Topical Bible: Riches: They Who Covet: Fall Into Hurtful Lusts

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The Bible provides numerous warnings about the dangers of coveting riches and the spiritual perils associated with the love of money. Scripture consistently teaches that an excessive desire for wealth can lead individuals away from faith and into destructive behaviors and desires.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 : "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 from Paul's first letter to Timothy serves as a foundational text in understanding the spiritual risks associated with coveting wealth. Paul warns that the pursuit of riches can lead to temptation and entrapment by harmful desires, ultimately resulting in spiritual ruin. The love of money is identified as a root cause of various evils, highlighting the potential for wealth to lead believers away from their faith and into sorrow.

Proverbs 28:20 : "A faithful man will abound with blessings, but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished."

The wisdom literature of the Old Testament also addresses the dangers of coveting riches. Proverbs contrasts the blessings that come to a faithful person with the punishment awaiting those who are eager to become rich. This suggests that the pursuit of wealth, when driven by covetousness, can lead to negative consequences, both spiritually and materially.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 : "He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is futile."

The book of Ecclesiastes offers a philosophical reflection on the futility of seeking satisfaction through wealth. The Preacher observes that those who love money will never find true contentment, as their desires are insatiable. This underscores the emptiness of coveting riches and the inability of wealth to fulfill the deeper needs of the human soul.

James 4:1-3 : "What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you? You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask. And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures."

James addresses the destructive nature of covetous desires, linking them to conflicts and strife within the community. The passage highlights how coveting what one does not have can lead to harmful actions and unfulfilled desires. The warning here is clear: the pursuit of wealth for selfish reasons can lead to spiritual and communal discord.

Luke 12:15 : "Then He said to them, 'Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'"

Jesus Himself warns against greed and the misconception that life is defined by material abundance. This teaching emphasizes the importance of focusing on spiritual wealth rather than earthly riches, as true life and fulfillment are found in a relationship with God rather than in material possessions.

Throughout Scripture, the consistent message is that coveting riches leads to spiritual peril. The desire for wealth can ensnare individuals in harmful lusts, diverting them from their faith and leading to ruin. Believers are called to guard their hearts against the love of money and to seek contentment and fulfillment in their relationship with God.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Timothy 6:9
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Tenth Commandment
... This is an emblem of a covetous man, who labours to draw riches to him, and at last
they come in such abundance, that ... What poor things are they to covet! ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/2 1 the tenth commandment.htm

Tenth Commandment
... is not thus limited; it reads, "Thou shalt not covet. . ... lying dead on the ground,
in the midst of his riches. ... "They that will be, (that is, desire to be), rich ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/weighed and wanting/tenth commandment.htm

1 Timothy vi. 7-Feb
... of the heathens, he who does not earnestly covet the crown ... If we contemplate aright
the true riches of eternal life, we ... yet they were and are but dust and ashes ...
/.../homily xvii 1 timothy vi.htm

Exposition of the Moral Law.
... as it were by the way, commends the riches of his ... In this way, they inconsiderately
make a stumbling-stone of ... the Father, as if he had descended into the world ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 8 exposition of the.htm

The Acceptable Sacrifice;
... is broken; God has wrestled with him, and given him a fall, to the ... Yea, the more
he wants, the greater are his riches, if he can supply his ... O, say they, my sins ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the acceptable sacrifice.htm

Concerning Christian Liberty
... and, as the law requires, not to covet, lo ... himself abundantly satisfied in the fulness
and riches of his ... when Paul had taught the Philippians how they had been ...
/.../luther/concerning christian liberty/concerning christian liberty.htm

Concerning Christian Liberty
... and, as the law requires, not to covet, lo ... himself abundantly satisfied in the fulness
and riches of his ... when Paul had taught the Philippians how they had been ...
/.../luther/first principles of the reformation/concerning christian liberty.htm

A Treatise of the Fear of God;
... with the context, but shall immediately fall upon the ... his belly trembled, and rottenness
entered into his bones ... for the word of the Lord," said they to Jeremiah ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a treatise of the fear.htm

The Pilgrim's Progress
... 'Give me not riches,' is scarce ... Sir, my want of experience is that which makes me
covet to be ... Yes; for though they are essential to His natures and office and ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the pilgrims progress.htm

The Desire of the Righteous Granted;
... Besides, God has purposed to magnify the riches of his ... themselves to the law of works,
and fall to work ... for the performing of a righteousness, that they may be ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the desire of the righteous.htm