Buried Treasure

 

“If you look for it [wisdom] as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

—Proverbs 2:4-5

Don’t we all remember stories from childhood of buried treasure? Reading such accounts, we wished we could be surprised to find some rare and expensive fortune. Yet, God clearly entices us to search His word for jewels He has waiting for us.

To find most buried treasure takes work to search diligently for and to dig up. Similarly, it takes work to diligently comb the depths of the Scriptures and “dig up” the marvelous truths stored there.

Puritan writer, George Swinnock puts it this way:

Precious things cannot be had without the greatest difficulty. They that desire great reward must run through many dangers. Nature herself will not bestow her precious treasure without much labor. Dirt lies common in the streets, but gold is buried deep in the earth. Stones may be found everywhere, but pearls are hidden in the bottom of the sea. ¹

As with buried treasure, to find the deep truths in Scripture, we need the element of discovery. We read a story in 2 Kings 22 in which a young King Josiah instructs his men to supervise the renovation of the temple in Jerusalem. As they worked, recorded in verse 8, we read:

Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.”

What follows tells the story of revival and renewal of the covenant among the Lord’s people. The discovery of God’s written Word literally changed their society.

Not only should we seek the hidden truths of Scripture, but we should also meditate, rejoice, and follow what we learn there. In the longest chapter of the Bible, Psalm 119—which line-upon-line expounds the glories of God’s Word—in verse 11, we read:

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.

Beyond just discovery, there exists the obligation to obey. We discover the treasure, not to merely enrich ourselves, but in order to purposefully live out the precepts given there to the glory of God.

As an exercise of “digging for buried treasure” in God’s written Word, take one loaded verse you find and meditate on each word, seeking definitions and exploring the ramifications. Look for examples in Scripture that make that verse come to life. Pray the words of the verse. Memorize it!

As you spend time like this, uncovering deep truths, you will exclaim as Hilkiah the high priest did, “I have found it!” Have fun digging.

______________________

1 From “Works” by George Swinnock, as quoted in Rushing, Richard, editor. Voices from the Past. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009. p. 308.