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How Does Biṭṭāḥôn Connect X & The Stock Market?

How Does Biṭṭāḥôn Connect X & The Stock Market?

Last updated on: March 12, 2025 at 7:36 pm by Martin Thomas Johnson

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How Does Biṭṭāḥôn Connect X & The Stock Market? 2025-03-12T19:36:37-04:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

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Earlier this week, the world was rocked by a major disruption and cyber attack on Elon Musk’s social media platform X. As a writer, I use the platform to network, market, and grow my platform. Other than those purposes, I have no use for X.

Image by Pixabay

The rise of social media platforms over the past two decades has been both controversial and beneficial. Unfortunately, too many people use social media for the wrong reasons:

News source
Attacking others
Spreading lies

The irony of living in the age of social media and technology is it often disconnects us from others and hinders truth. We are in a time of disinformation or misinformation, depending on how you view it.

One of my favorite writers, Andrew Murray, wrote a century ago, “Nothing so effectively hinders hearing God’s voice as opening the heart too much to other voices. A heart too deeply interested in the news, the literature, and the society of the world cannot hear the divine voice. It needs stillness, retirement, and concentration to give God the heed He claims.”

We shouldn’t be surprised, humanity has placed their trust into themselves and their technical ingenuity before and it didn’t end that well (Genesis: 1-9.) It was Satan himself who originated the disinformation and twisting of truth in the garden (Genesis 3:4-5.)

God’s people are called to obey and put their trust in God alone, not themselves or the ways of the world (Proverbs 3:4-5.)

What Is Trust

Trust is a tricky subject since we each have different values and goals. We each pursue what we value the most. Trust is defined as, “Reliance on the character, ability, strength or truth of someone or something; hope.”

Image by Pixabay

Where we put our trust can make or break us. When I was younger I put my trust into temporary happiness and earthly greatness and walked away from God for six years. I understand how misplaced trust can give us a false sense of happiness and ultimately lead us astray (Isaiah 53:6.)

It is foolish to put our trust into temporary things in monetary happiness (Ecclesiastes 2:11-12.) Trust is an outward expression of what we believe in our minds and hearts. If we are helpful what we believe will cause us to misplace our trust in the wrong things.

Fortunately, the Bible has a lot of wisdom about trust. Overwhelmingly God’s people are called to trust God, not ourselves or the ways of this world (Proverbs 3:4-5, Hebrews 11:6, James 1:6. 1 John 5:14.)

In a fallen world, God’s people need to trust God more than ourselves or the ways of this corrupt planet (Romans 8:28; 12:19; 15:13, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Galatians 6:9, Philippians 4:19, 1 Peter 5 7.) The apostles remembered their Jewish education about who God’s people should trust.

Biṭṭāḥôn

The ancient world was full of darkness, sin, and oppression. People often placed their trust in earthly kings who ruled by earthly might. God called His people out of the darkness to be different and commanded them to put their trust in Himself and His ways (Deuteronomy 7:6-14, 1 Samuel 17:26.)

The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for trusting God is biṭṭāḥôn and it can also mean, *“*Confidence or hope,” depending on the context it is used in. God’s people were commanded to trust God alone, not the ways of the world or themselves (Exodus 20:1-26, Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 9:10; 46:1; 47: 3; 91:1-2; 118:8; 139:1-24, Proverbs 3:4-5; 29:25, Isaiah 26: 3, Malachi 12:2.)

I learned and experienced this myself after my accident when I trusted in myself and once again listened to the feel-good voice of Satan and nearly broke my covenant with God, until God convicted and reminded me of who I needed to trust and how the idols of this world led us astray.

Israel was just as fickle with their trust in God and often turned to worldly idols that made them happy. The prophets wept over and warned Israel and their idolatry whenever they pursued the idols of the ancient world:

The golden calf
Ball
Asherah
Ashtoreth
Dagon
Moloch

Jesus often rebuked the Pharisees and his followers for focusing on earthly greatness and temporary things (Matthew 20:25-28; 23:1-12.) Jesus spent His three years of earthly ministry reteaching God’s people to focus on God’s will and His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33; 15:8-15.)

Image by Pixabay

Jesus shared with them a parable to explain how God’s people had stopped doing what is right, even by the world’s standards (Matthew 10:25-37,) if we truly believe in God, we will do what He says (John 14:12.)

Jesus taught His followers not to focus on earthly treasures and to trust God for their needs (Matthew 16: number 24-26)

The Stock Market

Another big news headline this week has been the selloff and downward spiral of the Dow Jones and the tech-heavy NASDAQ. So far this week the market has lost over $4 trillion. I’ll admit money and finances are not my expertise.

Image by Pixabay

However, I am not surprised one bit about what is happening with the stock market or America, the wisest and richest man ever to live warned us about chasing money and temporary happiness (Proverbs 23:4-5, Ecclesiastes 5:10-15.)

And just to clarify, I am not referring to Pres. Trump or Elon Musk, I am referring to The Other Son of David King Solomon whom the Bible declares no one will surpass and riches or wisdom (1 Kings 3:13-14, 2 Chronicles 9:22.)

However, I am surprised about how easily so many of God’s people have turned from trusting God to focusing on temporary happiness and greatness that will not last just like I did when I was younger (Matthew 24:12, 2 Timothy 3:2, Jude 1:16-19.)

That is why I trust God and His Word more than I do two power-hungry billionaires. Jesus taught His followers to pursue His father’s will and care for what God cares for (Matthew 6:10; 22:39; 25:40, Luke 10:25:37:)

The least of these
Foreigners in the land
Loving our neighbors

For the past few weeks, I have felt like the prophet Jeremiah weeping over God’s people’s idolatry. I no longer recognize the church or God’s people because they are consumed with earthly greatness and an earthly kingdom.

I’m a Christian and I don’t even want to be around other Christians at this point. I trust God, but I am struggling to trust God’s people anymore.

The great Charles Spurgeon wrote, “It is vain to look for deliverance anywhere else; but with God, I shall find it.” If we are the people of God, only our Father in heaven is worthy of our biṭṭāḥôn!

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