Thematic Bible: Accumulation of wealth


Thematic Bible



Though he heaps up silver like dust and clothes like piles of clay, what he lays up the righteous will wear, and the innocent will divide his silver.

Every man walks about like a vain illusion. He makes a lot of noise over nothing. He hoards riches and does not know who will receive them.

To the man who is good, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy. But to the sinner he gives the work of getting goods together and storing up wealth, to give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Because you are wise and understanding, you have made yourself rich. You saved gold and silver in your treasuries.



Your gold and your silver are rusted. Their corrosion will be for a testimony against you, and will eat your flesh like fire. You stored up your treasure in the last days.


He spoke an illustration to them: The land of a rich man produced well. He reasoned to himself, what will I do? I have nowhere to store my fruits? He said: I would pull down my barns and build larger barns. I will store all my grain and goods there. read more.
I will say to my self: 'You have many possessions saved for many years. Take it easy and eat, drink and be merry.' But God said to him: 'You fool this night you will give up your life. Then who will have all these things you accumulated?' He who lays up (earthly) treasure for himself is not rich toward God.

A rich man dressed in the most expensive clothes and lived in great luxury every day. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, used to be brought to the rich man's door. He hoped he could eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man's table. Then the dogs would come and lick his sores. read more.
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man died and was buried. He was in great torment in the grave (hades). He looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side. He called out: Father Abraham! Take pity on me! Please send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and cool off my tongue. I am in torment in this fire! Abraham said: Remember, my son, in your lifetime you were given good things, while Lazarus got all the bad things. Now he is enjoying himself while you are in torment. There is a deep pit lying between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so. And no one can cross over to us from where you are. The rich man said: I beg you, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father's house. Have him go warn my five brothers that they will not come to this place of torment. Abraham said: Your brothers have Moses and the prophets to warn them. They should listen to them. The rich man responded: It is not enough father Abraham! If someone from the dead went to them they would repent. Abraham said: If they would not listen to Moses and the prophets, they would not listen to someone from the dead.