“Soul. Take Thine Ease”

“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

“But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be; which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” -Luke 12:16-21.

Our Lord gave a parable illustrating the comparative foolishness of all earthly ambitions. This does not mean that earthly ambitions are the worst thing; but rather that they are poor in comparison to the one great possibility, the kingdom. It is a pearl of great value, to obtain which all other pearls-all other valuables, all other ambitions, and all other hopes-are to be set aside, and counted as dross.

The parable tells of a rich farmer who, instead of using his riches in doing good, was miserly, taking pleasure in accumulations. He built greater barns and storehouses, and consoled himself with the thought that he had plenty and more than enough, and could thenceforth take his ease. The parable points out that ere long he died. We query, What advantage did the man really have through his accumulation of great wealth, which he failed to use? He left it for others to quarrel over, and possibly to be more or less injured by. He was a foolish rich man. Instead of leaving his wealth thus, he should have enjoyed himself in spending it wisely for the good of others and to the glory of God. Thus he would have been rich toward God. However, on the other hand, he was an illustration of those who are not rich toward God; for he laid up his treasure for self.

Many read into this parable things that it does not contain. They infer that the rich man went to eternal torment, but nothing in the Lord’s words so intimate. The expression, “this night shall thy soul be required of thee,” signifies this night you lose your life-you die in poverty. Earthly riches will be of no account to you in the future if you have not laid up spiritual riches in the heart, in the mind and in good works, which would make you rich in the future.

That rich man, instead of being benefitted by the riches which he accumulated, will in the future life be disadvantaged. He might have used his riches sacrificially, or he might have consecrated his entire life to God through Christ and then faithfully laid down time, talent, opportunities, wealth. Thus he would, in the same proportion, have been laying up treasures in heaven, so that in the resurrection he would have been received of the Lord as a faithful follower, to share his glory, honor, and immortality-to be a member of his kingdom class, whose commission it will be for a thousand years to scatter the divine blessings, secured by the death of Jesus, to all of Adam’s race.

That rich man, having missed his opportunities, will nevertheless come forth during Christ’s Millennial Kingdom; for we read that all that are in their graves shall hear his voice and come forth. But instead of coming forth approved to a share in the first resurrection, he will come fort h disapproved of God, and his resurrection opportunities will be those described as the resurrect io n of judgment.-John 5:29, R.V. He will come forth to shame and contempt, which will continue until he shall, under the judgments of that time, learn his lesson and form a better character; or refusing to do so, he will be cut off in the second death.

R 5396 (1914)