Treasures Worth Hiding

Treasures Worth Hiding

            I suppose a definition of treasure should start our discussion.  Treasure – “Wealth (such as money, jewels, or precious metals) stored up or horded . . . something of great worth or value . . . a person esteemed as rare or precious . . . a collection of precious things” (Webster’s Dictionary).  I would add that a treasure is that which is valuable to the person, but it may not be a treasure to someone else.  

When a man discovers his treasure he is filled with joy.  It is not often that treasures are found, but when they are there is much celebration and an immediate concern over protection.  I think of the old days where men sought for gold and when they found it they certainly rejoiced.  As soon as the found it they staked their claim, defended their mine, and were even willing to kill to keep others from stealing what they had discovered.  

            There are all types of treasure across the world.  What is a treasure to one may be junk to another, but whatever the treasure is, when a man finds it, he is certainly happy.  Whether it is rubies, gold, dollars, spouse, vehicle, house, popularity, IPhone, computer, or etc., men love to obtain their treasure. Funny thing about what people treasure. The majority of what men treasure is temporal, deteriorating, unsatisfying, and worst of all it is worthless on judgment day.  Jesus said of men’s treasure, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul” (Matthew 16:26 ESV)?  The wisest of men said, “And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil” (Ecclesiastes 2:10 ESV).  Solomon’s conclusion was that it was all vanity. 

            There is a treasure worth hiding and there is a great reason to hide it in the right spot.  The Psalmist tells us of a great treasure worth hiding.  “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalms 119:11 ESV).  The word translated ‘stored up’ in the Septuagint is the word ‘to hide’.  In the Hebrew text the word is ‘to hide or to treasure’.  The Psalmist is saying that he has stored, hidden, or treasured God’s Word in his heart. This word is used the following ways in other text.  “I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasuredthe words of his mouth more than my portion of food” (Job 23:12 ESV).  “The wise lay upknowledge” (Proverbs 10:14 ESV).  “My son, if you receive my words and treasureup my commandments with you,” (Proverbs 2:1 ESV).  “My son, keep my words and treasure upmy commandments with you;” (Proverbs 7:1 ESV).  

            The Word of God is to be found and treasured in the heart.  If a man believes God’s Word to be a treasure he will meditate and memorize that which has brought him great joy.  No man is willing to leave his treasure lying around for someone else to steal.  No gold miner leaves his gold lying around in the open.  No lotto winner leaves a million dollars on the dash of his car. Treasures are hidden, kept, and defended.  Men go to great pains to guard their treasure.  They put things in banks, pay money for security systems, buy guard dogs and guns, and they seek out clever places to hide things.  The Psalmist found the best hiding place ever, his heart. You could steal the Psalmist scroll and lock him in prison, but you could not take his treasure.  

            Let’s ask some probing question before dealing with the last line of this verse.  If your Bible, phone, and computer was taken away from you and you were thrown in jail, how much Bible would you have?  Sitting there in your cell, how much treasure would you have?  Could you quote to yourself more than John 3:16?  If you had a cellmate could you communicate your treasure to his lost soul?  Could you say to him, “The Bible says” and actually quote what it says?  Let’s press a little further.  What can you tell someone about hunting, fishing, internet, Facebook, sports, automotive, or lines from movies, from memory?  It is a bit strange how much the mind can remember about the things we treasure.  It is a bit strange how well the mind works upon subjects that make us happy.  The mind is capable of great masses of memory over what the heart finds great pleasure in. The Psalmist found that his heart was most satisfied when it contained the most Scripture.  Have you ever memorized a verse, a passage, a chapter, or a book of the Bible?  People ask me how I can ride a bicycle 100 miles without stopping and I tell them that I started by riding one mile.  How can a man memorize a book of the Bible?  He does it one verse at a time!

            A host of Biblical reasons can be given for memorizing Scripture, but here the Psalmist gives us one very good one.  Scripture should be stored, hidden, or treasured in the heart so that you may not sin against God.  Sin is black, ugly, abominable, shameful, wicked, and anyone who loves what is good, hates what is evil.  Sin is at the foundation of why the Son of God was slaughtered on Calvary.  Sin is the very thing that separates men from God. Sin is the very thing that brought the curse and leads men to eternal hell.  Sin is offensive to God, hated by God, punished by God, and sin brings about the unmitigated wrath of God.  The Psalmist knew this about sin and that is why he was concerned about sin.  He wanted a way to prevent himself from sin. One of the ways that he discovered to prevent sin in his own life was to store, hide, or treasure God’s Word in His heart.  The Psalmist attributes Scripture memory to the prevention of sin.  

            If the root of your sin is pride, unbelief, or selfishness you could begin by asking God what He has to say about these sins.  You could memorize verses that say something like the following. “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proudbut gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5 ESV).  “So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief” (Hebrews 3:19 ESV).  “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old selfwith its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:9–10 ESV).  Store verses like these in your heart and remind yourself that these are the types of things God has to say about these sins.  It becomes more difficult to be prideful when your heart keeps telling you that God opposes the proud.  

            The above examples were illustrations that deal with sinful areas, but I would also encourage you to memorize verses that bring comfort, encouragement, resolve, and most assuredly verses that clarify the gospel. Scripture memory ought to be a large part of your Christian life.  Scripture memory takes work, time, and discipline.  You will have to turn off the TV, phone, computer, and intentionally devote your time to meditation upon the Word of God.  I can give a long list of reasons that you ought to devote yourself to Scripture memory, but I will stay with the Psalmist and say in summary form, “If the Word is your treasure you will hide it your heart and you will do so because you do not want to sin against such a great and holy God.”