and fragile. The true ground of stability is God Himself. If He is for His people, then no circumstance can finally destroy them. He guards the feet of His faithful servants, as the text says. This does not mean they never suffer, but it does mean they are never abandoned.

To know that the foundations of existence belong to God is to be freed from the illusion that human strength is ultimate. This is why Hannah concludes by saying that it is not by strength that one prevails. Victory, preservation, and hope do not rest in human power, but in the sovereign Lord.

God’s Sovereignty Includes Abundance and Scarcity

When we meditate on this passage from 1 Samuel, we understand that the sovereignty of God covers every area of our lives. He is the One who allows abundance, but He is also the One who allows scarcity with a divine purpose. This teaches us to depend completely on Him, not on our own strength, talents, or resources. God exalts whom He wills, but He also humbles those who trust too much in themselves. His actions are never unjust; on the contrary, they are part of His perfect plan to shape our character and lead us to recognize His greatness.

This perspective is necessary because human beings naturally interpret abundance as the highest good and scarcity as meaningless loss. Yet the Bible teaches us to think differently. God may use abundance as a stewardship and a test of humility. He may use scarcity as a means of purification, dependence, and deeper trust. Neither state should be judged merely by outward appearance. What matters most is what God is doing through it.

Many believers have grown closest to God not in times of comfort, but in times of need. In scarcity, false securities are stripped away and the heart learns to rely on God more sincerely. On the other hand, abundance can become spiritually dangerous when it feeds self-sufficiency and forgetfulness of the Lord. This is why both states require grace. Wealth can tempt the soul, and poverty can test it. In both conditions, God remains sovereign and purposeful.

Therefore, the believer must not define God’s goodness merely by visible prosperity. God is good when He gives, and He is good when He withholds. His wisdom governs both. His purpose is not always our comfort, but always His glory and the good of His people. When this truth settles into the heart, it produces stability, gratitude, and contentment in every season.

God’s Power Transcends Human Limitations

Another key truth is that God’s intervention is not random. When He lifts the poor from the dust or seats them with princes, He is showing that His power transcends all human limitations. He opens doors that no one can shut and shuts doors that no one can open. For this reason, the believer must live trusting that God works beyond what is visible and that, although we do not always understand His ways, all of them are right and full of justice.

Human beings tend to think in terms of visible possibilities. We evaluate situations according to earthly resources, influence, probabilities, and natural ability. But God is not limited by those things. He is able to raise up the lowly, overturn expectations, and act in ways that human wisdom would never predict. This is why so many biblical stories display reversal. The barren woman rejoices, the shepherd becomes king, the prisoner rises to leadership, and the weak are upheld while the proud are cast down.

These reversals are not merely dramatic stories. They reveal the character of God. He delights to show that His power is not constrained by human weakness. He works in such a way that His glory becomes evident. If everything depended on human strength, then man would boast. But when God acts beyond visible possibility, it becomes clear that the outcome belongs to Him alone.

This truth should strengthen faith. There are many moments in life when circumstances appear closed, resources seem insufficient, and the path ahead looks impossible. Yet Scripture reminds us that God is able to act beyond all visible limitation. He can raise, restore, provide, open, close, humble, and exalt according to His perfect wisdom. The believer, therefore, must live not by appearances alone, but by trust in the character and power of God.

The God Who Guards the Feet of His Faithful

Finally, knowing the God of the Bible should lead us to a life of reverence and trust. He guards the feet of His faithful servants, sustains the one who feels weak, and guides those who decide to walk under His will. Thus, understanding who God is is not a mere theoretical exercise: it is a call to surrender our lives to Him, recognize His authority, and walk confidently in His love and power. When we know who He is, then we understand who we are and how dependent we are on His grace.

This promise that God guards the feet of His faithful is deeply tender. The sovereign God who rules over wealth and poverty, who lays the foundations of the earth, and who humbles kings is also attentive to the steps of His people. He is not too great to care for them. He preserves, directs, and sustains them in the path of obedience. This does not mean the faithful never stumble, but it does mean they are not abandoned to chaos or ultimate ruin.

