Finding Treasure In God's Word
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Intro:
Recently, with the record lows of the Mississippi river, treasure hunters flocked to the exposed banks of the river that were at all time lows. I followed one on Instagram and some of his finds included: civil war belt buckles, buttons from military uniform and a make up container. These treasures lay at the bottom of that powerful river, but were exposed due to a lack of rainfall.
It didn’t take much effort for these items to be discovered, but other treasure hunters who mine the oceans at great depths spend vast amounts of resources to discover riches of signifiant history and valuable wealth.
During our time today, I want to challenge all of us to make commitments in 2023 to a lifestyle of hunting for treasure in the pages of God’s word. As you know, we are starting a church-wide emphasis on memorizing Scripture together because we want to grow in that discipline as God’s people.
Some of us here today need to take a deeper dive into the study of God’s word in 2023. You may need to move from a quick glance of the word in your morning devotion, to a deeper study of it day by day.
Or maybe you are struggling to set aside time in your daily routine to study the word of God at all. We are all on a journey in our faith and hopefully in your journey, there is continual growth of some kind. We are not all at the same place in our spiritual journeys but we all came from the same place. People on the front of the train arrive at the destination ahead of those at the back but they al left the same train station and they all arrive at the same destination.
My challenge for you this afternoon is consider your spiritual habits as a believer in Jesus Christ and ask yourself: How can I grow as a believer in 2023 in relationship to my study and love for the word of God?
Our study of this passage in Psalm 119 will guide us consider the treasures that await us as we seek the Lord diligently in His word. We can know the Lord more intimately as we seek him through His revealed word to us.
Psalm 119 context:
Psalm 119 is a massive body of work. It is divided according to the Hebrew Alphabet and so every section of this psalm begins with a letter of that alphabet. Most of those sections contain 8 verses each and the entire psalm contains 178 verses , all of which points the readers to the intimacy with the Lord that is found in his word.
Luther writes,
This psalm “contains prayers, consolations, doctrines, thanksgivings, and repeats all these with varied fullness. It is given forth with a deep and blessed intent; namely, that by this repetition and fullness, it may invite and exhort us to hear and diligently to treasure up the word of God.”
As we look then this afternoon at our passage, let me invite you to take up the commitment to be treasure hunters of God’s holy word so that you may benefit from the riches contained within in your spiritual journey.
Let’s begin by looking at:
1. Foundational Truths for Treasure Hunters
1. Foundational Truths for Treasure Hunters
All of these verses in Psalm 119 contain a list of synonymous words that depict the word or law of God. In totality across these 178 verses, there are 8 words used interchangeably and these words are:
Law, Testimony, Statutes, Precepts,
Commands, Word, Way, Decrees
In all of these words, we understand them to mean the whole counsel of God. Although the psalmist, who is not mentioned, does not possess any of the NT, these words today are NOT limited to a study of just the OT or just the NT. All of God’s word is written for our benefit and instruction as God’s people.
This point is very controversial in our culture today.
Some of the more famous, ear-tickling preachers of heresy in the world today want to discredit or devalue parts of the Bible. They day those parts are outdated, no longer relevant or culturally appropriate. One such preacher is Andy Stanley, son of well-known Baptist preacher Charles Stanley.
Stanley leads a popular church in Atlanta, GA called Northpoint and he has said some clear, blasphemous things in the last few years about the Jesus and his word. In 2018, Stanley made a clear statement about how the church needs to “un-hitch from the OT” because it has become one of the largest stumbling blocks to faith in Jesus.
For example, on page 136 of his book Irresistible, he writes regarding the OT,
“The Ten Commandments have no authority over you. None. To be clear: Thou shalt not obey the Ten Commandments”
But the bible actually refutes such a claim made by Stanley. Paul states that
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
Therefore, followers of Jesus must first find value in all of God’s word, from the simple narratives, to the poetry to the letters and the prophecy. Regardless of the genre, the entirety of the Bible is food for the soul of the follower of Jesus.
The psalmist in v 9-11 states
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. 10 With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. 11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.
In verse 10, the psalmist makes the connection that seeking the Lord with all one’s heart is accomplished in and through the word of God. Seeking intimacy with God is not accomplished through quiet meditation, sitting by a brook, clearing the mind of thoughts. In that quietness, if our time is not instructed by the word of the Lord, leading us to prayer according to the word, then whatever experience we are seeking will not happen.
