Riches: Denunciations Against Those Who: Get, by Vanity
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The Bible provides numerous warnings and denunciations against the pursuit and acquisition of riches through vanity, emphasizing the spiritual dangers and moral pitfalls associated with such endeavors. The Scriptures consistently highlight the futility and transience of wealth obtained through vain means, urging believers to seek righteousness and godliness over material gain.

Proverbs on Vanity and Wealth

The Book of Proverbs offers profound insights into the dangers of acquiring wealth through vanity. Proverbs 13:11 (BSB) states, "Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied." This verse underscores the ephemeral nature of riches gained through deceitful or vain methods, contrasting it with the enduring value of wealth earned through diligence and integrity.

Proverbs 21:6 (BSB) further warns, "Making a fortune by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit." Here, the imagery of a "vanishing mist" vividly illustrates the fleeting and ultimately destructive nature of wealth obtained through deceit and vanity.

Ecclesiastes on the Futility of Wealth

The Book of Ecclesiastes, traditionally attributed to Solomon, delves deeply into the vanity of worldly pursuits, including the accumulation of wealth. Ecclesiastes 5:10 (BSB) declares, "He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile." This passage highlights the insatiable nature of greed and the emptiness that accompanies the love of money, emphasizing that such pursuits are ultimately futile.

Ecclesiastes 2:11 (BSB) reflects on the vanity of labor and wealth: "Yet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind; there was nothing to be gained under the sun." This introspective observation reveals the ultimate emptiness of striving for wealth and success without a higher purpose.

New Testament Warnings

The New Testament continues the theme of caution against the pursuit of riches through vanity. In 1 Timothy 6:9-10 (BSB), the Apostle Paul warns, "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." This passage highlights the spiritual peril and moral decay that can result from an inordinate desire for wealth.

James 5:1-3 (BSB) also issues a stern warning to the wealthy who have gained their riches through unjust means: "Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail for the misery to come upon you. Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days." This vivid imagery serves as a powerful denunciation of those who amass wealth through vanity and exploitation, emphasizing the inevitable judgment and decay that accompany such pursuits.

Conclusion

The biblical denunciations against acquiring riches through vanity serve as a timeless reminder of the spiritual dangers and moral consequences associated with such pursuits. The Scriptures consistently call believers to prioritize righteousness, integrity, and godliness over the fleeting allure of material wealth.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Proverbs 13:11
Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathers by labor shall increase.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Proverbs 21:6
The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Of Faith. The Definition of It. Its Peculiar Properties.
... does not promise us length of days, riches and honors ... not found in commands or the
denunciations of punishment ... which I have committed unto him against that day ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 2 of faith the.htm

The Permanent Significance of the Old Testament
... thunders of Sinai and the denunciations of Elijah ... Everything has proved vanity: riches,
pleasure, honor, even the ... Against these evils and wrongs the prophets ...
/.../chapter vi the permanent significance.htm

The Power of Assyria at Its Zenith; Esarhaddon and Assur-Bani-Pal
... of the Mermnadae of whom we get a glimpse ... court and people, and the countless riches
which the ... the idea of pitting their former conquerors against those of the ...
/.../chapter iithe power of assyria 2.htm

The Greatness of the Soul,
... their strong and their weak points, their riches and poverty ... the alarm, and plants
his engines against 'the eye ... and not to place confidence in those who pretend ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the greatness of the soul.htm

The Life and Death of Mr. Badman,
... would be glad of such help; yea, a spiritual man, could he tell how to get it (Acts
23). ... 2. It is the duty of those that can to cry out against this deadly ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the life and death of.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... but that which tells of its riches, its industry ... blind men, because they have sinned
against Jahveh: and ... being descended from one of those priestly families in ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

Resources
What are the unsearchable riches of Christ? | GotQuestions.org

How should a Christian view wealth? | GotQuestions.org

Is it a sin to be rich? | GotQuestions.org

Riches: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Subtopics

Riches

Riches of the Wicked Laid up for the Just

Riches: Be not Over-Anxious For

Riches: Cannot Deliver in the Day of God's Wrath

Riches: Cannot Redeem the Soul

Riches: Cannot Secure Prosperity

Riches: Corruptible

Riches: Danger of Misusing-Illustrated

Riches: Deceitful

Riches: Deceitfulness of, Chokes the Word

Riches: Denunciations Against Those Who: Abuse

Riches: Denunciations Against Those Who: Folly and Danger of Trusting To-Illustrated

