Proverbs 1:19

So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

These are not reassuring words for the greedy.

For one thing, they associate the greedy man or woman with the violent souls of the previous verses.

For another, it predicts a dubious outcome to life - namely the end of life. Solomon and his teachers suggest that greed sucks the life from the person who possesses it and its spoils.

Perhaps it is difficult to identify with such harsh words. After all, we have not beaten anyone, robbed them, or advocated violence? Have we?

Violence, in English, comes from the same root word as "violate" implying that we are willing to violate someone else's rights, personal sovereignty, or goodwill to achieve our ends.

We must evaluate every urge within ourselves toward greed in this light: Does my drive to gain this "thing" deprive anyone else of something they own, desire, or cherish? If so, it may be that spirit of competitive greed that holds the most rudimentary seeds of violence and needs to be rejected.