Would You Cut Your Own Throat for a-Million Dollars?

Of course, you wouldn’t. Unless he had a real problem, mentally, no one would. Certainly, not on purpose, the million-bucks, notwithstanding. And yes, I agree with you, it is a silly question. But, bear with me a few minutes. I want to tell you a story I remember from TV and show you something you just might be familiar within your own experience.

When I was a teenager, there was a very popular, science-fiction, mystery, weelky show on Television called the Twilight Zone, written and hosted by Rod Serling. Most all the presentations had a strange, even weird twist at their core and many times taught a lesson or a moral worth thinking about. That show must have really impressed me, because, there are a few, these, nearly, fifty years later that I remember pretty well. That brings us to the one I want to share with you, now.

This episode involved a man who was a real talker, an incessant chatter box, even worse than me. You know the type. He had a comment, an opinion, a statement, an observation, a quip or a fun-loving comment about just about everything. One of his acquaintances, tired of the sound of the guy’s voice, made him a wager that he was sure the fellow couldn’t win. Since he was fairly well-to-do, he bet that the man in question couldn’t keep quiet -- not utter a single word for one year. To sweeten the pot, if he could he would be paid one million dollars. Of course, the wealthy man felt he’d never have to pay off and he would have a year of not hearing his friend’s voice. To safeguard his bet, he had set up a nice living arrangement in his own home and had a glass wall erected he could observe the man through, occasionally. He had microphones planted to pick up the smallest utterance. Time went on and a-year passed. All who had witnessed the bet were gathered for the last moments leading up to the pay off. As it turns out the man made no sound up until the last minute. And he had won the wager, clearly and was entitled to the-million dollars. The moment of truth had arrived. One man expected, happily, a pay off of one-million dollars and the other the reality that he had lost and underestimated the other man, who seemed to have resolve beyond his imagination. But, he had a problem. He made the bet because he was certain the other guy could make it a full year without uttering a word. It was a sure thing. He never expected to have to pay up. But, here he was, a year had passed and the guy had not spoken a word and had earned the money. As I said this was the moment of truth. The man who had posed the wager felt sick, sorrow-filled and ashamed as he confessed that he didn’t have one-million dollars to pay the other man. He was certain he could make the wager and the other man would default in a few hours, or, days, at most. He confessed to all.

The bet couldn’t be paid. A year was lost in one man’s life. But, all is well. He was well taken care of and no real harm was done. Or, was there? The man in the glass-walled room was shocked and a terrified expression came over his face. He took up a pad of paper, with which he had communicated for the past year and wrote a note, to the surprise of all. Why write a note? The year was up and he had won the bet. It was all over and he was, now, free to speak all he wanted. His note was read. He peeled off his ascot, a common piece of apparel for the past year, along with a robe which he normally lounged in in his room of silence. As he removed the ascot a scar was revealed on his throat. The note said that he, fearing his will-power was not up to the task and that he didn’t trust his ability to keep quiet for the agreed-to time, hedged his bet and had his vocal chords surgically severed. He too, felt he couldn’t lose. His success was a cinch. Both men depended on the word of the other. Each man felt he was dealing with a sure thing and couldn’t lose. Neither man, as it were, acted fairly. Each had a plan, a scheme in mind to buffer his bet. One man had his own throat cut for a-million dollars -- and its result was that he did it for nothing!! Each man tried to take advantage of the other. Each man lied. Remember, my question? Would you cut your own throat for a-million dollars? Probably not. Yet, many of us (all of us, at times), brokering a better position for ourselves, make foolish decisions that come back to hurt us. One man tricked another at the promise of great riches. The other involved himself in self-destructive behavior at the promise of wealth. This is not unique. The greatest enemy of God and of mankind has been motivating this kind of deals for centuries. It was his lie to our original parents, for self-benefit that kicked off the whole thing. Seeking your own pleasure at the sacrifice of someone else’s well-being, or, even your on is contrary to what God prescribed and put into place. It stems from the thinking that my good and pleasure is more important than another's. That is in direct opposition to what God wants.

Any plan opposing His plan is disobedience and that disobedience is sin. God leads in righteousness and resistance of that is unrighteousness, is opposed to all God is and stands for. This is not just an incident in human experience which is pictured in the TV show, above. False promises are made every day. There is nothing new about them. And the source is not entirely a human invention. Yes, I know. Some of you don’t want to hear about him. But, false promises, promises of greatness and grandeur are Satan’s great specialty. He has uncannily duped unwitting people out of the sure blessings of God, for a mess of pottage. He promises great things, using “great, swelling words”, but, he can’t produce. His goal, for the centuries has been to convince you and me of our own greatness and get us to reject the wisdom of God and obedience to Him. And if we are very unskilled in the Word of God, as most are, we will fall for his deals, every time. But, the Bible tells us what he is up to, how he works and what God expects of us, especially, if we are Christians. We should not be ignorant of his devices; “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11). If we seek our direction from the Word of God we won’t be ignorant of his devices. We should not be unaware of His methodology and his self-exalting motive; “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14). By getting you to ignore God he sees himself as superior to God and your disobedience to God becomes obedience to him. And his condemnation becomes your future, as well. We should not be lulled by his assurances of great things, or wealth, or power, or prestige. Those who believe them are guilty of repeating them; “For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error” (2 Peter 2:18). Satan is a liar and always has been. He is a murderer and always has been. His mischief isn’t innocent. It is designed to cause men to ignore, oppose and rebuke God and His Word. That is to the detriment of all who follow his counsel. Accepting God’s will, God’s Word leads to life. By contrast, the devil’s words and counsel, his intent is to undo what God seeks to secure and that leads to death. If believing Jesus is eternal life, then, rejecting Him is eternal death. “Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:42-44).

And Jesus ought to know what He is talking about. He is the Creator of all things and of every being, in or under heaven, including Satan and knows the hearts and intentions of all. The devil, Satan is the Adversary (enemy) of God and all that is or are His. He is the enemy of the believer who is determined to live his life for the Lord Jesus Christ, to please Him. Trying to live exclusively for yourself and your own pleasure doesn’t. It certainly doesn’t please God. The only one who is pleased is Satan, who has thwarted God’s plan in your life and led you astray from God. He will oppose every godly thing you do, say, think or produce and he will try to keep you from your godly purpose, if he can, as long as he can, to keep you from producing as much as he can for God. He wants you to be ignorant of himself and his workings, as well as the truth about the blessings God has promised to those who would serve Him. Our success comes in not believing his lies and not entertaining the sound of his suggestions. Spurn him and he will leave you alone and go look for some more fertile ground to dig in. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. … Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:7-8,10).

Just like the intentions of the well-to-do man in our story, Satan wishes to shut you up, to prevent you from speaking up about anything that identifies you as a Christian, with a positive testimony. It is offensive to him. It declares his doom. It is contrary to everything he has led himself and his angels to accept. It opposes his whole world of thought, since he opposes the truth. He wishes to make you a mere “professor” of the truth, but, stop your “confession” of it. But, the confession of it is obedience to God and the power behind salvation and the proof of it. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). Obedience is blessed of God and disobedience is under condemnation; “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Corinthians 10:5-6).

If you are silenced in your relationship with God, you are a voiceless mockery of the faith. You are, in essence, a pretender. You have been lulled by the devil’s lies and duped with false assurances. You have become complicit with the enemy in being silenced by the deceiver. But unlike the man whose vocal chords were cut, you have the power to change into what God wants in and for you and to become a crystal bell, sounding out truth in clear, sweet, constant tones of grace, of mercy, of the love of Christ for all to hear.