Which other Scriptures warn against the dangers of wealth and greed? James 5:1—A Sobering Opening “Come now, you rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.” Echoes from the Prophets • Isaiah 5:8-9 — “Woe to you who add house to house… the great houses will become desolate.” • Amos 5:11 — “You trample the poor; yet your stone houses you’ll not dwell in.” • Micah 2:2 — “They covet fields and seize them… therefore calamity is coming.” • Habakkuk 2:9 — “Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain… you have plotted shame.” Wisdom Books: Down-to-Earth Reality Checks • Proverbs 11:28 — “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous thrive like a green leaf.” • Proverbs 23:4-5 — “Do not wear yourself out to gain wealth; riches fly off like an eagle.” • Ecclesiastes 5:10 — “Whoever loves money is never satisfied; loving wealth yields no contentment.” Jesus’ Teaching: Kingdom Priorities Over Possessions • Matthew 6:19-21 — “Do not store up treasures on earth… where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” • Matthew 6:24 — “You cannot serve both God and money.” • Mark 10:24-25 — “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” • Luke 12:15 — “Beware: one’s life is not in the abundance of possessions.” • Luke 16:13 — “You cannot serve both God and money.” • Luke 16:19-25 (parable of the rich man and Lazarus) — earthly luxury met eternal loss. Apostolic Letters: Guarded Hearts and Generous Hands • 1 Timothy 6:6-10 — “Those who want to be rich fall into temptation… love of money is a root of evil.” • 1 Timothy 6:17-19 — “Command the rich not to hope in uncertain riches, but in God… be rich in good works.” • Hebrews 13:5 — “Keep your life free from the love of money; be content.” • 2 Peter 2:3 — “In their greed these false teachers will exploit you with fabricated words.” Revelation: The Collapse of Earthly Luxury • Revelation 3:17 — “You say, ‘I am rich’… but you are wretched, poor, blind, and naked.” • Revelation 18:17 — “In one hour such great wealth has been laid waste.” These passages, alongside James 5:1, form a consistent, Spirit-breathed chorus: wealth held tightly, pursued selfishly, or gained unjustly invites God’s judgment, while contentment and generosity mark the faithful life. |
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