Why is it that some folks discover treasure in the Word of God while others come away empty? The secret is this: Treasure hunters know that good things come to those who search. They apply The Five Laws of Treasure Hunting.
"Law" is multifaceted word. It can be used in a variety of ways:
- As official rules: "Remember the 'rules of the road'?"
- In reference to the legal profession: "Attorneys practice law."
- For law enforcement: "Don't get in trouble with the law!"
- As a branch of knowledge: "My daughter studies law at the University of Florida."
- As principles or processes we follow: "Did you read John Maxwell's book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership?"
I would like you to consider The Five Laws of Treasure Hunting as the principles God reveals in his Word to help us discover and benefit from the treasure in it. We find them in Proverbs 2:1-7.
1 My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
Proverbs 2:1-7 ESV
Law #1 - The Law of Commitment: We commit to what we really want.
"My son, if you receive my words."
"If" is a little word with BIG implications. There is a big difference between thinking about doing something and doing it. I can think and dream and imagine about riding a bicycle, but not until I actually get on the bike and give it a try have I really begun to learn. The difference is in acting on my intentions. John Kitchens writes,
To receive it to recognize that you do not possess something you need. Humility is what is called for here. Someone else knows something I do not know and that I need, therefore, I must humble myself and receive it. This is the most basic posture to begin to embrace reality.
As treasure hunters, we know God's Word has what we need so we humble ourselves and commit to searching for it.
Law #2 - The Law of Affection: We store up what we treasure.
"And treasure up my commandments with you."
Storage Wars is a TV reality show in which individuals bid on abandoned storage units in hopes of discovering valuable treasures left behind. Watch it. You will be amazed at what people "store up."
Why does God urge us to "store up" his Word? Because in it we find his treasures of wisdom, something more valuable than gold. In fact, God says nothing you desire can compare with wisdom (Proverbs 3:15). There is a Talmudic proverb that says, "If you lack wisdom what have you acquired? If you have wisdom, what do you lack?"
We treasure up God's word as we hear it, read it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it.
Law #3 - The Law of Attention: We "tune in" to what's important.
"Making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding."
My first car had an AM radio with a tuning dial. Finding static-free music was a challenge, adjusting the turning dial an art-form. God wants me to know that I must "tune in" to his Word. To do so I must get past all the static in life. Richard Foster says, "In contemporary society, our adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in muchness and manyness he will rest satisfied."
Tuning into God's Word means carving out time, space, and quiet to meet with God. We all set appointments at work or for our children or for a class at school. Why? Because the meeting is important and/or necessary. We must treat our time of meeting God in his Word with an even greater degree of diligence. The psalmist tells us that God has elevated above everything else his name and his Word (Psalm 138:2).
God's Word is important to God. It needs to be important to us. Treasure hunters "tune in."
Law #4 - The Law of Desperation: We plead for what we need.
"Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding."
The Bible personifies wisdom as calling out to us, offering us her riches and treasure (Proverbs 1:20-23). It also urges us to call out (to pray) for her.
What is prayer? One person puts it this way: "Prayer is absolute focused attention and unmixed desire." It is recognizing that God has what we desperately need and pleading with him to give it to us. The psalmist writes, "Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from your law" (Psalm 119:18). The Bible is a supernatural book that takes supernatural help to understand it.
Are we pleading with God for his help and for the wisdom we need?
Law #5 - The Law of Intensity: We pursue what we value.
"If you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures."
Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke says that the metaphor here "implies that a great deal of effort and sacrifice must be expended to get it." In a post entitled, "Today's The Day", I shared the story of the great treasure hunter, Mel Fisher. Mel discovered the treasure-laden ship, Nuestra Senora de Atocha. It was an intense search. It took Mel 16 years. Diving accidents claimed the life of a son, a daughter-in-law, and a crewman. Mel had to work his way through 100 lawsuits. Despite those setbacks, he was relentless. Are we as relentless in searching God's Word?
When we apply God's laws we find God's treasure. Solomon writes,
5then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity
The message is simple: Good things come to those who search. So what are we waiting for? God has treasure for us to discover and enjoy.
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- "To receive it to recognize that you do not possess..." from John A. Kitchen, Proverbs. USA: Mentor. 2006. Page 57. I am indebted to Kitchens for the idea of the "5 Laws of Treasure Hunting." My message from which this post is drawn was built on Kitchen's idea, though expressed differently.
- "In contemporary society ..." from Ricard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth. HarperSanFrancisco; 3rd edition. Page 15.
- The metaphor here "implies that a great deal of effort and sacrifice..." from Bruce Waltke, The Book Of Proverbs: Chapters 1-15 in The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004. Page 222.