Topical Bible: Riches: Often Lead to Forsaking God

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The Bible frequently addresses the theme of riches and their potential to lead individuals away from a faithful relationship with God. Throughout Scripture, wealth is portrayed as a double-edged sword, capable of providing comfort and security, yet also posing significant spiritual dangers. The allure of riches can lead to pride, self-reliance, and ultimately, a forsaking of God.

Old Testament Warnings

The Old Testament contains numerous warnings about the spiritual perils of wealth. In Deuteronomy 8:11-14, Moses cautions the Israelites: "Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God by failing to keep His commandments, ordinances, and statutes which I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase, and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."

The account of Solomon serves as a poignant example. Despite his wisdom, Solomon's immense wealth and the accompanying luxuries led him to idolatry, as he turned his heart away from God (1 Kings 11:1-4). His experience underscores the danger of allowing riches to overshadow one's devotion to the Lord.

Proverbs and Ecclesiastes

The wisdom literature of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes also addresses the theme of wealth. Proverbs 30:8-9 offers a prayer for balance: "Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion. Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God."

Ecclesiastes, traditionally attributed to Solomon, reflects on the futility of pursuing wealth for its own sake. Ecclesiastes 5:10 states, "He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile."

New Testament Teachings

In the New Testament, Jesus frequently addresses the spiritual risks associated with wealth. In the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21), Jesus warns against storing up earthly treasures without being "rich toward God." The rich young ruler, who walks away sorrowful after Jesus tells him to sell his possessions and give to the poor, illustrates the difficulty of entering the kingdom of God with great wealth (Matthew 19:21-22).

The Apostle Paul echoes these sentiments in his epistles. In 1 Timothy 6:9-10, he writes, "Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows."

The Call to Trust in God

Throughout Scripture, the call is clear: trust in God rather than in material wealth. Riches can provide a false sense of security, leading individuals to rely on their own resources rather than on God's provision. Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6:19-21 emphasizes storing up treasures in heaven, where they are imperishable, rather than on earth, where they are subject to decay and theft.

The Bible consistently encourages believers to maintain a posture of humility and dependence on God, recognizing that all blessings, including material wealth, ultimately come from Him. The challenge is to use riches wisely, in a manner that honors God and serves others, rather than allowing them to become a stumbling block to faith.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 32:15
But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: you are waxen fat, you are grown thick, you are covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Sovereignty of God in Reprobation
... "And that He might make known the riches of His ... in common with God's own children,
and very often to a ... Does the (temporal) goodness of God lead them to repent? ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter five the sovereignty of.htm

What God is to Us.
... He could not endure to lead that people unless God went with him, and having the
promise of his going with ... There is riches of his goodness ... I often question them ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture ix what god is.htm

Sermon for the Second Sunday in Advent
... Often, when I meditate on the kingdom of God, I cannot ... in God is good; that a man
should lead a painful ... God's kingdom is; that is, God with all His riches. ...
/.../ii sermon for the second.htm

The Contents.
... 13. The several Parts of that Promise, lead to the Knowledge of all the rest of
the ... Which are our principal Riches. ... Christ is often foretold under this Emblem. ...
/.../beveridge/private thoughts upon a christian life/the contents.htm

Faustus Asserts that Even if the Old Testament could be Shown to ...
... partridge is notoriously quarrelsome, and is often caught from ... whom they gather as
their riches are taken ... Impatience towards the evil might lead to forsaking ...
/.../faustus asserts that even if.htm

Only Chapter Treats of the Great Importance of Perseverance in ...
... not remaining in the first mansions, yet often lack determination to ... abroad, its
own being full of riches that it ... to associate with those who lead a spiritual ...
/.../teresa/the interior castle or the mansions/only chapter treats of the.htm

The First Commandment
... shalt have no other gods before me.' This may well lead the van ... They are often fuel
for pride and luEzekiel 28:5 ... 5:7. It is folly to trust in our riches; but how ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/2 1 the first commandment.htm

The Doctrine of God
... "O the depth of the riches both of ... Men may, yea, often do; God never does. ... in His
nature which recoils from the evil that He sees, and will lead Him ultimately ...
/.../evans/the great doctrines of the bible/the doctrine of god.htm

The Extent and Reasonableness of Self-Denial
... self-indulgence, whence the reigning love of riches which we ... at the end; why should
not we lead the same ... 3. Thirdly, Think often on the pains of hell; consider ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/the extent and reasonableness of.htm

The Last Incidents in Per??a - the Young Ruler who Went Away ...
... What matters it, if it equally lead to Him, and ... many of us some outward step is often
not merely ... he lacked - was earth's poverty and heaven's riches; a heart ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxiii the last incidents.htm