In Paradise Lost, John Milton used his creative pen to personify the devil and his demons, naming one of the diabolic creatures Mammon.
In the book, Mammon is called the “least erected” of the fallen angels. He walks hunched over and with his eyes cast downward as he looks to the ground for lost treasures. Mammon is greedy and always hungry for gold or money.
Milton’s depiction of Mammon reminds us of how prone we are to worship wealth. No wonder Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).