Exodus 19:5 “Now therefore, if ye
will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure
unto me above all people: for all the earth is
mine:”
GOD’S TREASURE
Webster’s Dictionary defines “treasure” as
accumulated wealth such as money or jewels or any person or thing considered
valuable.
As a verb it means to
value greatly.
Since the beginning of
time, man has placed high value on gold, silver, and other precious metals and
gems. These items were used to trade and barter for the goods or services of
another. They were and still are a sign
of prestige and wealth.
Some desired wealth and
riches so much that they would raid, plunder, steal or kill to obtain
possession of these items.
Achan was such a man. (Joshua
6-7)
Joshua led the children
of Israel in battle against the city of Jericho. The city was huge with massive walls surrounding
it. It seemed unsurpassable but God has
a way of making a way where there seems to be no way.
God instructed Joshua
to have the Israelites march around the city only once on the first day. He gave strict instructions to not make a
sound.
The people of Jericho
may have been standing on the wall watching and taunting the crazy Israelites
as they marched around their city. But
God instructed them not to say a word – because the battle was God’s, NOT
theirs. Sometimes our words can do more
damage than good so they were to hold their peace.
They did this for 6
days. Finally, on the 7th
day, they marched 7 times around the city.
At the end of the 7th time around, they began to blow trumpets
and shout.
Seemed like a crazy
thing to do but because of their obedience, the walls of Jericho fell down and
the Israelites were able to enter the city and overtake it.
They were to kill
everyone inside (except Rahab and her family who were with her in her home…only
because she had protected the Israelite spies who entered the city. Joshua 6:17, 25).
Everyone else was to be
killed and everything within the city was to be burned. It was a cursed city and everything in it was
cursed. (Joshua 6:18)
The only thing to be
brought out was the silver, the gold, and the vessels of brass and of
iron. Those items were to be added to
the treasury of God’s House and not to be kept by any person. (Joshua 6:19, 24)
Everyone obeyed but a
man named Achan. He saw how nice some of
the things were that were being destroyed.
Greed entered into his heart and so he took a few things for himself and
hid them in his tent.
He thought no one knew
but God knew!
He treasured the things of this world above
obedience to God and it led to not only his death but the death of his entire
family. (Joshua 7:24)
Kings – for the love of
treasure, would rise up against other kings and invade their kingdoms for the gold,
silver, and jewels that were in their treasury.
Pirates – would attack
unsuspecting vessels and plunder them for the riches aboard.
Claim-jumpers – would
murder their neighbor to obtain their gold during the gold-rush in California
The lust for treasure
drove men to commit heinous crimes….all for a treasure that is temporal and which
brings more heartache than happiness.
But what makes these metals and gems hold such
value?
Have you ever stopped to
realize where gems come from and what they’ve gone through to
become what they are? They come from
dark places…under the ground and deep down within caves.
Gems are formed in the earth through pressure
and time. Some gems take years to form –
while others take only a short period of time depending on just the right
combination of temperature, pressure, and saturation. Some form so rapidly that you can actually
see the crystals forming. Sometimes the
pressure forming these gems is so slight it appears to be almost non-existent
yet it is there.
Some
gems are formed from a rock that you might ordinarily kick out of your path as
you walk across a field – at first glance you might consider it worthless. But
if you open it up, you will discover a marvelously beautiful pattern of color
and design. Once cut, sanded, and
polished it becomes a precious gem of beauty and worth.
Gold
comes out of the ground alloyed to other metals and containing trace
impurities. It has to go through a
refining process to remove these things.
Silver is recovered as a by-product of smelting various metals. Smelting is the process of melting the metals
in order to extract the pure metal.
Each
of these gems are precious metals and rare.
They are not easy to find or obtain.
But once they are, they have to go through an extensive refining
process. This is why there is great
value placed on them.
Yet
the Bible states in…
Mat 6:19-21
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon
earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt,
and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay
up for yourselves treasures in heaven,…
21 For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Man’s
treasure has always been on earthly things.
Because of it, their heart has become lustful, greedy, and murderous. But these things will someday pass away. And when we die, we cannot take these things
with us.
I Corinthians 4:7 reads:
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels….”
The only treasure we
can keep is the Holy Ghost….it is through the Holy Ghost that we store up
treasures in heaven. Our heart needs to
be on the things of God and not of this world.
We view the Holy Ghost as our treasure (and it
is!) but God views us as His. When we’re
baptized in Jesus’ name and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost speaking in
other tongues, we become a part of God’s treasure.
God’s
treasure chest is filled with various gems and metals that He’s lovingly extracted
from the muck and mire of this world. He
carefully cuts away the outer crust of sin that has formed like a rock over our
hearts.
The most important part after the cutting is the
sanding process. This is where you make sure you get every scratch out. The better you sand, the better polish you’ll
get.
When a stone is being sanded, it is important to
have water dripping on it continuously while sanding. In the same way, as we go through the sanding
process in our spiritual walk with God, it is imperative that we constantly
water and saturate our souls with the Word of God and prayer.
The last process is the Polishing: it takes the shortest amount of time even for
very hard minerals. Polishing is briskly
done but with a soft cloth so as to make the gem or metal shine and reflect the
light. We are to reflect the Light of
Jesus Christ.
Some people will turn out to be diamonds….
Diamonds:
·
reflect
light
·
hardest
mineral known
· Mostly
used as industrial tools for cutting and grinding – help in the process of
making other gems.
·
Rare
and only found in a few places.
Some will become sapphires while others become
rubies, gold, or some other gem of great worth.
Some will develop rapidly into the gem God designed them to be while
others will transform over a process of time.
Each is different yet each is precious to God and valued for its intended
purpose. We should never look at others
and say: “I’m not as valuable as Sis
Diamond or worth as much as Bro Gold.”
God placed each of where we are for a purpose that only we can
fulfill. Each of us is worth a great
price to God – our worth to Him is so great that He was willing to suffer great
agony and die a cruel death on the cross to purchase us. No price was too high so He paid for us with
His blood.
When you look at your brothers and sisters, look at them for what they
are: a gem in God’s treasure chest. And never ever look at yourself as anything
less that what you are: a treasure of great price!
When you go through dark times and feel like
everything is caving in on you…like you are being buried alive…just remember
God is forming you into a beautiful gem.
Do you know how diamonds are formed? They are formed through intense heat and
pressure? They are then brought to the
surface by deep source volcanic eruptions (i.e. more fire, more heat, more
pressure).
When
you’re under pressure, Hold On! It may
be that God is trying to make a diamond out of you.
And always remind yourself: “I AM
God’s treasure!”
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