Whoever despises his neighbour is a sinner,
Proverbs 14:21
but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
The poor surround us in a variety of forms. Some of the poor are so because of, not only past mistakes, but continued folly and sin. On the other hand, some are poor, the poor mentioned in Proverbs, because they have been exploited by others or have been met by severe misfortune in spite of their honest character and behaviour.
Proverbs 14:21 cuts through it all and addresses a heart issue. When a believer in God sees a poor, there may be no despising of that person for being poor. Instead, there must be a generous spirit. The sin of despising a man because he is poor must be put away. Instead, be generous. Give to the poor out of a generous spirit. Do not give from a superior-I’m-helping-you attitude, but with a cheerful and left-hand-not-knowing-what-the-right-hand-is-doing (Matthew 6:3) generosity.
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
Proverbs 14:31
but he who is generous to the needy honours Him.