035 Pleasure's Appeal

The stranger's proposition was remarkable; not only would Faithful receive a place to live, filled with every pleasure he could desire, but he would also be able to marry three most desirable women. Moreover, all of these treasures would become his after the elderly stranger died. It seemed to be an offer he could not refuse. The offer was strongly appealing!

Something just didn't seem right, and it was the fact that he had previously been warned about this very offer. He remembered, at the critical moment, that this offer was not all it appeared to be. It was in fact an offer made by a man who earnestly desired to destroy him. It was an offer that appeared attractive, yet in reality, it was the worst curse he could imagine. Instead of freedom, he would become a miserable slave and suffer the consequences of locking himself into that misery by his own choice to choose pleasure above God!

And so we meet Bunyan's "Old Man", with whom you and I should be familiar. We should be able to identify his pitch and expose his lies when we are drawn more to sinful pleasures than to the God of glory.