The Treasure Map

Tuesday 5-26-15 (Coronel Dorrego, Argentina)

Scripture reading:  Prov 1-3    Rom 7

S.  Prov 2:2-7  Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.  Cry out for insight and understanding.  Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure.  Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God.  For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly.  NLT

O.  The book of Proverbs is presented like a chest filled with treasures, each to be lifted out with care, then placed upon dark velvet to examine with bright light and a magnifying glass.  Every diamond will have several facets, every pearl and every gold nugget will serve to bring me more wisdom, knowledge and understanding.  

A.  Now as I dive into the God-inspired book of proverbs I am reminded of my childhood.  We played games of hidden treasure.  We were men who had discovered a secret treasure map.  I remember carefully drawing the maps for the game.  It sometimes included the whole neighborhood, with all the houses in place, the little store on the corner and the trees… especially the trees which were abundant.  Trees were markers.  We would get our first clue map and try to beat the others to the treasure site.  But the treasure we found there was only a map or clue to another site.  We ran and laughed and counted steps and calculated to locate the right tree and look for the secret mark just below the lowest limb.  Then we would take seven large steps due north from that tree and look under that big rock.  No not that rock… the other one!

I am going to enter God’s book of Proverbs like a treasure hunt.  Wisdom and knowledge lie hidden under that rock.  It’s going to be fun.  It’s going to bring laughter.  It may even bring tears.  What am I waiting for… 3, 2, 1… let’s GO!

P.  Father God, Your Word is filled with hidden treasure.  Sometimes we have to lift a heavy rock to discover its secret meaning.  But it is a joyous search.  Your Word becomes a living thing!  It calls to us, admonishes us, warns us, points us to another truth over there in another section.  We can study it for a life-time and never exhaust its supply of jewels.  

What a book!  It is not a treasure to decorate the book shelf.  Lord, I hear that some people sleep with the Bible under the pillow for good luck.  But You gave me a better idea.  You say, “Search it!  Read it!  Devour it!  It will straighten out Your crooked paths.  It will lead you to eternal life!”  Amen. 

Ralph