The image of guarded feet suggests guidance, preservation, and covenant care. Believers often feel weak, unsure, and inadequate. Yet God is the One who steadies them. He does not simply command holiness from a distance; He helps His people walk in it. This truth is one of the great comforts of the Christian life. The God who is infinitely high is also intimately involved in the perseverance of those who trust Him.

By contrast, the wicked are silenced in darkness. This shows once again that the difference is not ultimately made by human strength. It is not by strength that one prevails. The future belongs not to the self-confident, but to those whom God upholds. This should make us humble, prayerful, and fully dependent on grace.

Knowing God Changes How We See Ourselves

One of the greatest effects of knowing God rightly is that it changes the way we understand ourselves. When God is reduced in our minds, man becomes inflated. But when God is seen in His biblical majesty, human pride begins to collapse. We start to realize that we are not self-sufficient, not autonomous, and not ultimate. We are creatures who live every moment under the sustaining hand of God.

This realization is not meant to crush us into hopelessness, but to put us in the proper place. We were never meant to carry the weight of being our own god. We were made to depend on the Lord, to worship Him, and to live under His wise authority. The more clearly we know Him, the more clearly we understand both our weakness and our worth. Our weakness is real because we are dependent. Our worth is real because we are made by Him, sustained by Him, and called to know Him.

Knowing God also reveals how needy we are of grace. If He is absolute King and we are finite sinners, then we cannot approach Him on the basis of our own merit. We need mercy. We need forgiveness. We need His sustaining hand not only in earthly matters but in our spiritual life as well. To know God truly is to become more humble and more dependent.

At the same time, knowing God gives stability to identity. The world constantly tries to define people by success, status, appearance, or personal performance. But when we know who God is, those things lose their power to define us ultimately. Our lives find their meaning not in human approval, but in relation to the living God.

Reverence, Trust, and Worship

The proper response to the knowledge of God is reverence and trust. Reverence because He is holy, majestic, sovereign, and worthy of all fear and worship. Trust because He is wise, faithful, merciful, and good in all His ways. These two belong together. If we fear God without trusting Him, we may fall into despair. If we speak of trusting Him without reverence, we may become careless and shallow. But the God of Scripture calls forth both awe and confidence.

To reverence God means to honor Him as God—to take His Word seriously, to bow before His authority, and to reject casual or irreverent views of His majesty. To trust God means to rest in His character, believe His promises, and submit ourselves to His providence even when His ways are difficult to understand. This is the posture of biblical faith: humble before His greatness and secure in His goodness.

Such reverence and trust naturally overflow into worship. Worship is not merely singing or public devotion, though it includes those things. It is the response of the whole life to the greatness of God. When we know who He is, we begin to live for His glory. We stop treating Him as a distant concept and begin to acknowledge Him as Lord over every part of life. True knowledge of God leads to true worship.

And this worship is not empty duty. It is joy. The God who is absolute King is also full of mercy. The God who humbles and exalts is also the One who keeps the feet of His faithful. The God who holds the foundations of the earth is also the One who cares for His people. Such a God is worthy not only of obedience, but of love, delight, and adoration.

A Call to Know Him Truly

In the end, the question is not merely whether we have heard the name of God, but whether we know Him as He has made Himself known in Scripture. Many know about God in a vague or partial sense, but the Bible calls us to something deeper. It calls us to behold the living God in His majesty, holiness, sovereignty, justice, mercy, and power. It calls us to stop reducing Him to a concept and to bow before Him as Lord.

To know God truly is to see that our lives depend entirely on Him. He gives and He withholds. He raises and He humbles. He establishes and He overturns. He guards the feet of His faithful, and He is never overcome by human strength or weakness. All things remain under His authority. There is no part of life outside His sovereign hand.

Therefore, let us not be content with superficial thoughts about God. Let us seek Him through His Word, meditate on His attributes, and approach Him with reverence and trust. Let us remember that the God of the Bible is absolute, sovereign, omnipotent, and near. He is the King above all kings, the Creator of all things, the Sustainer of life, and the only One worthy of all glory.

When we know who He is, then everything else begins to make sense. We understand our dependence, our need for grace, our call to humility, and our reason for worship. May we therefore live in the light of this truth, giving glory to the God who created us, sustains us, humbles us, lifts us up, and keeps us firm in every season.