Greed is responsible for much sorrow. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:10, “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” But is greed only about money? No. Greed goes much further than money.
What is greed exactly then? What does God or the Bible have to say about it?
Greed is a spiritual disease of the heart affecting all areas of a person’s life.
Greed Definition
Google defines greed as an “intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power or food.” Vocabulary.com goes a little further in its explanation calling it ugly, insatiable, and gives us the origin of the word. “Greed come from the Old English graedig, or ‘voracious,’ which means ‘always hungry for more,’” they explained.
A person can be insatiably hungry for money but also for fame, possessions, attention, compliments, gifts, another person’s time, and more.
Greed is always self-centered and never satisfied.
Bible Verses about Greed
In the King James Bible, the words greedily, greedy, and greediness are always used to describe the soul motivation of a person.
Let’s look at what that soul motivation does to a person, and how God feels about it in both the King James Bible and other translations.
1. Greed Steals Life
“So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.” (Proverbs 1:19)
“So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors.” (Proverbs 1:19 NAS)
“The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labor. He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.” (Proverbs 21:25-26)
“The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.” (Proverbs 21:25-26 NIV)
2. Greed Does Not Love
“In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 22:12)
“‘In you they have taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest and profits, and you have injured your neighbors for gain by oppression, and you have forgotten Me,’ declares the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 22:12 NAS)
3. Greed Is Destructive
“Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.” (Jude 11)
“How horrible it will be for them! They have followed the path of Cain. They have rushed into Balaam's error to make a profit. They have rebelled like Korah and destroyed themselves.” (Jude 11 GWT)
4. Greed Is Insensitive
“Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” (Ephesians 4:19)
“Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.” (Ephesians 4:19 NIV)
5. Greed Ruins Families
“He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.” (Proverbs 15:27)
“The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live.” (Proverbs 15:27 NIV)
6. Greed Corrupts Leaders with Self-Centeredness
“His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.” (Isaiah 56: 10-11)
“Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain.” (Isaiah 56:11 BSB)
What is the cure for greed?
If you discover greed in your heart, don’t despair. Greed comes naturally to humans. This can be easily seen by watching children and why we need to teach them to share.
Generosity
Fostering a giving and generous heart will drive greed out of our hearts by the power of the love of God. Sharing is the cure. Giving and being generous.
“If we have all we need and see one of our own people in need, we must have pity on that person, or else we cannot say we love God.” (1 John 3:17 CEV)
“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.” (1 Timothy 6:16-17 NLT)
Gratitude
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:3-4 NIV).
Money, fame, food, attention and all the things that greed chases after are not evil in and of themselves. God promised to give us richly all things to enjoy and Jesus said He came to give us abundant life. But this abundant life is not synonymous with more wealth, food, power, or things. Jesus warned in Luke 12:15, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Christians must repent from sin, including greed, and submit to God’s good, Holy Spirit, who will empower us to live righteous lives full of generosity and gratitude.
Danielle Bernock is an international, award-winning author. Her works include: Emerging With Wings: A True Story of Lies, Pain, And The LOVE that Heals, A Bird Named Payn, and Love’s Manifesto. Her new book Because You Matter: How to Take Ownership of Your Life so You Can Really Live will be released fall 2019. For more information or to connect with Danielle https://www.daniellebernock.com/
Photo Credit: GettyImages/cherrybeans
