Devotional Week 2

PROPHETIC INTERPRETATION OF THE TIMES AND OPPORTUNITIES! – PART 2 (A Godly writ to all Market-Priests)

Proverbs 20:14 – It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

Our scripture today shows how God pays attention to our market practices and attitude. It reveals how a persons actual personality and fate is directly connected to his market negotiations. God’s srandard contradict the false mindset of average buyers who think that market negotiation and personality are two different things. That a person can still be a good fellow even if he plays smart against a seller to explore more opportunities. No, you can’t be good if your market model is bad.

IT IS NAUGHT IT IS NAUGHT: This is what the buyer cries out to deceive the seller. Dear friend, It is abominable before God to buy something at the expense of the seller. To describe to a seller all the problems about his goods in order to underprice him and then boast to friends or family about your great deal. God sees such practice as lying and stealing. Godliness and truth requires a fair price and impeccable honesty.

In my last post, I showed how God condemn wicked selling practices that take advantage of buyers. (Proverbs 11:26; 20:10, 23). But here today, God puts us on notice about inconsiderate and wicked buying practices which is common in the world today. The natural man uses many deceitful technique to take advantage of his neighbour. The buyer inconsiderably underprices the sellers goods and goes back bragging.
They use words like, “This goods has problems; it is nothing; it is not worth the price you are asking; other sellers sells it cheaper; it is not what I was looking for; or I do not really need it anyway.” But when these men get with friends and family after buying it far lower than it should be, they boast about the great deal they got.

Such buyers are liars, and since they used lies to obtain another’s property, God sees it as frowardness and theft. These buyers uses a common expression to douse their soul: “afterall I didn’t force him to sell at that price. It’s a free market and a free world. He is a grown man. If he didn’t think it was a fair deal, he would not have sold it to me at that price.” The truth is that It doesn’t matter how you see it, it is simply unacceptable to God.

The other part of of our scripture shows the indictment of such buyers. WHEN HE HAS GONE HIS WAY, THEN HE BOASTS. He plainly admits that he took advantage of the seller. Unfortunately, many Christians are captured in this web of dishonesty and selfishness probably because we lack the understanding of God’s standards for living and market relationship. Christians must see beyond gains to truly living for the pleasure of the Lord.

God’s standard rule in market transactions is in Matt 7:12. A Christian buyer should treat the seller, as if the roles were reversed. It is only by this rule can we be void of offence before God and men.

You must provide things honest in the sight of all men. You should speak as openly and honestly in business as with your friends and family.
Honesty is beyond worshipping reverently on Sunday mornings. It is the careful observance of the word of God even in the very small matters of life.
Let the buyer beware!

Your Brother,

Krees Chinekwe