Greed & Covetousness: The Two
Greed
An excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs
or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth – American
Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Psalm 10:1-3
Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide
yourself in times of trouble? 2
In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor-- let them be caught in the schemes
they have devised. 3 For the
wicked boast of the desires of their heart, those greedy for gain curse and
renounce the LORD.
Proverbs 1:19
Such is the end of all who are greedy for gain; it takes
away the life of its possessors.
Proverbs 15:27
Those who are greedy for unjust gain make trouble for
their households, but those who hate bribes will live.
Proverbs 28:25
The greedy person stirs up strife, but whoever trusts in
the LORD will be enriched.
Jeremiah 6:13
For from the least to the
greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to
priest, everyone deals falsely.
Jeremiah 8:10
Therefore I will give their wives to others and their
fields to conquerors, because from the least to the greatest everyone is greedy
for unjust gain; from prophet to priest everyone deals falsely.
Matthew 23:23-28 (cf. Luke 11:39-42)
“Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier
matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have
practiced without neglecting the others.
24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a
camel! 25 “Woe
to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of
the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and
self-indulgence. 26 You blind
Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may
become clean. 27
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside
they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. 28 So you also on the outside look
righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Luke 12:13-31
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my
brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Friend,
who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take
care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not
consist in the abundance of possessions.”
16 Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man
produced abundantly. 17 And
he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my
crops?' 18 Then he said, 'I
will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will
store all my grain and my goods. 19
And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years;
relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20
But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of
you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So it is with those who store
up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” 22 He said to his disciples, “Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your
body, what you will wear. 23 For
life is more than food, and the body more than
clothing. 24 Consider the
ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and
yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you
than the birds! 25 And can
any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do
so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they
grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory
was not clothed like one of these. 28
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow
is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you-- you of little
faith! 29 And do not keep
striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep
worrying. 30 For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these
things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, strive for his
kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
1 Corinthians 6:9-12
Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the
Ephesians 5:1-7
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2 and
live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God. 3
But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned
among you, as is proper among saints. 4
Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let
there be thanksgiving. 5 Be
sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that
is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the
Colossians 3:1-15
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things
that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that
are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and
your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4
When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with
him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication,
impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6 On account of these the wrath of
God is coming on those who are disobedient.
7 These are the ways you also once followed, when you were
living that life. 8 But now
you must get rid of all such things-- anger, wrath, malice, slander, and
abusive language from your mouth. 9
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with
its practices 10
and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in
knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11 In that renewal there is no
longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave
and free; but Christ is all and in all! 12
As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness,
humility, meekness, and patience. 13
Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive
each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves
with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ
rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be
thankful.
1 Timothy 3:1-9
The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of
bishop desires a noble task. 2
Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible,
respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, 3 not a drunkard, not
violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household
well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way-- 5 for
if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care
of God's church? 6 He must
not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the
condemnation of the devil. 7
Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into
disgrace and the snare of the devil. 8
Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much
wine, not greedy for money;
9 they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with
a clear conscience.
Titus 1:7-8
For a bishop, as God's steward, must be blameless; he
must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy
for gain; 8
but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and
self-controlled.
2 Peter 2:1-22
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as
there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive
opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them-- bringing swift
destruction on themselves. 2 Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and
because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. 3 And in their greed they will
exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them
long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 4 For if God did not spare the
angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains
of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 and if he did not spare the
ancient world, even though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven
others, when he brought a flood on a world of the ungodly; 6 and if by turning the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an
example of what is coming to the ungodly;
7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man greatly distressed
by the licentiousness of the lawless 8
(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous
soul by their lawless deeds that he saw and heard), 9 then the Lord knows how to
rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until
the day of judgment 10 --
especially those who indulge their flesh in depraved lust, and who despise
authority. Bold and willful, they are not afraid to slander the glorious ones, 11
whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not bring against them a
slanderous judgment from the Lord. 12
These people, however, are like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct,
born to be caught and killed. They slander what they do not understand, and
when those creatures are destroyed, they also will be destroyed, 13
suffering the penalty for doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the
daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their dissipation while they
feast with you. 14 They have
eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They
have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 They have left the straight
road and have gone astray, following the road of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved
the wages of doing wrong,
16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a
speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. 17 These are waterless springs and
mists driven by a storm; for them the deepest darkness has been reserved. 18 For they speak bombastic
nonsense, and with licentious desires of the flesh they entice people who have
just escaped from those who live in error.
19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves
of corruption; for people are slaves to whatever masters them. 20 For if, after they have escaped
the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has
become worse for them than the first. 21
For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of
righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment
that was passed on to them. 22
It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “The dog turns back to
its own vomit,” and, “The sow is washed only to wallow in the mud.”