The Lord will speak, not from out of thin air, not through the babbling brook, or the singing bird. He speaks to us by the Holy Spirit as we engage in studying the word of God.
Knowing the Lord rightly is found in knowing him through the word of God which reveals him.
Believers come to faith in Jesus Christ upon reading or hearing the word of God. At this point, the Spirit open our eyes and mind to interpret it rightly and in that by faith we believe. That is the power of the words of God given to us. Therefore, the psalmist rightly describes this love for the Lord and his word as finding treasure.
The psalmist already recognizes the value and worth of God’s word and he knows that wandering from it’s truths in disobedience will be detrimental to him physically and spiritually. This means that the treasure of the word is already apparent to the psalmist because the Lord has shown him its value in his salvation.
Unbelievers will not value the word of God. It doesn’t make sense to them. They cannot understand it clearly and therefore it is rubbish to them. But the value of God’s word as a treasure is a gift to all who believe.
v 11 “Your word I have treasured in my heart”
Some translations in v 11, state “I have hidden your word” which sounds like hiding something impersonal or unimportant . But in biblical times, those most treasured items of value which were discovered or earned, would be hidden for their safety from thieves and robbers. Jesus makes this point in a parable about the hidden treasure that a man finds buried. This jubilant man hides the treasure again and then buys the field, ensuring the treasure belongs to him.
But another translation, like in the NASB, is that the word is treasured in the heart.” It is considered valuable and precious and it is stored up and prized above all things.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches.
The Psalmist states that the word and the road of following God’s word leads to rejoicing over it more than all riches found elsewhere. Calvin rephrases,
“I have taken more exquisite delight in the progress which I make in the doctrine of godliness, than if I abounded in all manner of riches.” -John Calvin
WHY is it a treasure?
1. Because the word is the pathway to knowing our Lord and Savior. It leads us to him. It speaks His precious name. It shows us his compassion and grace. It opens our minds to see his power and loving faithfulness.
v. 12 reads,
12 Blessed are You, O Lord; Teach me Your statutes.
To praise the Lord rightly, we must praise him as He reveals himself to us through His word. He teaches us through the Holy Spirit, we don’t teach ourselves. We must come to the Scriptures, each day with such a prayer on our lips. Sometimes our minds are sleepy and our energies are spent, but we must pray as the psalmist. To ask for the Lord to teach us so that we may worship him rightly is never a vain request and one that will always be granted. God loves to teach his people about himself!
2. It is also a treasure because it leads us to a good life. It guides us in holiness and uprightness so that we might not offend the God to saves his people from their bondage of sin.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.
The young man maintains purity in this journey with the Lord is by allowing the word of God to shepherd his life along the way. The Lord is our shepherd who guides us according to his shepherding word! This is the language of verse 9 and we know how clearly we are a sheep who like to walk off the prepared path.
v 10- “Do not let me stray”
v11- “so that I might not sin against (offend) you”
The follower of Jesus can stray and in our struggle with the flesh, we are tempted with sin. But God shepherds us from straying as we walk according to His word. How can we walk in his word, according to His good governance over us if we don’t study and learn all that God’s word says to us.
So we treasure God’s word because it allows us to know our Lord and it allows us to love him in a worthy manner by rightly guiding us away from offense against him and towards a holiness.
104 From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.
The psalmist hates evil because he knows and loves the Lord. Since the Lord hates evil so the follower of the Lord hates it as well. The more you mine the riches of God’s word, the more it will change you into the reflection of Christ in this world.
Application:
Do you have a love for God’s word? It is the very thing that identifies you as a believer. Do you love the words of your Lord because you first love him?
Are committed to growing this next year in your study and consumption of this treasure in your life? You must consume the word and not just put it in your mouth. Food does not nourish the body if it only resides between your cheeks. You must consume God’s word…make it part of your daily spiritual nourishment.
2. Fruitful Actions for Treasure Hunters
2. Fruitful Actions for Treasure Hunters
v. 13 transitions from foundational truths to prayer commitment to the Lord. The Psalmist gives us some healthy action steps that we can commit to in 2023
Proclamation:
Proclamation:
13 With my lips I have told of All the ordinances of Your mouth.
The commitment that the psalmist makes is to tell of the good deeds and the good commands of the Lord. He is committed to proclaiming the excellencies of Him who brought him out of darkness into marvelous light.
