Happiness
28 lines · 74 passages
- Of the wicked
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Is limited to this life
Ps 17:14; Luke 16:25
14 From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.
Psalms 17:1425 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Luke 16:25 -
Is short
Job 20:5
5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
Job 20:5 -
Is uncertain
Luke 12:20
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Luke 12:20 -
Is vain
Eccl 2:1; 7:6
1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 2:16 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 7:6 - Is derived from
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Their wealth
Job 21:13; Ps 52:7
13 They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.
Job 21:137 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
Psalms 52:7 -
Their power
Job 21:7; Ps 37:35
7 Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?
Job 21:735 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
Psalms 37:35 -
Their worldly prosperity
Ps 17:14; 37:3, 4, 7
14 From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.
Psalms 17:143 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psalms 37:34 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psalms 37:47 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Psalms 37:7 -
Gluttony
Isa 22:13; Hab 1:16
13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
Isaiah 22:1316 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.
Habakkuk 1:16 -
Drunkenness
Isa 5:11; 56:12
11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
Isaiah 5:1112 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.
Isaiah 56:12 -
Vain pleasure
Job 21:12; Isa 5:12
12 They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ.
Job 21:1212 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.
Isaiah 5:12 -
Successful oppression
Hab 1:15
15 They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.
Habakkuk 1:15 -
Marred by jealousy
Esth 5:13
13 Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.
Esther 5:13 -
Often interrupted by judgments
Num 11:33; Job 15:21; Ps 73:18–20; Jer 25:10, 11
33 And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.
Numbers 11:3321 A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
Job 15:2118 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. 19 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. 20 As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
Psalms 73:1810 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.
Jeremiah 25:1011 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jeremiah 25:11 -
Leads to sorrow
Prov 14:13
13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.
Proverbs 14:13 -
Leads to recklessness
Isa 22:12
12 And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
Isaiah 22:12 -
Sometimes a stumbling-block to saints
Ps 73:3, 16; Jer 12:1; Hab 1:13
3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Psalms 73:316 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;
Psalms 73:161 Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?
Jeremiah 12:113 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?
Habakkuk 1:13 -
Saints often permitted to see the end of
Ps 73:17–20
17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. 18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. 19 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. 20 As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
Psalms 73:17 -
Envy not
Ps 37:1
1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Psalms 37:1 - Woe against Amos 6:1; Luke 6:25
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Illustrated
Ps 37:35, 36; Luke 12:16–20; 16:19, 25
35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
Psalms 37:3536 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
Psalms 37:3616 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Luke 12:1619 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
Luke 16:1925 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Luke 16:25 - Exemplified
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Israel
Num 11:33
33 And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.
Numbers 11:33 -
Haman
Esth 5:9–11
9 Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife. 11 And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.
Esther 5:9 -
Belshazzar
Dan 5:1
1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
Daniel 5:1 -
Herod
Acts 12:21–23
21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. 22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. 23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
Acts 12:21 -
Of the righteous
Deut 33:29; Job 5:17–27; Ps 36:8; 40:8; 63:5; 128:1, 2; 133:1; 144:15; 146:5; Prov 3:13–18; 14:21; 16:20; 28:14; 29:18; Eccl 2:24–26; 3:12, 13, 22; Isa 12:2, 3; Matt 5:3–12; Rom 5:2; 2 Cor 12:10; Phil 4:7; 1 Pet 3:14; 4:12, 13
29 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
Deuteronomy 33:2917 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: 18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. 19 He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. 20 In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword. 21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. 22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. 23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. 24 And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin. 25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth. 26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season. …
Job 5:17 …8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
Psalms 36:88 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
Psalms 40:85 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
Psalms 63:51 Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.
Psalms 128:12 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Psalms 128:21 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Psalms 133:115 Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.
Psalms 144:155 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:
Psalms 146:513 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
Proverbs 3:1321 He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.
Proverbs 14:2120 He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.
Proverbs 16:2014 Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
Proverbs 28:1418 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Proverbs 29:1824 There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I? 26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Ecclesiastes 2:2412 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
Ecclesiastes 3:1213 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
Ecclesiastes 3:1322 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
Ecclesiastes 3:222 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Isaiah 12:23 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
Isaiah 12:33 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Matthew 5:32 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:210 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Corinthians 12:107 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:714 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
1 Peter 3:1412 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1 Peter 4:1213 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1 Peter 4:13 - See Joy
- See Peace
- See Praise
From Nave’s Topical Bible (1896), by Orville J. Nave.
