What other scriptures warn against storing up earthly treasures like Luke 12:20? Starting Point: Luke 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’” Old Testament Echoes • Proverbs 11:4 – “Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” • Proverbs 11:28 – “He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.” • Proverbs 23:4-5 – “Do not wear yourself out to gain wealth; be wise enough to restrain yourself. When you gaze at riches, they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” • Psalm 49:6-7, 10 – “They trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches. No man can by any means redeem his brother or give God a ransom for him… For he sees that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.” • Ecclesiastes 5:10 – “He who loves money is never satisfied with money, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is futile.” • Haggai 1:6 – “You have planted much, but harvested little; you eat, but never have enough; you drink, but never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages puts them into a bag with holes.” Jesus’ Own Reinforcements • Matthew 6:19-21 – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” • Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and money.” • Mark 10:23-25 – “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God… It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” • Luke 16:9 – “Make friends for yourselves with unrighteous wealth, so that when it runs out, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” • Luke 16:13 – “No servant can serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and money.” Apostolic Warnings • 1 Timothy 6:9-10 – “Those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a trap… For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” • 1 Timothy 6:17-19 – “Instruct those who are rich in this present age not to be conceited nor to put their hope in the uncertainty of riches… to be rich in good deeds… storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future.” • James 5:1-3 – “Come now, you rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your garments. Your gold and silver are corroded… You have hoarded treasure in the last days.” • Hebrews 13:5 – “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.” • Revelation 3:17-18 – “You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, so that you may become rich…” Why These Warnings Matter • Earthly wealth is uncertain; heavenly treasure is secure. • Riches promise satisfaction but cannot redeem a soul. • Accumulation breeds self-reliance; generosity anchors faith in God. • Life is short—eternity will reveal where our treasure truly lies. |
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