Here is a thought - and this one is only half baked, so reader beware:
“The mighty will be toppled off their perch by God” This is clearly a theme in the Old Testament: The proud will be humbled, the rich rendered poor, and so on. Hannah’s Prayer comes to mind, or the book of Nahum.
And yet, Deuteronomy pretty clearly outlines Prosperity for the obedient Israel living in the Land. The question is: what is difference between Israel’s forcasted prosperity and the riches ofthe wicked.
Here is my thesis: While the Lord’s blessing certianly accounts for the prosperity of Israel, Israel’s prosperity is also due to its peculuar dependency on the Land.
Israel’s future in the Land in Deuteronomy is described in primarily agrarian terms, the riches gained by Israel were not to be at anyone’s expense. In fact, there were safeguards built into the law to protect against this (for example, the Sabbath laws).
We live in a world where wealth is not seen as a moral issue: yet reading the Old Testament, I cannot but see a multitude of inditements against the Rich. There are examples of rich men of God - Abraham, for instance - but they are the minority.
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