Treasure of Kingdom Wisdom

Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, How difficult it will be for those who are wealthy [and cling to possessions and status as security] to enter the kingdom of God!

The disciples were amazed and bewildered by His words. But Jesus said to them again, Children, how difficult it is [for those who place their hope and confidence in riches] to enter the kingdom of God!

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man [who places his faith in wealth or status] to enter the kingdom of God. (Mark 10:23-25)

“Look, [this is] the man who would not make God his strength [his stronghold and fortress], But trusted in the abundance of his riches, Taking refuge in his wealth.” (Psalm 52:17)

Then He said to them, “Watch out and guard yourselves against every form of greed; for not even when one has an overflowing abundance does his life consist of nor is it derived from his possessions." (Luke 12:15)

Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. (Proverbs 11:4)

The righteous will flourish like the date palm [long-lived, upright and useful]; They will grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic and stable].

Planted in the house of the LORD, They will flourish in the courts of our God.

[Growing in grace] they will still thrive and bear fruit and prosper in old age; They will flourish and be vital and fresh [rich in trust and love and contentment];

[They are living memorials] to declare that the LORD is upright and faithful [to His promises]; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (Psalm 92:12-15) Blessed [with spiritual security] is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the LORD And whose hope and confident expectation is the LORD.

For he will be [nourished] like a tree planted by the waters, That spreads out its roots by the river; And will not fear the heat when it comes; But its leaves will be green and moist. And it will not be anxious and concerned in a year of drought Nor stop bearing fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

He who leans on and trusts in and is confident in his riches will fall, But the righteous [who trust in God’s provision] will flourish like a green leaf. (Proverbs 11:28) I have seen a wicked, violent man [with great power] Spreading and flaunting himself like a well-rooted native tree,

Yet he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought him, but he could not be found.

Mark the blameless man [who is spiritually complete], and behold the upright [who walks in moral integrity]; There is a [good] future for the man of peace [because a life of honor blesses one’s descendants]. (Psalm 37:36-37)

For I will pour out water on him who is thirsty, And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants;

And they will spring up among the grass Like willows by the streams of water. (Isaiah 44:3-4)

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26)

For what is the hope of the godless, even though he has gained [in this world], When God requires his soul? (Job 27:8) But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own all the things you have prepared?’ So it is for the one who continues to store up and hoard possessions for himself, and is not rich [in his relationship] toward God. (Luke 12:20-21)

Do not store up for yourselves [material] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.

The eye is the lamp of the body; so if your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive], your whole body will be full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts]. But if your eye is bad [spiritually blind], your whole body will be full of darkness [devoid of God’s precepts]. So if the [very] light inside you [your inner self, your heart, your conscience] is darkness, how great and terrible is that darkness. (Matthew 6:19-23)

But the eyes of the wicked will come to an end, And escape will perish from them; And their hope is the expiring of their soul. (Job 11:20)

The hope of the righteous [those of honorable character and integrity] is joy, But the expectation of the wicked [those who oppose God and ignore His wisdom] comes to nothing. (Proverbs 10:28)

Blessed [with spiritual security] is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the LORD And whose hope and confident expectation is the LORD. (Jeremiah 17:7) He who pays attention to the word [of God] will find good, And blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is he who trusts [confidently] in the LORD. (Proverbs 16:20)

It is for this that we labor and strive [often called to account], because we have fixed our [confident] hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe [in Him, recognize Him as the Son of God, and accept Him as Savior and Lord]. (1 Timothy 4:10)

So that we who were the first to hope in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior] would exist to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:12)

For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my trust and the source of my confidence from my youth. (Psalm 71:5)

O LORD of hosts, How blessed and greatly favored is the man who trusts in You [believing in You, relying on You, and committing himself to You with confident hope and expectation]. (Psalm 84:12)

How blessed and graciously favored is he whose help is the God of Jacob (Israel), Whose hope is in the LORD his God. (Psalm 146:5) If I have put my trust and confidence in gold,

Or have declared fine gold my hope and assurance,

If I gloated and rejoiced because my wealth was great,

And because my [powerful] hand [alone] had obtained so much,

This also would have been [a heinous] sin calling for judgment,

For I would have denied God above. (Job 31:24-25,28)