Riches: Denunciations Against Those Who: Get, by Vanity

Riches: Denunciations Against Those Who: Get, Unlawfully

Riches: Denunciations Against Those Who: Hoard Up

Riches: Denunciations Against Those Who: Increase, by Oppression

Riches: Denunciations Against Those Who: Receive Their Consolation

Riches: Denunciations Against Those Who: Spend, Upon Their Appetite

Riches: Denunciations Against Those Who: Trust In

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Abram

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Barzillai

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Boaz

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: David

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Dorcas

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Hezekiah

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Isaac

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Jacob

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Jehoshaphat

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Job

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Joseph

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Joseph of Arimathea

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Lot

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Shunammite

Riches: Examples of Saints Possessing: Zacchaeus

Riches: Examples of Those Truly Rich

Riches: Examples of Wicked Men Possessing: Ammonites

Riches: Examples of Wicked Men Possessing: Esau

Riches: Examples of Wicked Men Possessing: Haman

Riches: Examples of Wicked Men Possessing: Laban

Riches: Examples of Wicked Men Possessing: Nabal

Riches: Examples of Wicked Men Possessing: People of Tyre

Riches: Examples of Wicked Men Possessing: Young Man

Riches: Figurative

Riches: Fleeting

Riches: General Scriptures Concerning

Riches: Give Worldly Power

Riches: God Gives

Riches: God Gives Power to Obtain

Riches: Guilt of Rejoicing In

Riches: Guilt of Trusting In

Riches: Heavenly Treasures Superior To

Riches: Labour not For

Riches: Liable to be Stolen

Riches: Life Consists not in Abundance of

Riches: Often an Obstruction to the Reception of the Gospel

Riches: Often Lead to an Overbearing Spirit

Riches: Often Lead to Anxiety

Riches: Often Lead to Denying God

Riches: Often Lead to Forgetting God

Riches: Often Lead to Forsaking God

Riches: Often Lead to Fraud

Riches: Often Lead to Oppression

Riches: Often Lead to Pride

Riches: Often Lead to Rebelling Against God

Riches: Often Lead to Rejecting Christ

Riches: Often Lead to Self-Sufficiency

Riches: Often Lead to Sensual Indulgence

Riches: Often Lead to Violence

Riches: Perishable

Riches: Profit not in the Day of Wrath

Riches: Temporary

Riches: The Blessing of the Lord Brings

Riches: The Love of, the Root of all Evil

Riches: The True Riches

Riches: The Wicked: Boast Themselves In

Riches: The Wicked: Have Trouble With

Riches: The Wicked: Heap Up

Riches: The Wicked: Keep, to Their Hurt

Riches: The Wicked: Must Leave, to Others

Riches: The Wicked: Often Increase In

Riches: The Wicked: Often Spend Their Day In

Riches: The Wicked: Profit not By

Riches: The Wicked: Swallow Down

Riches: The Wicked: Trust in the Abundance of

Riches: They Who Covet: Bring Trouble on Their Families

Riches: They Who Covet: Bring Trouble on Themselves

Riches: They Who Covet: Err from the Faith

Riches: They Who Covet: Fall Into Hurtful Lusts

Riches: They Who Covet: Fall Into Temptation and a Snare

Riches: They Who Covet: Use Unlawful Means to Acquire

Riches: They Who Possess, should Ascribe Them to God

Riches: They Who Possess, should be Liberal in all Things

Riches: They Who Possess, should Devote Them to God's Service

Riches: They Who Possess, should Esteem It a Privilege to be Allowed to Give

Riches: They Who Possess, should Give of Them to the Poor

Riches: They Who Possess, should not Boast of Obtaining Them

Riches: They Who Possess, should not Glory in Them

Riches: They Who Possess, should not Hoard Them Up

Riches: They Who Possess, should not Set the Heart on Them

Riches: They Who Possess, should not to be High-Minded

Riches: They Who Possess, should not Trust in Them

Riches: They Who Possess, should Use Them in Promoting the Salvation of Others

Riches: They Who Possess, should when Converted, Rejoice in Being Humbled

Riches: Thick Clay

Riches: To God Belongs This World's Riches

Riches: Uncertain

Riches: Unsatisfying

Riches: Vanity of Heaping Up

Related Terms

Mammon (4 Occurrences)

Wares (23 Occurrences)

Enrich (6 Occurrences)

Fullness (31 Occurrences)

Worries (6 Occurrences)

Treasurer (6 Occurrences)

Treasure (66 Occurrences)

Treasury (25 Occurrences)

Traffic (12 Occurrences)

Pomp (13 Occurrences)

Choke (6 Occurrences)

Cares (28 Occurrences)

Struggle (16 Occurrences)

Esteem (25 Occurrences)

Goodness (83 Occurrences)

Gold (429 Occurrences)

Partridge (2 Occurrences)

Rich (140 Occurrences)

Glorious (91 Occurrences)

Poverty (25 Occurrences)

Trust (201 Occurrences)

Fruit (318 Occurrences)

Treasures (77 Occurrences)

Unfruitful (8 Occurrences)

Untraceable (2 Occurrences)

Unfathomable (3 Occurrences)

Unsearchable (8 Occurrences)

Gains (19 Occurrences)

Gathers (27 Occurrences)

Wealthy (22 Occurrences)

Inclusion (1 Occurrence)

Failure (5 Occurrences)

Fairs (6 Occurrences)

Flying (22 Occurrences)

Fulness (76 Occurrences)

Fulfillment (19 Occurrences)

Forbearance (9 Occurrences)

Traffick (4 Occurrences)

Trusting (45 Occurrences)

Trusteth (30 Occurrences)

Trafficked (7 Occurrences)

Thorns (56 Occurrences)

Transgression (70 Occurrences)

Trading (24 Occurrences)

Richer (4 Occurrences)

Exceeded (8 Occurrences)

Eggs (7 Occurrences)

Excelled (4 Occurrences)

Desirable (49 Occurrences)

Diminution (1 Occurrence)

Durable (2 Occurrences)

Deceitfulness (7 Occurrences)

Diminishing (1 Occurrence)

Difficult (31 Occurrences)

Difficultly (3 Occurrences)

Delight (213 Occurrences)

Making (644 Occurrences)

Mariners (7 Occurrences)

Merchant (15 Occurrences)

Proves (11 Occurrences)

Possessors (14 Occurrences)

Beggarly (2 Occurrences)

Becomes (138 Occurrences)

Adventure (3 Occurrences)

Sailors (9 Occurrences)

Goods (231 Occurrences)

Merchandise (34 Occurrences)

Becometh (82 Occurrences)

Wealth (340 Occurrences)

Robbery (18 Occurrences)

Splendor (87 Occurrences)

Trespass (101 Occurrences)

Vanity (100 Occurrences)

Enter (372 Occurrences)

Understanding (248 Occurrences)

Jewels (54 Occurrences)

Loss (90 Occurrences)

Acquired (32 Occurrences)

Discernment (43 Occurrences)

Riches: Denunciations Against Those Who: Folly and Danger of Trusting To-Illustrated
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