MOTH AND RUST DESTROYING THE TREASURE
In the past, when there was no banking system or locker facility, the rich hid their treasure underground in their houses, fields, or caves. Moth and rust could however destroy the hidden treasures over the years.
1. Moth: During the past, when fashion designs would not change frequently, rich people preserved costly garments as their treasure. They made outfits colored with expensive dye and embroidered with gold and silver (Job 27:16). The moth shall eat such precious clothes (Job 13:28; Isa 50:9; 51:8). The “moth” is a small pest that destroys fabric and certain materials like food items. “They feed exclusively on animal fibre, especially wool, fur, silk, feathers, felt, and leather. These materials contain keratin, a fibrous protein that the worm-like larvae of the clothes moth can digest” (https:// entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef609#). So, the moth would destroy high- cost garments kept for a long time. Pests destroy the grain and corn kept in reserve for a lengthy period. Joseph kept grains as a treasure for the seven-year draught in Egypt (Ex 41:47-47). How he protected the grains from pests for over seven years is still a mystery.
2. Rust: Corrosion causes rust, giving the original colour of the metals a greenish tinge. “Many materials, including metals, change over time because they come in contact with various other materials. Air, water, gases, acids and alkalis can all affect metal. This process is called corrosion. The best-known corrosion is rust. However, strictly speaking, rust is merely the result of the process of corrosion” (https://academy.ampcometal.com/corrosion-can-destroy-metals- but-how-does-it-work#:). Hence, rust can damage metals, even causing them to lose their functionality and value. Thus, the long- preserved treasure is not dependable as such. As James writes, “Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded” (Jas 5:2-3).