Selfishness in Religion: The Snare of Appropriating the Holy

Solomon's proverb warns against devouring what belongs to Elohim. Under the Levitical dispensation, tithes, firstfruits, and firstlings were consecrated to the Lord. Voluntary free-will offerings likewise belonged to Jehovah's service. To "devour that which is holy" means appropriating consecrated gifts for personal use—a sin exemplified by Achan, who robbed the Lord's treasury (Joshua 6:19, 7:1). The prophet Malachi posed the piercing question: "Will a man rob God?" (Malachi 3:8–9).

Selfishness everywhere corrupts, but when it intrudes into the temple of religion, it becomes peculiarly heinous—"the serpent amongst seraphs." This manifests in three modern forms: first, the personal appropriation of ecclesiastical endowments; second, the assumption of sacred offices for private gain; third, adopting Christian profession from motives of personal interest rather than devotion to Adonai.

Yet the proverb's second clause addresses a subtler danger: "and after vows to make inquiry" (Proverbs 20:25). This does not condemn making religious vows, nor breaking improper ones, nor contemplating vows after they are made. Rather, it warns against the evasion of genuine religious commitments—using inquiry as pretext to avoid fulfilling what one has solemnly pledged to God. The snare catches those who treat sacred obligations as negotiable.