Topical Bible: Riches: The Wicked: Boast Themselves In

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In the biblical narrative, riches are often depicted as a double-edged sword, capable of both blessing and leading astray. The wicked, in particular, are frequently portrayed as those who boast in their wealth, using it as a means to elevate themselves above others and to defy God. This behavior is consistently condemned throughout Scripture, as it reflects a heart that is far from God and rooted in pride and self-reliance.

Psalm 49:6-7 provides a poignant insight into the mindset of the wicked regarding their riches: "They trust in their wealth and boast in great riches. No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God." Here, the psalmist highlights the futility of trusting in material wealth, emphasizing that it cannot secure one's ultimate redemption or standing before God. The wicked's boasting is thus portrayed as both arrogant and misguided.

Psalm 52:7 further illustrates this theme: "Look at the man who did not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and strengthened himself by destruction." This verse underscores the destructive nature of relying on riches, as the wicked not only trust in their wealth but also use it to perpetrate harm and injustice. Their boasting is not merely a personal failing but a societal one, as it often leads to the oppression of others.

The prophet Jeremiah also addresses this issue in Jeremiah 9:23, where he records the Lord's admonition: "Let not the wise boast in their wisdom, nor the strong boast in their strength, nor the rich boast in their riches." This divine instruction serves as a reminder that true worth and security are found not in earthly possessions but in knowing and understanding the Lord.

In the New Testament, James 5:1-3 offers a stern warning to the wealthy who misuse their riches: "Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail for the misery to come upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire." James condemns the wicked rich for hoarding wealth and exploiting others, highlighting the temporal nature of material riches and the eternal consequences of such actions.

The biblical portrayal of the wicked boasting in their riches serves as a cautionary tale, warning against the dangers of pride, self-reliance, and the misuse of wealth. It calls believers to place their trust in God rather than in the fleeting and deceptive security of material possessions.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 49:6
They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 52:7
See, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

"Boast not Thyself of To-Morrow, for Thou Knowest not what a Day ...
... of his confidence for present and future times,"that the most part of men make their
riches, that is ... Certain I am, that many boast of wicked designs, and ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon vi boast not thyself.htm

National Wealth
... not believe it; for if she became a wicked nation all ... they could discover and use
the vast riches of our ... Therefore they were not to boast of themselves, their ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon xvi national wealth.htm

Two Shepherds and Two Flocks
... where there is punitive retribution for the wicked, but he ... this life, who 'trust
in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches ... ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/two shepherds and two flocks.htm

The Trouble and Rest of Good Men "There the Wicked Cease from ...
... How much more are they troubled at the injuries wicked men are ... in doing his will,
neither make their boast of his ... "The deceitfulness of riches" there "chokes ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 127 the trouble and.htm

Against the Arians, and Concerning Himself.
... Where are they who reproach us with our poverty, and boast themselves of their own
riches; who define ... have I given over to the hands of the wicked, of a ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xxxiii against the arians.htm

Rom. xv. 8
... For before we heard, the wicked demon was afraid lest we ... to them that trust in their
own might, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches," (ib ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xxviii rom xv 8.htm

The Knowledge of Jesus Christ the Best Knowledge
... themselves in knowing the world, others boast themselves in the ... pomps and vanities
of this wicked world; but do ... faileth; but whether they be riches, they shall ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/the knowledge of jesus christ.htm

The Resemblance Between the Old Testament and the New.
... of eternal destruction to swallow up the wicked, of whose ... They that trust in their
wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 10 the resemblance between.htm

Ephesians ii. 8
... add, lest any of you should boast, as if ... obliged therefore to magnify the exceeding
Riches of God's ... Holiness, and yet continues unfruitful, or wicked; that no ...
/.../sermon ix ephesians ii 8.htm

Palm Sunday
... deem] that I also have the spirit of God." But the wicked cannot boast it no ... Christ
was made as any other man who has neither riches, honor, power nor ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/epistle sermons vol ii/palm sunday.htm