Judas, for thirty pieces of silver, sold his master. Our first parents, for the sake of a piece of fruit, sacrificed their paradise home. Esau, for the sake of a mess of pottage, gave up his birthright. Achan, for the sake of a babyloniish garment and a wedge of gold, forfeited his life. Samson, for the sake of a woman's caresses, lost his hair, his strength, his sight, his life. David, for the sake of Bathsheba, wreaked his home and kingdom. Ahab, for the sake of a pretty garden, committed murder.
Author John R. Gunn comments that "it's easy for us, as we read these stories, to cry 'Fools!'. And yet this very folly is being committed every day. We do but repeat the foolishness of these people when we sacrifice our spiritual interest to the appetites of the flesh, or, the future for the sake of the present.
We are told that Judas sold his master, but in reality it was himself that Judas sold -- and how cheaply -- for thirty pieces of silver. It is amazing how cheaply men sell themselves out. Often, for only a little momentary pleasure, men sell their honor, their manhood, their very souls.
What will you take for yourself? Do you want to sell your honor and good name? Do you want to sell your manhood and self respect? Do you want to sell your conscience and piece of mind? Do you want to sell your usefulness and happiness? Do you want to sell your prospects for the future? What is your price?