Student Question
What is the 'treasure among all jewels' in 'The Pulley', and why did God refuse to bestow it on man?
Quick answer:
In "The Pulley," God withholds the "treasure among all jewels," the gift of rest, from humanity. God believes that if humans had rest, they would become self-sufficient and worship nature instead of God. By withholding rest, God ensures that humans, weary from their labors, will turn to Him for solace and support, maintaining their dependence on and relationship with the divine.
In "The Pulley," God bestows on man many treasures or blessings, such as wisdom, strength, honor, and pleasure. However, among his treasures, God withholds the gift of rest. Humankind, God decides, will work and will grow weary.
God withholds the gift of rest, which he calls a jewel, because he believes that otherwise humans will forget about him and end up thinking that they achieve all they do from "nature." He says they would end up believing in "nature" as all good, rather than in the God who created nature. As God reasons:
He [humankind] would adore my gifts instead of me,
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature
If humans grow weary, however, they will have to turn to God for rest. This will keep humans in close relationship with God, because it will remind them of their weakness and their dependence on a divine source. God says:
If goodness lead him not [to me], yet weariness
May toss him to my breast.
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