THEOSISGregory the Great
He has devastated and laid waste to the homes of the impoverished, seizing what he did not construct, yet he remains unsatisfied. Job 20:19-20 illustrates that he has ruined the dwellings of the needy, unashamedly plundering those over whom he holds authority out of sheer greed. It suggests that he who should have been a builder instead violently confiscated. The Lord, who judges righteously, tells the rejected, “For I was hungry, and ye gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye received Me not; I was naked, and ye clothed Me not” (Matthew 25:42-43). As a result of their sin, He declares, "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).
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If someone faces condemnation merely for withholding a gift willingly, what judgment awaits the one who has taken that which belongs to others? Thus, he who aggressively seizes what he did not create, who neither gives of his own nor respects the property of others, deserves great condemnation. Moreover, it is stated that he remains unsated. The "belly" of the wicked is filled with greed, hoarding all that he craves through wrongful desires. Yet, it becomes evident that greed is ever-increasing, not vanishing, as it yearns for more when it gains what it covets. Like a fire that consumes wood for energy, greed only intensifies; it may momentarily flare but in time diminishes. At times, when the Almighty is deeply angered with a covetous spirit, He allows it to briefly gratify its desires before withdrawing that which was sought and leading the soul to eternal punishment. Consequently, it is rightly noted that even when he attains his desires, he fails to truly own them.
A realization of God's wrath manifests when one receives that which is not given for good yet is followed by swift retribution, stemming from the fact of having gained the coveted object which provoked divine anger. As the Psalmist notes about those who crave fleshly sustenance inappropriately, "But while their food was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and killed most of them" (Psalms 77:30-31). Divine punishment often comes slowly when wrongful cravings are kept in check, but should they be regrettably fulfilled rapidly, punishment tends to follow swiftly. The very means through which the hypocrite attempts to fortify himself is often the cause of his swift loss. Trees, for instance, that grow slowly tend to endure for many years, while those that sprout quickly often wither sooner, revealing that the pursuit of mere attainment may ultimately lead to non-existence. Thus, the cycle continues: