The Bible has a great deal to say about wealth. This study gathers passages from across Scripture and sets them out for reading and reflection.
What Scripture Says
Wealth appears throughout Scripture as a real and weighty part of human life, and the Bible speaks of it with striking honesty. It is first something that can be seized and lost. In Genesis 34:29, the sons of Jacob take the wealth of Shechem as spoil, and in 2 Kings 15:20, Menahem exacts money from Israel’s mighty men of wealth to pay off Assyria. Wealth can be stripped away by violence or taxation, and Job 21:13 observes that the wicked “spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.” Proverbs 5:10 warns that wealth can end up in the hands of strangers, the fruit of one’s labors filling another’s house. Earthly riches are not secure in themselves.
Yet wealth is also described as a gift from God. Deuteronomy 8:17 cautions Israel not to say in their heart, “My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth,” reminding them that it comes from above. Ecclesiastes 5:19 calls riches, wealth, and the power to enjoy them the gift of God. Solomon, offered anything, asked not for riches or wealth but for wisdom and knowledge to judge God’s people (2 Chronicles 1:11). And Boaz is introduced in Ruth 2:1 as “a mighty man of wealth,” a man whose substance served the purposes of God’s redemption. Wealth in itself is not condemned; the heart’s posture toward it is what matters.
Scripture also shows wealth functioning in the life of a community. Mordecai, in Esther 10:3, is commended for seeking “the wealth of his people” and speaking peace to all his seed. Ezra 9:12 warns Israel not to seek the peace or wealth of the surrounding nations, lest they be ensnared. Zechariah 14:14 pictures the wealth of the heathen gathered in the day of the Lord’s victory. Wealth can be a means of blessing others or a snare of compromise, depending on whose interests it serves.
The New Testament adds a sobering note. In Acts 19:25, the silversmiths of Ephesus admit, “by this craft we have our wealth,” and their concern for profit drives them to oppose the gospel. 1 Samuel 2:32 speaks of an enemy in the habitation and in the wealth God gives Israel—a reminder that even divinely given abundance can be overshadowed by judgment when hearts turn. Psalm 44:12 laments that God’s people were sold for nought, and their price did not increase the wealth of those who sold them. Across the canon, wealth is portrayed as real, often good, frequently dangerous, and always subordinate to the fear of the Lord.
Living It Out
The practical question is not whether you have wealth, but what your wealth has of you. Deuteronomy 8:17 warns against the quiet inner voice that says, “My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.” Most of us do not say that out loud, but we live it when we treat our income, our savings, and our possessions as entirely our own achievement. The Bible’s counter is simple: receive what you have as a gift from God, enjoy it with gratitude as Ecclesiastes 5:19 says, and hold it loosely, because it can vanish in a moment.
Ask yourself how your wealth is being used. Boaz’s wealth served God’s purposes in caring for Ruth and Naomi. Mordecai sought the wealth of his people. The Ephesian silversmiths used their craft only to protect their profits. Your money will either serve people and honor God, or it will quietly become your master. Give generously, work honestly, and let your financial decisions be shaped by the good of others and the glory of God rather than by fear of loss or love of gain.
Reflection
- If someone examined your bank account, your spending, and your worries, would they conclude that you trust God as the giver of your wealth—or that you trust your own hand to secure it?
- Where has the pursuit or protection of wealth caused you to compromise your peace, your generosity, or your witness for Christ?
Verses to Consider
- Genesis 34:29 — And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.
- Deuteronomy 8:17 — And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
- Ruth 2:1 — And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
- 1 Samuel 2:32 — And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.
- 2 Kings 15:20 — And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land.
- 2 Chronicles 1:11 — And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
- Ezra 9:12 — Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.
- Esther 10:3 — For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.
- Job 21:13 — They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.
- Psalms 44:12 — Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.
- Proverbs 5:10 — Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
- Ecclesiastes 5:19 — Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.
- Zechariah 14:14 — And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.
- Acts 19:25 — Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.
Where These Come From
These verses are drawn from different parts of the Bible on purpose. A subject is rarely settled by a single line; the whole counsel of Scripture gives the shape of it.