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{Since the Heavenly Trade Is the Best Trade…
Exhortation and Counsel to Earthly Traders
Counsel Three: Search for the Cause of Your Afflictions
Cause: Greedy Desires for the World}
Greedy desires for the world are often followed by disappointments. “You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house” (Haggai 1:9 ESV). With respect to the looked at the beginning of the verse, the Septuagint1212 uses a Greek word that means to look with desire and affection.1213 When people’s hearts run too fast after the world, it is merciful of God to lay some blocks in their way and hedge their way up with thorns so they might not catch up with their lovers [idols] (Hosea 2:5–6).1214 Thorns in people’s paths are safer than spears in their bowels, and that would have been the result if the lovers did meet. Covetousness is the polydipsia1215 of old-aged professors of Christianity. The cure providentially prescribed by the Great Physician is enforced abstinence. In His holy jealousy He makes people see their sin in their punishment. The Lord sees that it is dangerous for His people to have much of this world because it becomes a snare to their souls. “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction” (1 Timothy 6:9 ESV). Earthly things are the very bane of Christianity; they entangle people’s feet and keep them from proper attention to God in His appointed means of grace. The invited guests had no leisure to enjoy refreshments for their souls because of their interrupting concerns of this world (Matthew 22:4–5).1216 To those invited, but refusing the invitation, the things of Heaven seem to be of little worth compared with their other, earthy things. They made light of Christ’s invitations, had excuses for neglecting God, and justified their omissions of holy duties. “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused’” (Luke 14:18 ESV). Christ and His people would have more company if the world had less of their hearts.
These earthly things not only hinder people’s duties, but also keep them from thriving under Gospel privileges. It is the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches that choke the Word1217 and make people unfruitful (Matthew 13:22).1218 They make people careless, unconcerned, and forgetful hearers. These cares and the deceitfulness of riches hinder convictions, quench the promptings of the Spirit, take away the taste of divine sweetness, and make all attempts of grace fruitless. They take the heart away from God and spiritual things, and thus nourish formality and hypocrisy in profession and duties. They cause people to draw near with their mouths to God when their hearts are far from Him (Ezekiel 33:31; Isaiah 29:13).1219 This made Judas Iscariot,1220 Ananias,1221 Demas, and Simon Magus1222 such hypocrites in Christianity because they loved this present world (2 Timothy 3:2–5; 2 Timothy 4:10).1223
This kind of worldly-mindedness weakens faith, blinds the mind, starves affection for God, and rules the will. Thus all the royal forts of the soul, [which ought to be occupied by Christ,] are manned by invaders. The salvation of that soul thus becomes exceedingly difficult.
These worldly-minded people make provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts, feed their carnal minds, and give such nourishment to sin that they always resist the Holy Spirit. Sin thus wins the battles and renders damnation sure to all who are not by a mighty hand redeemed from these spiritual enemies. It thus becomes necessary to starve earthly desires by removing those things that feed and maintain them. So people should look on these providential afflictions against their earthly concerns as the outcome of their love of earthly things. Poverty is at the heels of one who hastens to be rich (Proverbs 28:22).1224
1212Septuagint: often abbreviated LXX, a translation of the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek made around 285–247 BC.
1213The Hebrew word translated look is פָנֹה [paw-naw´], a word with the general meaning of turn, including turn [in order] to look for or expect. Although LXX is an ancient translation, this editor, as usual, declines to adjudicate between Bible translators.
1214“For their mother has played the harlot; She who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, Who give me my bread and my water, My wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’ Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns, And I will build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths” (Hosea 2:5–6 NASB).
1215polydipsia: a chronic excessive thirst that is never satisfied. It can be caused by a number of diseases, such as diabetes.
1216“Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business” (Matthew 22:4–5 NASB).
1217The issue here is not earthly concerns, per se, but when earthly concerns displace a Christian’s wholehearted devotion and obedience to God.
1218“As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22 ESV).
1219“So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain” (Ezekiel 33:31 NKJV). “Therefore the Lord said: ‘Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men’” (Isaiah 29:13 NKJV).
1220“Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it” (John 12:6 NASB).
1221“But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 5:1–2 NASB).
1222“But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great” (Acts 8:9 ESV).
1223“For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people” (2 Timothy 3:2–5 ESV). “For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia” (2 Timothy 4:10 ESV).
1224“A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him” (Proverbs 28:22 ESV).
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