Some years ago, while hiking in the desert near the White Tank Mountains of West of Phoenix, I came upon a small metal toolbox that had been carefully placed beneath a sagebush. My immediate reaction was to move the box from its hiding place and open it to reveal its content. Curiosity had gotten the best of me.
While using a rib from a fallen Saguaro cactus to retrieve the box, my mind raced wildly with the thought of hidden treasure. Would it be cash? Would it be gold jewelry or some other items of great value? To my disappointment, however, the box contained two small, rusty acetylene torches. Hardly what one might consider treasure! Why someone would hide such items in the desert is beyond me.
For centuries, men have been looking for buried treasure, whether it be on the bottom of the ocean floor or a lost gold mine. In their efforts, men have literally exhausted their resources, and in some cases their lives, in quest for such earthly treasure.
I once purchased a facsimile of a treasure map to use for a children’s sermon. Just like the map that one might hope would lead him /her to the buried treasure, “X” marked the spot! Though the map looked real and exciting through the eyes of a child, you and I know that it is a piece of worthless junk that will never lead us in the discovery of real treasure. The Bible, on the other hand, is a map that will lead us to discover real and lasting treasure because it enriches our soul.
The apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy declared, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instructions in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (t2Timothy 3:16- 17).
The word ‘profitable’ means ‘valuable, rewarding the helpful’. Sadly, many secularists do not see the value of the Word of God because they have not been helped by it, or at the least, they have not sought help from it. They view the Bible as a book of fables or stories that have been spun by men with overactive imaginations. Nothing could be further from the truth!
I believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God. When read with the desire to receive the truth of its teachings, the Bible will guide us in the discovery of comfort, peace, joy, and most of all, life. Jesus taught a parable concerning treasure that was buried in a field. The man who had leased the field, sold all that he had so that he might purchase it. Though Jesus was speaking concerning how He had discovered in the human soul a treasure worth having, He he discovered in the human heart a treasure worth giving his all to purchase and redeem. The application may also be made that his word is a treasure worth sacrificing for His all to obtain.
May each of us discover, as we walk through the pages of God’s word, treasure that will satisfy the greatest longing of our heart.
Jerry L. Dunn is pastor of Oak Street Baptist Church, 605 E. Oak St., Kingman
