Trust in God vs. Alchemy: Powerful Advantages You Need to Know

In this third article in the Shaar HaBitachon series, we will continue exploring the words of Rabbeinu Bachya, who details the ten remarkable advantages of trusting in God over alchemy. While alchemists live under fear and secrecy, those who trust in God live with calm and complete security. In this article, we will uncover the deep differences that show how trust in God can transform our lives and grant us a sense of stability and peace that nothing else can replace.

For the first two advantages of one who trusts in God, click here.

The Third Advantage: Freedom from Fear of People

“And the third: the alchemist does not trust anyone else with his secret because he fears for his life.”

The third advantage is that the alchemist cannot rely on others enough to reveal the secret of his craft, because he fears for his life and the punishment of the king for engaging in counterfeit production.

“But one who trusts in God fears no person because of his trust. On the contrary, he glories in it, as King David, peace be upon him, said: ‘In God I have trusted; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Tehillim 56:12)

By contrast, one who trusts in God is not afraid of any person. Quite the opposite: he takes pride in his trust in God, as King David said, “In God I have trusted; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

The Fourth Advantage: Freedom from Constant Anxiety

“And the fourth: the alchemist cannot escape one of two possibilities. Either he prepares much gold and silver for the time of his need, or he prepares only enough for a short time. If he prepares much, he will live in fear all his days lest it be lost through one of the many possible causes of loss, and his heart will not be calm and his soul will not be at rest because of his fear of the king and the people. And if he prepares only enough for a short time, it may happen that when he greatly needs it, he will be unable to produce more, because one of the necessary conditions or materials may be unavailable.”

The fourth advantage is that the alchemist is trapped between two possibilities. Either he stores a large amount of gold and silver for future use, or he prepares only a small amount to meet his short term needs.

In either case, he lives with worry. If he stores a large amount, he is constantly afraid it may be lost, stolen, or taken from him by the authorities or by others. His heart is never calm, and his soul has no rest. If he keeps only a small amount, he fears that when the time of real need arrives, he may not be able to produce more because the necessary materials or conditions will be lacking.

God Provides in Every Place and Every Situation

“But one who trusts in God has firm trust in his God, that He will provide him with sustenance as He wills, when He wills, and where He wills, just as He provides for the fetus in its mother’s womb, for the chick inside the egg, though there is no opening through which anything from outside can enter, for the bird in the air, for the fish in the water, and for the ant and the worm despite their weakness. Yet food is withheld from the lion despite its strength on some days. As it is written: ‘Young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing’ (Tehillim 34:11). And it says: ‘The Lord will not let the soul of the righteous go hungry’ (Mishlei 10:3). And it says: ‘I was young, and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging bread’” (Tehillim 37:25).

By contrast, the one who trusts in God has strong confidence that God will provide his sustenance according to His will, at the right time and from the right place. Just as God nourishes the fetus in its mother’s womb and the chick inside the egg, even though there is no visible opening through which food can enter, so too He sustains the bird in the air, the fish in the sea, the ant, and the worm despite their weakness. On the other hand, even the lion, despite all its strength, does not always find food.

The Fifth Advantage: Protection and Favor

“And the fifth: the alchemist lives under fear and dread over his work, from the king down to the smallest of the people. But one who trusts in God is pleasing to kings and to the noble among men; even the beasts and the stones seek his favor. As it is said in the psalm ‘He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High’... until its conclusion. And it says: ‘In six troubles He will save you, and in seven no evil shall touch you. In famine He will redeem you from death...’” (Iyov)

The fifth advantage is that the alchemist lives in fear that his craft will become known to the authorities, and so he is afraid of people at every level, from the powerful to the ordinary.

But the one who trusts in God is different. Even kings and the most respected people favor him, and even animals and inanimate things do not harm him and, in a sense, serve his good. This is explained in Psalm 91 and in the book of Iyov: “In six troubles He will save you, and in seven no evil shall touch you. In famine He will redeem you from death.”

The meaning of these verses is that God saves such a person from the six troubles mentioned there, and even from the seventh. These troubles include famine, war, conflict and evil speech, robbers, hunger caused by rising prices, dangerous animals, and stumbling blocks along the way.