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We begin with the
note on the form. Note that there are
three repetitions (this is the second) of “woe, woe” -- six in all, the
number of man. The poetry is perfect,
for it is God’s own.
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Look at this
list! what a pile of luxuries, and it
is this that the merchant laments.
Think of the profit margins!
Think of the carriage trade!
Think of the fools who would rush to buy anything they thought
fashionable and rare. Anything that
makes me better than the crowd.
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The worst of this
traffic: the bodies and souls of
men. Can this be even today? Surely we have outlawed slavery? Or have we, wage slaves? Have you never seen those so dedicated to
their work that they could be said to be slaves to it? Do we trade in them? Why do you think we have employment firms
whose nickname is “headhunter?”
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The key is
selfishness. The merchants care
nothing for Babylon -- but everything for the lost customer.
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There is a poignant
phrase here. It is not so much in the
having of luxuries that sin consists -- but in the longing. Our Lord put it this way:
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(Mat 16:26-27
NIV) What good will it be for a man if
he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in
exchange for his soul? {27} For the Son of Man is going to come in his
Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according
to what he has done.
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How do we achieve
this? Contentment, says Paul, comes
from God’s own strength:
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(Phil 4:12-13
NIV) I know what it is to be in need,
and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being
content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether
living in plenty or in want. {13} I can do everything through him who gives
me strength.
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Tony Campolo, the
“bad boy” of evangelists once proclaimed that no real Christian could ever
own a BMW. I wonder how many of us
have ever examined our longings as well as our wallets.
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