Making Merchandise of You

Are you merchandise?

2Pe 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pe 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
2Pe 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

In reading this my eye was brought to the word "merchandise."

2Pe 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:

Strongs concordance gives a definition of merchandise; emporeuomai : to use a person or a thing for gain. A false prophet or teacher who uses deceit to profit themselves. The hearer being manipulated to enrich the false ones.

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

I looked up the first use of the word "merchandise in the old testament.

Deu 21:11 And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife;
Deu 21:12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;
Deu 21:13 And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.
Deu 21:14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.

The word merchandise is `amar ; to manipulate, deal tyrannically with, to treat as a slave.

There is a lot of human trafficking now, making merchandise of women and young men. They are humiliated and sold for personal gain. This is being a whoremonger in the natural.

The false prophet/teacher is a spiritual whoremonger, or adulterer. They mess with peoples souls, putting them into bondage spiritually for personal gain. You can protect yourself from being used as merchandise. Know the Bible, read the word of God and you will not fall prey to the false ones. Not only will you be free of those who would be using you as merchandise, but you may have a ministry that helps to free those in both physical and spiritual bondage. This is the ministry I was given on the Internet some 12 years ago.

 Many who were held as merchandise first were made free.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

If you receive Jesus as your Lord and savior from sin, then you may apply this freeing verse.

1Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

The word of God will free you from bondage of flesh and the soul. You will be born again of God, a new creation for his praise and a blessed person used for his glory to free others who were used as merchandise and in bondage to sin and evil. I know this from personal experience.