The Ring of Gyges
A shepherd and his flock, with the following account: According to the tradition, Gyges was a shepherd in the service of the king of Lydia; there was a great storm, and an earthquake made an opening in the earth at the place where he was feeding his flock. Amazed at the sight, he descended into the opening, where, among other marvels, he beheld a hollow brazen horse, having doors, at which he stooping and looking in saw a dead body of stature, as appeared to him, more than human, and having nothing on but a gold ring; this he took from the finger of the dead and reascended. Now the shepherds met together, according to custom, that they might send their monthly report about the flocks to the king; into their assembly he came having the ring on his finger, and as he was sitting among them he chanced to turn the collet of the ring inside his hand, when instantly he became invisible to the rest of the company and they began to speak of him as if he were no longer present. He was astonished at this, and again touching the ring he turned the collet outwards and reappeared; he made several trials of the ring, and always with the same result…when he turned the collet inwards he became invisible, when outwards he reappeared. Whereupon he contrived to be chosen one of the messengers who were sent to the court; where as soon as he arrived, he seduced the queen, and with her help conspired against the king and slew him, and took the kingdom.
When I think about what I would do with this ring of Gyges, I find myself with many creative things, but am lacking anything righteous to do with it. If we can agree that what is sin is immoral, by nature, then we can challenge the ethics of one who either keeps the ring and uses it for ungodly things or discards it in some way. Initially I think of II Timothy, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness”; since this is a temptation for evil things should we flee from it (v. 2.22). But then I am also reminded that we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear (1 Cor. 10.13).
The most practical thing to do with it is to flee the temptation through the counsel of the Holy Spirit and the word of God and not to flee from the article itself, but to seek out God’s purpose in it. So if I were to receive the ring of Gyges, I would have to find out what God wants me to do with it and through the strength of the Spirit avoid the temptation to use it for sin, that comes with it. That being said, I am content in knowing that the ring does not exist and therefore the temptation does not exist. Nevertheless, there is a larger application. We have the same issue of temptation whenever we consider anything which puts us in temptations way. We have to seek God’s purpose in it and flee the temptation.
Image Credits: Sarej , sxc.hu
The Ring of Gyges and Morality
