Opulence, defined as great wealth or luxuriousness, is a concept that appears in various forms throughout the Bible. The Scriptures provide numerous examples and teachings regarding wealth, its use, and its potential spiritual implications. The Bible often contrasts the fleeting nature of material wealth with the enduring value of spiritual riches.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, opulence is frequently associated with kings and rulers. King Solomon is perhaps the most notable example of opulence in the Bible. His wealth and splendor are described in 1 Kings 10:23-25 : "So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. The whole world sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart. Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules."

Solomon's wealth was a blessing from God, yet it also served as a test of his character and devotion. The accumulation of wealth and the subsequent distractions it brought eventually led Solomon away from wholehearted devotion to God, as seen in 1 Kings 11:4 : "For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been."

The Old Testament also contains warnings about the dangers of opulence. Proverbs 11:28 states, "He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf." This verse highlights the transient nature of wealth and the importance of placing trust in God rather than material possessions.

New Testament Teachings

In the New Testament, Jesus addresses the topic of wealth and opulence on several occasions. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches about the futility of storing up earthly treasures: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matthew 6:19-20).

Jesus also warns about the spiritual dangers of wealth in the parable of the rich fool, found in Luke 12:16-21 . The rich man, who hoarded his wealth without regard for God or others, is called a fool because he failed to recognize that his life could end at any moment, leaving his accumulated wealth behind.

The Apostle Paul echoes these sentiments in his letters. 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."

Spiritual Wealth

While the Bible acknowledges the existence and potential benefits of material wealth, it consistently emphasizes the superiority of spiritual wealth. True opulence, according to Scripture, is found in a life rich in faith, love, and good deeds. In Revelation 3:17-18 , the church in Laodicea is admonished for its complacency and reliance on material wealth: "You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich; white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see."

The Bible encourages believers to seek spiritual riches that lead to eternal life and a closer relationship with God. In Ephesians 1:18 , Paul prays for the believers, "that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints."(n.) Wealth; riches; affluence.7770b. shua -- perhaps opulence
... shua. 7771 . perhaps opulence. Transliteration: shua Short Definition: riches.
Word Origin from yasha Definition perhaps opulence NASB Word Usage riches (1). ...
/hebrew/7770b.htm - 5k

1340. Bath-shua -- perhaps "daughter of opulence," an Israelite ...
... perhaps "daughter of opulence," an Israelite woman, also a Canaanite woman.
Transliteration: Bath-shua Phonetic Spelling: (bath-shoo'-ah) Short Definition: ...
/hebrew/1340.htm - 6k

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. vii. 7, "Ask, and it Shall be ...
... thirsty. This is a disease, not opulence. ... water. How then canst thou take pleasure
in opulence, who hast thereby this dropsical desire? ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon xi on the words.htm

The Life of Sir Thomas Browne.
... But it happened to him as to many others, to be made poorer by opulence; for his
mother soon married Sir Thomas Dutton, probably by the inducement of her ...
//christianbookshelf.org/browne/christian morals/the life of sir thomas.htm

Letter cxxxviii. (AD 412. )
... for ourselves how it was possible that the Republic of Rome was governed and
aggrandized from insignificance and poverty to greatness and opulence by men who ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter cxxxviii a d 412.htm

Chapter ii
... "Without intermission, incessantly, assiduously," describes an opulence, and energy,
and unabated and ceaseless strength and fulness of effort; like the full ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bounds/the possibilities of prayer/chapter ii.htm

The Causes of Impatience, and their Correspondent Precepts.
... So He fore-ministered to patience "loss," and to opulence "contempt" (as portion);
[9086] demonstrating, by means of (His own) repudiation of riches, that ...
/.../tertullian/of patience/chapter vii the causes of impatience.htm

Success.
... Thank God! there is success for us all. Pentecost will give it to us. JOHN
THE BAPTIST. We do not mean by success financial opulence. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/rees/the heart-cry of jesus/chapter x success.htm

The Spread Net
... the delicate refinement of her beauty, the reserve of her bearing and the power
of her mentality had appealed more strongly than a mere opulence of physical ...
/.../miller/the city of delight/chapter xvi the spread net.htm

The Great Shepherd
... (Lamentations 4:1) . The opulence of Jacob may be conjectured from the present he
sent to his brother Esau (Genesis 32:14, 15) Yet Jacob attended his flocks ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xiii the great shepherd.htm

Hymn for the Epiphany
... Whereat the travellers outpour Of Eastern gifts their treasure-store, Myrrh
and sweet-smelling frankincense, Gold meet for regal opulence. ...
/.../prudentius/the hymns of prudentius/xii hymn for the epiphany.htm

Chrysostom as Deacon, Priest and Preacher at Antioch. AD 381-398.
... describes the morals of Antioch: [13] "The warmth of the climate disposed the natives
to the most intemperate enjoyment of tranquility and opulence, and the ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/chapter vi chrysostom as deacon priest.htm

Opulence (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) Wealth; riches; affluence. Multi-Version
Concordance Opulence (1 Occurrence). Revelation 18:19 And ...
/o/opulence.htm - 6k

Or (15123 Occurrences)

/o/or.htm - 8k

Options (2 Occurrences)

/o/options.htm - 6k

Jehoshua (4 Occurrences)
... je-hosh'-ua (yehoshua`, "Yahweh is deliverance," or "is opulence"): The usual Hebrew
form of the name "Joshua"; it occurs in the King James Version of Numbers ...
/j/jehoshua.htm - 8k

Jeshuah (1 Occurrence)
... jesh'-ua, je-shu'-a (yeshua`, "Yahweh is deliverance" or "opulence"; compare JOSHUA):
(1) the King James Version "Jeshuah," head of the 9th course of priests ...
/j/jeshuah.htm - 9k

Jeshua (30 Occurrences)
... jesh'-ua, je-shu'-a (yeshua`, "Yahweh is deliverance" or "opulence"; compare JOSHUA):
(1) the King James Version "Jeshuah," head of the 9th course of priests ...
/j/jeshua.htm - 21k

Jair (14 Occurrences)
... His opulence is described in Judges 10:3-5. He had thirty sons, each riding on
"ass colts." They had possession of thirty of the sixty cities (1 Kings 4:13; 1 ...
/j/jair.htm - 14k

Wealth (340 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) Large possessions; a comparative abundance of things which are objects of
human desire; esp., abundance of worldly estate; affluence; opulence; riches. ...
/w/wealth.htm - 40k

Riches (118 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) That which makes one rich; an abundance of land,
goods, money, or other property; wealth; opulence; affluence. ...
/r/riches.htm - 41k

Magnificent (9 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) Doing grand things; admirable in action; displaying great power or opulence,
especially in building, way of living, and munificence. ...
/m/magnificent.htm - 9k

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