Commentators unanimously warn against Ephraim's dangerous belief that their wealth was a sign of God's approval. They used financial success to dismiss prophetic warnings, a mindset John Calvin calls a 'common evil.' This self-deception, as Charles Ellicott notes, mirrors the Laodicean church in Revelation 3:17, which boasted of its riches while being spiritually poor. True righteousness is not measured by material success.