Jesus told the Pharisees in a rebuke against their evil that the,
34 “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35 “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.
Our proclamation is a work of the Spirit in us bringing forth the treasure that is within us so that the Lord is glorified. If the Lord is not our treasure, then we won’t treasure his word. But if he is, then we will treasure his word and we will will ourselves up with that word as we fight the battle of faith day by day. The word that fills us is not stockpiled but to be used only in case of emergency as if we are spiritual preppers. It is like fuel that we constantly utilize and need refilling like fuel for our soul.
Meditation:
Meditation:
15 I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways.
This word has various meanings but in its root, it means to find or seek clarity, understanding. To meditate on the word is to study it deeply and to occupy one’s mind with it. What we learn from God’s word, he intends us to carry it with us throughout our lives.
Practically, that may mean that you are clear in reminding yourself of what you have learned. For me, what I write down in journal helps me visually see what I have learned and thus retain that truth.
You may utilize flashcards to post on your mirror or dashboard of your car. Those truths are applicable to you and you know that you need to remember them throughout the day!
The Jews put this into practice in various ways:
18 “You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 19 “You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.
Now this was intended by the Lord to always teach the law of God to the generations of Israel who did not witness these works themselves. They were to have the words of God always on their mouths, teaching what the Lord had said to younger generations.
But later in Israel’s history, they took these commands literally and they actually fastened the written word to their bodies, called phylacteries. The point the Lord wanted to make is to always have the word of God before you and teach that which you understand to others. If having it printed or written before you is helpful, then do it. But phylacteries is taking literally what God was using principally.
The point of mediation is reflection and understanding as you occupy the mind with things of heaven and not things of the earth. How the psalmist states this is a commitment to a future of meditation. He will not just reflect upon the word but he will continue reflection upon the word. This is his vow to the Lord.
in the late 1600’s, the English Puritan Nathanel Ranew wrote,
“Doubtless, he not only said I will when he was to make his entrance into hard work, but likewise for continuance in it, to keep up his heart rom flagging till he well ended his work. It is not the digging into the golden min, but the digging long, that finds and fetches up the treasure.”
Memorization:
Memorization:
16 I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.
Lastly, the psalmist once again commits to delighting in God’s statues by not forgetting the word. Stated in the positive is to say he will remember the word. Remembering the word is easy work for some but takes greater effort for others. What do you need in your daily life that you have grafted to your memory?
Directions to your child’s school does not require a navigation from Siri because your routine allows you to recall from memory. Routine in the word welcomes remembrance. Years ago, I learned a helpful skill from John Macarthur who encourages a person to read a passage of scripture over and over for the course of the month. For example, 1 John, he says read the entire book of 1 John everyday for 30 days. Sit down, read it in one sitting, reflect and do it again. He states that at teh end of that 30 days you will know 1 John, what it is about, where to find things.
But you can also read, study and memorize which is what we are setting out to do. Earlier this month we looked at what it means to admonish one another. Memorization is the arsenal of GOd’s word stored in your memory banks, ready to be used in counseling others and fighting your own sinful battles. Your weapon is on your side…you don’t have to run to the gun safe in a moment of danger. It is in its sheath, close to you ready to be used quickly.
This is what memorization does for the believer. This is why Desiring God calls them fighter verses because you need them in the fight of faith. Each week we will learn them together, not to boast in ourselves, but boast in the Lord by treasuring the word in our hearts.
What is the greatest dessert you have ever eaten? If you have a pen, write down its name and where you got it and when you first enjoyed it? How did you remember that?
You delighted in it and therefore remembering what not a chore, it was a joy! Is the word of God a delight and treasure for you? It is the most valuable treasure you can possess, unless of course the Lord has not made you a possessor of its wisdom.
A homeless, blind man stumbles into a cave and after feeling around in his blindness, he discovers an odd-shaped, sharp objects lying on the floor of the cave. For this homeless man who is looking for rest, sharp objects on the floor are merely hindrances to the rest he needs that night. He sweeps them aside and tries to sleep.
As he awakes, he gropes his way out of the cave unaware of the innumerable diamonds that were the nuisance and not his treasure.
If the Lord saves you, he opens your eyes to see the treasure before you. Until then, the word of God is kindling for the fire, or rubbish for the trash.But when the Lord Jesus makes you new…through his
sacrifice, the blindness is removed, the treasure is exposed, and the riches are delighted for all eternity.