After leaving By-ends and his company behind, Christian and Hopeful walked until they came to a smooth plain called Ease, where they traveled with much contentment. The plain was quite small however, so they went quickly through it and reached a little hill on the far side of the plain called Lucre. In that hill there was a silver mine, which some of the pilgrims had turned aside to see. The ground near the brink of the pit was unstable, and many had stumbled into the pit only to suffer injuries or even death. It is in this part of the journey that the pilgrims will be tempted by the idea that they can hold on to comfort and self-satisfaction in one hand with their religious principles balanced nicely in the other.
Standing on the road, by the side of the mine, was a gentleman named Demas calling to passersby to come and see. He shouted when he saw Christian and Hopeful, “Stop! Turn aside, and I will show you something.”
Christian: What could be so interesting to see that would turn us out of our way?
Demas: Over here are men digging in a silver mine for treasure. If you will come and work a little, you may become rich.
Hopeful: Let’s go see.
Christian: Not I, for I have heard of this place and of all the people who have died here digging for treasure. It is a trap that will slow pilgrims down on their journey.
Christian: [to Demas] Is not this place dangerous? Hasn’t it hindered many in their pilgrimage?
Demas: [blushing a little] Not very dangerous, except to those who are careless.
Christian:[to Hopeful] Let’s not miss a step but keep going on our way.
Hopeful: I will warrant you that when By-ends comes here, and if he is given the same invitation as we, he will turn out of the way to see.
Christian: I have no doubt you are right, for his principles lead him that way, and the odds are a hundred to one that he dies there.
Demas: But will you not come over and see?
Christian: Demas, you are an enemy of the ways of the Lord, and you have already been condemned by one of his Majesty’s judges for turning out of the way. Why, then, are you trying to bring us into similar condemnation? Besides, if we turn aside, our Lord the King will certainly hear about it, and we will be put to shame when the time comes when we out to stand with boldness before Him.
Demas cried out again, saying that he was a brother like them on pilgrimage and that if they would wait for just a little while, he would walk with them. [That’s just sad.]
Christian: I know you. Gehazi was your great-grandfather and Judas was your father and you have following in their steps.
By this time By-ends and his companions were again within sight, and at the first invitation they went over to Demas. They were never seen again along the way of the pilgrims.
The two pilgrims came to a place in the highway where there stood an old monument. Their attention was drawn to it because the shape was so strange. It seemed to be in the shape of a woman. Christian spent some time trying to decipher the letters and finally understood what it said, “Remember Lot’s Wife.”
Christian: My brother Hopeful, this is a timely sight. Consider how close this monument is the Hill of Lucre where Demas gave us the invitation to see our fortune. If we had done what he enticed us to do, perhaps it would be our statues that other pilgrims would wonder at as they pass this place on the highway.
Hopeful: She is a warning and an example to both of us to avoid her sin. She is a visible sign that awaits those who do not take a lesson from this judgment. I am reminded of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram with the 250 men who perished in their sin, who also became a sign or example so that others may take heed. I am wondering how Demas and his companions can stand so confidently just a little ways from here to look for that treasure. They cannot help but see her, if they would only lift their eyes.
Christian: It is bewildering, but it indicates that they have hardened their hearts. I would compare them to the men of Sodom that they were exceptional sinners because they were sinners before the Lord. That is to say, they sinned right before His eyes with not enough shame even to try to hide their sin. They did this notwithstanding the kindnesses that he had shown them, for the land of Sodom was like the Garden of Eden. This provoked the Lord, and He made their plague of fire as hot as the Lord of Heaven could make it. The lesson is clear: Those who have had examples and warnings put before them and who have received the Lord’s benefits and kindness will suffer the most severe judgments if they refuse to repent and change their ways.
They went on their way to a pleasant river that King David called ‘the river of God’ and Saint John called ‘the river of the water of life.’ Now since their path lay on the bank of this river, Christian and Hopeful walked with great delight and also drank the water of the river, which was pleasant and enlivening to their weary spirts. On either side of the banks of this river were green trees that produced all kinds of fruit, and the leaves of the trees were good for healing.
The pilgrims were refreshed as they ate the fruit from the trees. They also ate the leaves and were healed from the infirmities that beset travelers in that region. On either side of the river was a beautiful meadow where the two pilgrims lay down and slept, for it was a pleasant and safe place. When they awoke, they gathered the fruit of the trees, drank the water of the river and lay down again to sleep. They did this for several days and nights. But since they had not yet arrived at their destination, they ate and drank one last time and departed.
Scripture: Hosea 4:18 2 Timothy 4:10 2 Kings 5:20 Matthew 26:14-15 Matthew 27:1-5 Genesis 19:26 Numbers 26:9-10 Genesis 13:13 Genesis 13:10 Psalm 65:9 Revelation 22 Ezekiel 47 Psalm 23:2 Isaiah 14:30
Thoughts to Consider: When Demas cries out… that he was a brother like them on pilgrimage and that if they would wait for just a little while, he would walk with them… a part of me is wondering if there is still a little spark of innocence in him that means that? But then Christian’s comparison with Judas and the evidence of a hardened heart points more to the reality of deception. Either (1) Demas cries that out as one last attempt to entice the pilgrims to stay, or (2) Demas has deceived himself that he still believes he can do what he wants, ignoring the warnings and commands of God, but still consider himself just as righteous as the other pilgrims.
Wonder how many pilgrims stop today to mine Bitcoins?