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Job 31:11-12
11 For this is an heinous crime [zimmah]; yea, it is an iniquity [`avon] to be punished by the judges [paliyl].
12 For it is a fire ['esh] that consumeth ['akal] to destruction ['abaddown], and would root out [sharash] all mine increase [tabuw'ah]. KJV-Interlinear
11 'For that would be a lustful crime; Moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by judges. 12 'For it would be fire that consumes to Abaddon, And would uproot all my increase. NASB
Our first love should be Bible doctrine. God magnified His Word above His name. It is through the scriptures that we have access to God through His Son. Our perfect wife (spouse) as it were, is the Lord through Bible doctrine.
To substitute our true love (God through doctrine) for someone else (worldliness), is to pursue an adulterous relationship with the world.
The world is the slut, the prostitute, the adulterous from which there can be no, and never will be, anything good coming out of that kind of relationship.
To rebel against truth, is the worst, of the worst, of the worst of crimes. It is a sin, it is wickedness, it is the degeneracy of the thought and content of ones soul.
So heinous is negative volition toward Bible doctrine, it requires a mandatory hearing by a judge.
A perfect judge can hear all of the evidence (your life), evaluate all of the testimony (your life), and based on the facts (of your life), will decide your fate.
Jesus Christ is that judge.
Such destruction is negative volition, indifference, apathy toward doctrine, such that it is said here, that it becomes destruction (Abaddon). Ignoring ones spiritual life is the act of self-destruction or suicide.
Anything you might ever have (of a legitimate nature) in life will be consumed, uprooted, destroyed.
The unbeliever may accumulate things, treasure, wealth, prosperity and such in life, but upon his death, he will lose it all and far, far more.
The believer who advances in his spiritual life, having accumulated spiritual blessings within his soul, and then becomes distracted away from his spiritual life, will lose ground, will lose his spiritual growth, will lose his spiritual credits if you will. This is Jobs reference to his increases.
Job has already lost his worldly property and wealth, but his increases in his spiritual life remain with him, despite his current suffering. The only thing that can remove ones spiritual advances, is ones bad decisions in drifting away from the spiritual life.
While functioning within the spiritual life, you accumulate gold, silver, and precious stones. All expressions of intrinsically valuable prosperity within the spiritual life. All expressions of phenomenal decorations and spiritual production, accessorizing the soul.
While functioning outside of the spiritual life, you accumulate wood, hay and stubble, simultaneously losing any increases you might have had. Stubble is never as good as gold.
If someone were to offer you a hand full of rotten wood or a hand full of gold, which would you take? The gold of course.
God is handing you a mountain of gold and jewels, and allowing you to take from the doggie doo-doo of the world. Again, which should be preferred?
The choice should be obvious, and yet by maintaining a stubborn attitude, by rejecting Bible doctrine, by being indifferent, the majority, the vast majority of the world chooses for the doggie doo-doo, for the adulterous relationship, for the crime of all crimes by refusing their spiritual life and embracing anything else.
The result? Loss, failure, poverty, self-destruction.
