And Zacchaeus was not just a tax collector… he was the chief tax collector. He ran the whole operation in Jericho, one of the wealthiest cities in the region, sitting on major trade routes where goods moved constantly, and every cart, every merchant, every transaction was an opportunity to take a cut.
His neighbors knew exactly how he had gotten rich. He had gotten rich by bleeding them.
“The mold of the world is shaped by the schemes of the devil in order to deceive our minds away from the truths of God’s promises.” No matter what form Satan’s schemes playout, the end product is the same – our destruction.
Satan hated this detestable godly man but since Satan is no match against God’s power, he tries to destroy what God loves.
Satan challenged God saying that Job only feared Him because Job had been blessed by Him, but if he lost everything, “He will surely curse you to Your face!” (Job 1:11) God allowed Satan to take all of Job’s prosperity, his sons and daughters, his livestock and his servants, but God drew a boundary around Job that Satan could not kill him.