Articles
Buried Treasure
If we have ever heard of someone discovering some buried treasure, I would guess that our imagination begins to run wild with mental pictures of what has been unearthed. We may try to imagine what the treasure looks like, but also wonder how it came to be buried and how it went undiscovered for so long.
But how would you like to find some buried treasure? I suppose many of us wouldn’t mind unexpectedly coming across some great treasure; we would all probably be excited when we found it, eager to find out its true value and, after we have secured it, ready to tell most of our friends, family, and anyone else about what we have found.
What if I told you that there is possibly some buried treasure — a treasure you already know of — within reach? What if I told you that you might be the one who buried it? Have I got your attention? As you might guess by the usual subject of these articles, that treasure is God’s word.
The value of the word is found in the message it brings to us: forgiveness of sins and eternal life! I challenge anyone to name something more valuable than this! Unfortunately, many do not realize the value, but we should. Paul was thankful for the Thessalonians realizing what it was that was delivered to them, writing, “when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thess. 2:13). The psalmist long ago wrote of the value of God’s word, saying, “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure” (Psa. 119:162), and, “The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold” (Psa. 19:9, 10). Do we see the word of God this way?
This is something its value we should readily recognize and, like those who discover material treasures, be a cause for rejoicing when it is found. For one who is not looking for treasure, or simply doesn’t realize the value of a treasure, its discovery will not cause much of a reaction; but the one who realizes the value of what is found will rejoice. As Jesus spoke in the parable of the treasure hidden in a field, this man, when he found it, “for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matt. 13:44), The psalmist again gives us a picture of the realized value of God’s word, writing, “I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches” (Psa. 119:14). Consider the occasion of Paul preaching the word of God in Antioch and how “the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath” and, “when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord” (Acts 13:32,47-48). Consider also the reaction of the Ethiopian eunuch who, after hearing the word and being baptized, “went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39). These individuals recognized the value of God’s word. Do we?
But why would anyone — ourselves included — bury this treasure purposefully? God’s word is sometimes ‘buried’ because many — even some Christians — do not see the value of Gods wisdom. Job asked, “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living” (Job 28:12, 13). And the wise writer reminds us where true wisdom will be found: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). Apparently, few see this truth and the treasure of God’s word remains hidden.
Sometimes, though, we ‘bury’ God’s word because we forget our responsibility to take it to others — the lost. What we must remember is that we all are in some way, “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” and “it is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:1, 2). As servants of the Lord, we must be able to teach (cf. 2 Tim. 2:24), so it is my responsibility and yours to take God’s word to the lost — not to bury it! Hiding such treasure does no one any good.
It could be, though, that we are just afraid of what others might say or think or do. Many who find material treasures genuinely fear others stealing their treasure and causing them physical harm, but this is a treasure we should willingly share! And sharing it may indeed cause others to react negatively, but we should think, as did the psalmist, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid” (Psa. 56:11). There should be no fear in taking God’s word out there to others; we might find that someone has been waiting to find it and hear it!
So, how is it that we sometimes ‘bury’ this treasure of God’s word? We need to be aware of these ways lest we be found guilty of withholding this great treasure from those who need it most.
Silence. It may be that we simply remain silent when we have an opportunity to share this ‘treasure,’ when we should be more like the psalmist, who said, “I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation” (Psa. 40:10). Sometimes, we don’t do that; sometimes, we do hide God’s word in our hearts without speaking of it to others — those who need to hear it!
But can we help but speak of Him? We should be more like the psalmist, and more like Peter and John who, when told to not preach anymore of Jesus, replied, “we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19, 20). Do we not also know enough about God and His word to not refrain from speaking it to others?
Emphasizing Material Things. It could be that we have ‘buried’ the treasure of God’s word by merely spending so much time speaking of the material things, to the point spiritual matters are no longer visible in our lives and in our words. The psalmist once made a plea to the Lord, “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things” (Psa. 119:37); the plea is admirable, and one we would do well to consider. When we are most interested in the worthless things of this world — and that is what the world sees and hears in us — then it is likely that we are hiding something far more valuable from the sight of others because they will not see it in our lives.
When we are focused on the worldly things, the world will see this in our lives and speech and they will not see that spiritual matters are of utmost importance. Paul reminds us, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:1, 2). If our focus is on the heavenly things, we will not even have to be reminded to speak of those things to others!
Hiding Our Light. Jesus admonished us, “You are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14-16). Do we consider that when we are doing no good works, others will not see anything that would cause them to glorify God and, thus, they will are guilty of hiding our lights? Let us not bury our lights because we may be the only light they ever see.
If the world does not see God’s word through the way we live, then we are essentially ‘burying’ it with materialism and worldliness. Let us make sure our lives reveal the treasure of God’s word in how we live. Share the treasure! — Steven Harper
