"The Apostle does not accuse those who have possessions and manage them well, without attachment to them and by distributing them to the poor. He accuses those who thirst for acquisition" (Saint Chrysostom). "To spend one's substance on the poor is not the work of those who desire to be rich" (Blessed Theophylact). "Such people will not distribute to others, fearing that they themselves will lack what is needed to satisfy their desires" (Oecumenius).
"They fall into temptation and a snare," εις πειρασμον και παγιδα. A temptation is such a convergence of circumstances that strongly irritates the impulse toward some sin and, as though against one's will, draws one to it. This is also a snare. But a snare may also mean being caught or woven into sinful affairs, so that whether you wish it or not, you sin, because matters have been arranged and entangled in that way.
One who chases after wealth cannot avoid either of these. At every moment he has occasions to bend his soul for the sake of vile profit and to trample the laws of justice and love suggested by conscience. When he becomes accustomed to such a manner of acting, he becomes entangled in it like in a net and cannot get out.
"Whoever was born of poor parents and greedily pursues wealth, using every method to acquire it and knowing no satiety in this desire, walks amid the nets of sin" (Blessed Theodoret).
The Apostle did not say, "they are subjected to temptation," but, "they fall." That is, temptation always overcomes them. As soon as a tempting occasion presents itself, they fall under the temptation and cannot withstand it.
But here one may understand not only moral temptations and snares, but also external and worldly ones, different troubles and difficulties. There are many of these for one who chases after wealth. At home there are dangers from thieves and fire. On the road there are attacks from robbers. In transactions there are obstacles. In the course of affairs there are unforeseen disorders and the like.
Saint Chrysostom says: "Into what temptations and snares do those who desire to be rich fall? Into such as remove them from faith, bring them onto the path of error, surround them with dangers, and deprive them of peace."
Blessed Theophylact says the same: "They fall into temptation and a snare, because they both sin against faith and the commandments, and are surrounded by dangers because of wealth, and fear everyone." This same thought is also expressed by our Slavonic translation: "they fall into misfortunes." It is not lawful to exclude such a thought. The following words, which serve as an explanation of these words, speak of both internal and external harmful consequences of covetousness. These are temptations and snares.
"And into many foolish and harmful desires." Desires are every kind of wish for self-pleasing, contrary to conscience and to the clear commandments of God. Therefore by their nature they are foolish and harmful. There are no sensible and harmless passions. They are all senseless and ruinous for both soul and body, though in different degrees.
When the Apostle says, "they fall into desires," he means that they submit to them and live according to them. These desires are law for them. "Flowing wealth casts one into shameful desires, because it provides the means for them" (Oecumenius).
The Apostle does not list which desires in particular. But they naturally show themselves in those who do not use wealth as they should: eating, drinking, wallowing in carnal sins, wronging others, vainglory, love of power, always insisting on one's own way, even when it is unjust, and the like.
Saint Chrysostom portrays the foolish and harmful passions of the rich in this way: "How can one not call it a foolish passion when these rich people keep fools and dwarfs for themselves, not from love of mankind, but for pleasure? When they build fishponds in their palaces, keep wild beasts, occupy themselves with dogs, adorn horses, and care for them no less than for children? All this is foolish and excessive, entirely needless and useless. What passions are harmful? When men are inflamed with lawless love, when they seek the property of their neighbors, when they strive for pleasure, when they give themselves to drunkenness, and when they thirst for the murder and destruction of others."
"Which drown men in destruction and perdition." This is the end of satisfying foolish and harmful desires. While the lover of wealth is growing rich, he too lives according to desires, yet he still restrains them so that their overflow will not hinder the influx of wealth. But when he becomes rich, he can no longer master himself and gives himself over to the whole breadth of his desires.
This ends in destruction and perdition. "Destruction," ολεθρος, means every kind of calamity. "Perdition," απωλεια, means ruin, "both here and in the future" (Blessed Theophylact), both temporal and eternal.
"He rightly said, 'drown,' so that it becomes impossible for them to rise to the surface" (Saint Chrysostom). Here there is complete disorder, and there final perdition. "They end life while suffering tempests and shipwrecks" (Blessed Theodoret). They pass over there to no better state, so that "love of gain is not safe here, and in the future is delivered to condemnation" (Ambrosiaster).
THEOSIS