Which other scriptures address the dangers of accumulating wealth unjustly? Root Warning in Habakkuk 2:6 “Will not all of them take up a taunt against him with ridicule and scorn, saying: ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long?’ ” Echoes in Israel’s Wisdom Books • Proverbs 11:1 — “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.” • Proverbs 13:11 — “Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but he who gathers by labor will increase.” • Proverbs 15:27 — “He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household, but he who hates bribes will live.” • Proverbs 21:6 — “The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit.” • Proverbs 28:8 — “He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.” • Proverbs 28:20, 22 — “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished… A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty awaits him.” Prophetic Rebukes That Mirror Habakkuk • Jeremiah 17:11 — “Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who makes wealth unjustly; in the middle of his days it will desert him, and in the end he will be the fool.” • Jeremiah 22:13 — “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his upper rooms without justice, who makes his neighbor serve without wages and refuses to pay him.” • Ezekiel 22:12 — “In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take interest and usury and extort unjust gain from your neighbors. You have forgotten Me, declares the Lord GOD.” • Micah 6:10-11 — “Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked and the accursed short measure? Shall I excuse dishonest scales or bags of weighted stones?” Psalms: Heart-Level Caution • Psalm 62:10 — “Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.” New Testament Reinforcement • Luke 12:15 — “Watch out and guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” • Luke 16:13 — “No servant can serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and money.” • James 5:1-3 — “Come now, you rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you… You have hoarded treasure in the last days.” • 1 Timothy 6:9-10 — “Those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a trap and many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil…” Takeaways for Today • God’s standard has not changed: dishonest gain invites His woe, whether in Judah’s day or ours. • Unjust wealth is temporary; eventual loss—and judgment—are certain. • True security rests in honest labor, generosity, and wholehearted trust in the Lord. |
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