What other scriptures emphasize the temporary nature of the wicked's prosperity? Seed Thought: Psalm 37:2 “For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender plants.” Resonating Psalms • Psalm 73:18-20 — “Surely You set them on slippery ground; You cast them down to destruction. How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors! Like one waking from a dream, O Lord, when You arise, You will despise their form.” • Psalm 92:7 — “Though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.” • Psalm 1:4 — “Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.” • Psalm 49:16-17 — “Do not be afraid when a man enriches himself, when the splendor of his house increases; for when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down.” Wisdom Literature Highlights • Job 20:5-7 — “that the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary? Though his arrogance reaches the heavens and his head touches the clouds, he will perish forever like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’” • Proverbs 11:4 — “Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.” • Proverbs 23:4-5 — “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself. When you gaze upon wealth, it is gone, for it will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” Prophetic Warnings • Isaiah 40:6-8 — “All flesh is grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field. The grass withers, the flowers fade when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” • Jeremiah 12:1-3 points out the fleeting ease of the faithless and God’s coming justice. • Habakkuk 2:9-13 mocks those who build houses by unjust gain; their labor fuels the fire. • Malachi 3:15-18 contrasts the short-lived seeming “blessing” of the arrogant with the lasting reward of those who fear the LORD. New Testament Echoes • Matthew 6:19 — “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” • 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 prepared?’” • James 1:10-11 — “But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed; so too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” • 1 Timothy 6:7 — “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” • 1 John 2:17 — “The world is passing away, and its desires; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” Putting It All Together Scripture repeats one clear message: any apparent success built apart from God is as fleeting as grass under a hot sun. Whether voiced in Psalms, Proverbs, prophetic or apostolic writings, the verdict is unanimous—prosperity outside of righteous living is temporary, but those who trust the Lord endure. |
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