Dishonest Treasure

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is one of the most famous American adventure stories. The hero is a boy named Jim. The book includes many exciting pursuits, a ship full of pirates (including the mutinous Long John Silver), an island treasure map on which X marks the spot, and a strange man named Ben who lives in a cave and finds the treasure before anyone else.

Searching for pirate treasure makes for a thrilling tale, but no doubt the chests full of gold coins were dishonestly gained. In today's reading, we see that treasures obtained in such ways anger the Lord. Biblical treasures often are given moral and spiritual value, but in this passage, importance is given to how they were obtained. God's view of treasure contrasts with the views of our materialistic society, in which money and success are the primary goals and an ends-justify-the-means approach often prevails.

God was angry with Israel because of its "ill-gotten treasures" a phrase which literally means "treasures of sin"; (vv. 9-12). The images of "the short ephah," "dishonest scales," and "a bag of false weights" indicate that cheating and injustice were rampant in the business world of that time. The rich were "violent" and exploitative. Everyone was lying and deceiving. These practices are "wicked" and "accursed" (see Lev. 19:35-36). Let the buyer beware indeed!

As a result, God would judge them for their sins, just as He punished Omri and Ahab, two of Israel's most wicked kings (Mic. 6:13-16). They would eat without satisfaction, plant without harvest, and make grapes without enjoying the wine. In other words, they would work without reward because their labor would be cursed. Evil people often think they can get away with sin, but Micah teaches that God's justice is both patient and certain.

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BY Brad Baurain

Dr. Bradley Baurain is Associate Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute. Bradley has the unique privilege of holding a degree from four different universities (including Moody). He has just published his first book, On Waiting Well. Bradley taught in China, Vietnam, the United States, and Canada. Bradley and his wife, Julia, have four children and reside in Northwest Indiana.