Unrighteous Wealth (5) Judgment

The other remedy for unrighteous wealth is judgment. God has promised that those who accumulate unrighteous wealth will be destroyed. The Psalmist looked at the prosperity of the wicked and was envious.

For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens (Ps 73:4-5).

God gave him a glimpse of their future.

Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors (Ps 73:18-19).

They will be cast down to ruin.

The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;
those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed (Psalm 37:21-22).

The wicked will eventually lose their wealth.

The house of the righteous contains great treasure,
but the income of the wicked brings ruin (Prov 15:6).

Those who gain unrighteous wealth will often prosper for a couple of generations, but their downfall inevitably comes.

The shrewd manager was called to judgment. He was asked to give an account for his management. He knew that the deeds he had done on behalf of the rich man were immoral. He executed judgment against the rich man by writing down some of the debts.

Restitution is always preferable to judgment, because it is voluntary.