Moth

(Luke 12:33)—a well-known insect, which devours furs and, in general, woolen garments and woolen goods. In Holy Scripture there are frequent references to this seemingly insignificant but destructively acting insect. In the Book of Job (13:28) the declining and weakening life of man, inclining toward the west, is compared to a garment eaten by the moth. In the Book of the prophet Isaiah (51:8) it is said that the adversaries of God’s righteousness and law “shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up: but my righteousness shall be for ever.” In Psalm 39 (11) it is said: “When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth.” The harm done by this insect is especially pointed out in the Book of the prophet Isaiah (50:9) in the following words concerning the impious: “Behold, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.” Since most of the valuables of the ancients consisted of costly garments, we can easily understand why the moth was considered such a harmful insect, and this lends particular weight to the following words of the Lord (Matt. 6:19–20): “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.”