Hidden treasure

A British treasure hunter discovered a huge stash of Roman coins buried in a field in southwest England. Using a metal detector, Dave Crisp located a large pot holding 52,000 coins. These ancient silver and bronze coins dated from the third century AD and weighed more than 350 pounds. Were they valuable? What do you think? They were valued at $5 million.

That would be quit a discovery, maybe even something you would dream about. Yet as Christians should we be interested in a different treasure? The things we seek after should not be silver or gold, rather we should be seeking the precious gems that come from a knowledge of Jesus Christ. 

In Matthew 13:44, Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is like a buried treasure in a field. When someone finds it, he covers it up goes home and happily sells everything he owns so that he could purchase the field. 

What does this mean? The field that contains the treasure represent the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God, and the gospel is the treasure. 

In Bible times it was not unusual for people to bury their treasures in the ground, because robberies were common. Also, the country was in constant danger of armies invading and taking whatever, they wanted. So, it was common to bury their wealth in the earth for a safe hiding place. Often the place of burial was forgotten, or the owner died, or maybe he was taken to prison, and the wealth that was difficult to acquire was preserved not for them but for the fortunate person who would discover it later. 

When we find the treasure we find Jesus, and as we get to know Jesus more, we will appreciate the treasure more. If we truly want to get know Jesus, we must be immersed in His Word and led by the Holy Spirit. In Psalm 119:162 it says, “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.” Are you eager to discover Jesus in God’s Word? Jesus can be found on every page if we look for Him. When we discover this the Bible will become exciting for us, and we will dig into the truths of Scripture to find more of Jesus and His character. 

“The word of God is to be our study. We are to educate our children in the truths found therein. It is an inexhaustible treasure; but men fail to find this treasure because they do not search until it is within their possession. Very many are content with a supposition in regard to the truth. They are content with a surface work, taking for granted that they have all that is essential. They take the sayings of others for truth, being too indolent to put themselves to diligent, earnest labor, represented in the word as digging for hidden treasure. But man’s inventions are not only unreliable, they are dangerous; for they place man where God should be. They place the sayings of men where a “Thus saith the Lord” should be.

Christ is the truth. His words are truth, and they have a deeper significance than appears on the surface. All the sayings of Christ have a value beyond their unpretending appearance. Minds that are quickened by the Holy Spirit will discern the value of these sayings. They will discern the precious gems of truth, though these may be buried treasures. 

Our salvation depends on a knowledge of the truth contained in the Scriptures. It is God’s will that we should possess this. Search, O search the precious Bible with hungry hearts. Explore God’s word as the miner explores the earth to find veins of gold. Never give up the search until you have ascertained your relation to God and His will in regard to you.

The Scriptures are not to be adapted to meet the prejudice and jealousy of men. They can be understood only by those who are humbly seeking for a knowledge of the truth that they may obey it.

Do you ask, What shall I do to be saved? You must lay your preconceived opinions, your hereditary and cultivated ideas, at the door of investigation. If you search the Scriptures to vindicate your own opinions, you will never reach the truth. Search in order to learn what the Lord says. If conviction comes as you search, if you see that your cherished opinions are not in harmony with the truth, do not misinterpret the truth in order to suit your own belief, but accept the light given. Open mind and heart that you may behold wondrous things out of God’s word. COL 109-112

Proverbs 2:3–5 (NLT) Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. ⁴Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. ⁵Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.