Covetousness
Resentful or painful desire for another's advantages; Excessive
desire for more than one needs or deserves - American Heritage Dictionary
of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Exodus 20:17
You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not
covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Deuteronomy 5:21
Neither shall you covet your neighbor's wife. Neither
shall you desire your neighbor's house, or field, or male or female slave, or
ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Deuteronomy 7:22-26
The LORD your God will clear away these nations before
you little by little; you will not be able to make a quick end of them,
otherwise the wild animals would become too numerous for you. 23 But the LORD your God will give
them over to you, and throw them into great panic, until they are
destroyed. 24 He will hand
their kings over to you and you shall blot out their name from under heaven; no
one will be able to stand against you, until you have destroyed them. 25 The images of their gods you
shall burn with fire. Do not covet the silver or the gold that is on them and
take it for yourself, because you could be ensnared by it; for it is abhorrent
to the LORD your God. 26 Do
not bring an abhorrent thing into your house, or you will be set apart for
destruction like it. You must utterly detest and abhor it, for it is set apart
for destruction.
Joshua 6:15-20
On the seventh day they rose early, at dawn, and marched
around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that
they marched around the city seven times.
16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the
trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the
city. 17 The city and all
that is in it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the
prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live because she hid the
messengers we sent. 18 As for
you, keep away from the things devoted to destruction, so as not to covet and
take any of the devoted things and make the camp of
Joshua 7:19-26
Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD
God of
Romans 1:28-31
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God
gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done. 29 They were filled with every
kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife,
deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters,
insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless,
ruthless. 32 They know God's
decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die-- yet they not only
do them but even applaud others who practice them.
Romans 13:1-14
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities;
for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist
have been instituted by God. 2
Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those
who resist will incur judgment. 3
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to
bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and
you will receive its approval; 4 for it is God's servant
for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the
authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute
wrath on the wrongdoer. 5
Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of
conscience. 6 For the same
reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, busy with
this very thing. 7 Pay to all
what is due them-- taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due,
respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. 8 Owe no one anything, except to
love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not
commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not
steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this
word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the
law. 11 Besides this, you
know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For
salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone,
the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the
armor of light; 13 let us
live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in
debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Stewardship
Psalm 24:1
The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it, the world,
and those who live in it;
Psalm 37:25-26
I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen
the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26 They are ever giving liberally
and lending, and their children become a blessing.
Mark 12:41-44 (cf. Luke 21:1-4)
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd
putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in
two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples
and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all
those who are contributing to the treasury.
44 For all of them have contributed
out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she
had, all she had to live on.”
Matthew 25:14-46
“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his
slaves and entrusted his property to them;
15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another
one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the
five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more
talents. 17 In the same way, the
one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received
the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's
money. 19 After a long time
the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 Then the one who had received
the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, 'Master, you
handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.' 21 His master said to him, 'Well
done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I
will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' 22 And the one with the two
talents also came forward, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents;
see, I have made two more talents.' 23
His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been
trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter
into the joy of your master.' 24
Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying,
'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and
gathering where you did not scatter seed;
25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the
ground. Here you have what is yours.' 26
But his master replied, 'You wicked and lazy slave!
You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow,
and gather where I did not scatter? 27
Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I
would have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him,
and give it to the one with the ten talents.
29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they
will have an abundance; but from those who have
nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30 As for
this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 31
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be
gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the
sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those
at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you
gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a
stranger and you welcomed me, 36
I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was
in prison and you visited me.' 37
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry
and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you
a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you
sick or in prison and visited you?' 40
And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of
the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at
his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you
gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did
not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and
you did not visit me.' 44
Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or
thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of
you?' 45 Then he will answer
them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of
these, you did not do it to me.' 46
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal
life.”
Matthew 19:16-26
Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good
deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17
And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one
who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall
not steal; You shall not bear false witness; 19 Honor your father and
mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “I
have kept all these; what do I still lack?”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell
your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven; then come, follow me.” 22
When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many
possessions. 23 Then Jesus
said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to
enter the kingdom of heaven. 24
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for someone who is rich to enter the
Matthew 27:57-60 (cf. Zacchaeus, Luke 19:1-10)
When it was evening, there came a rich man from
Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for
the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 So Joseph took the body and
wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60 and laid it in his own
new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the
door of the tomb and went away.
1 Timothy 6:6-19
Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with
contentment; 7
for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of
it; 8 but if we have food and
clothing, we will be content with these.
9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are
trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and
destruction. 10 For the love
of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some
have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. 11 But as for you, man of God,
shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance,
gentleness. 12 Fight the good
fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and
for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the presence of God, who
gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before
Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep the commandment
without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will bring about at
the right time-- he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings
and Lord of lords. 16 It is
he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one
has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 17 As for those who in the present
age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the
uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything
for our enjoyment. 18 They
are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, 19 thus storing up for themselves
the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of
the life that really is life.
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also
reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap
bountifully. 7 Each of you
must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver. 8
And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by
always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good
work. 9 As it is written, “He
scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 10 He who supplies seed to the
sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and
increase the harvest of your righteousness.
11 You will be enriched in every way for your great
generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; 12 for the rendering of
this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with
many thanksgivings to God. 13
Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the
confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with
them and with all others, 14
while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God
that he has given you. 15 Thanks
be to God for his indescribable gift!