What do you value most in life? The question is not what you should value most. The question is what do you value most in life?
The answer to that question is not found in what we say we value. The answer is found in how we invest our lives—how we invest the precious minutes, hours, and days of our lives. Every day we make multiple decisions about what we will do with our time, energy, and money. Will I read my Bible, or will I listen to one more news broadcast? Will I visit that friend in the hospital, or will I watch one more TV program? Will I give God a tithe of my salary, or will I use that money for something I want? Decisions ultimately determine destiny. And those decisions are always driven by our value system—the value we place on various opportunities before us.
Are you valuing the valuable? Or are you selling out cheap? On the Jewish calendar we are in the Ten Days of Awe that end Thursday September 16th at sunset. It is a time of reflection as we move into a new year. It is a good time to ponder questions like this?
The most valuable thing you have is time. Each one of us only have so much time to live out our life. In various ways the Bible exhorts us to think about that fact and invest every moment wisely. How will you invest next week? Do you have a plan? How will you invest the next five years of your life? Will you give yourself to the accumulating of things? Will you give yourself to pleasure and comfort? Will you work hard to insure a secure future? Will you make time to serve others? Will you make time to pray? Will you invest in your family relationships? These issues challenge every one of us. There are no exceptions.
You have in your possession something very precious: time: minutes, days, months, and years. We use that currency to pursue the things we want. We pursue personal goals whether those goals are objectively thought out and defined or simply general desires in our minds. But here is the subject we will focus on today: You will set goals and invest your life toward those goals based on you consider to be valuable. What are you reaching for in your life? You will reach for that which you deem valuable.
Moses addressed this subject in the prayer he prayed in Psalm 90. In verse 12 of that Psalm, he asked the Lord: “. . . teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”i Gaining a heart of wisdom was a high priority for Moses. He considered that something worth pursuing in life. And in that passage, he says a key factor in gaining that heart of wisdom is that we learn “to number our days.” We recognize that we have only so many days in this life to gain that heart of wisdom.ii Then we don’t waste them on vain pursuits.
In the Hebrew mindset, wisdom was tied to the fear of the Lord.iii Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”iv The source of wisdom is “the knowledge of the Holy One”—knowing the Holy One. We gain wisdom as we come to know him more and more intimately. The Greek concept of wisdom is found in intellectual ability to put facts together logically. It centers on intellectual capacity. The Hebrew concept of wisdom is found in living in right relationship to God and others. It centers on how we live. And Proverbs 9:10 teaches us that biblical wisdom comes through relationship with God—learning about him from the revelation he has given in his word and learning his ways through experiential interaction with him. We get to know him as we commune with him in our hearts. We learn of him and learn from him as we hear his voice and follow his guidance That’s “ the knowledge of the Holy One” this verse is talking about.
And where does that understanding begin? “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The fear of the Lord is a major theme in Scripture. What is it? It has to do with our attitude toward God, how we think about God, who we understand him to be, and ,therefore, how we relate to him.
The fear of the Lord begins with an appreciation of his greatness and majesty. Psalm 33:6 tells us something about that. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” Think about the vastness of all the galaxies in the universe. It includes billions of stars that extend beyond our ability to even see all of them, let alone create something comparable. The majesty of that creation alone should cause us to stand in awe of God. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God.”v
God is infinitely greater than man. Man is made in his image. But man will never be equal with God himself. The humanistic thinking in our culture is an affront to the glory of God. Humanism places man at the center in in a supreme position. It promotes pride and rebellious independence. The church has been influenced by this vain, secular philosophy more than most people realize. True wisdom starts with a biblical revelation of God’s omnipotence. Just a consideration of creation itself should inspire the fear of the Lord in our hearts.
The fear of the Lord is tempered by the revelation of God’s nature and purposes toward humanity. “God is love.”vi We must understand that statement in the context of the whole Bible.vii But the fact that God loves us is a profound source of comfort. It does not negate the majesty of who he is. It does not transfer sovereignty from him to us. It simply lets us know that he wants the best for us—that he is pursuing our highest good. So, with that revelation we not only stand in all of his omnipotence and greatness, but we also stand in awe of his holiness and kindness toward us. All of that produces a deep respect for God that causes us to worship and obey him as God.
Psalm 33:8 continues, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” Are you awed by the majesty of God this morning? Is it a natural thing for you to lift your heart in worship simply because of who he is? Our God is a awesome God! The more you know him, the more you respect him. The more you respect him, the more you carefully obey him and seek to please him. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
So, we come back to this prayer Moses prayed, ““. . . teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Proverbs 4:7 instructs us: “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” Then comes the reward of that in the next two verses: “Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.” When we read that, we must not think of wisdom in the way the Greeks taught it and the way our culture has embraced it. Biblical wisdom is not knowledge of facts and capacity for logic. It is not higher education and degrees. It begins with the fear of the Lord. It is based on a healthy respect toward God that produces a life of godliness. This wisdom is thoroughly connected with submission and relationship with God. That is something worth pursing in life! That is something of eternal value.
We have learned from Moses. We have learned from Solomon. But let’s go a step further and learn from Jesus himself. Our primary text for this series is found in Matthew 13:44. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
The first thing we are told is that this treasure was HIDDEN. The man in the story did not know it was there. He was not searching for that treasure. But he happened to find it.
The kingdom of heaven is not perceived by most people. This is not the point of the parable, but it is a biblical fact.viii Why do so many people in this world waste their lives pursuing empty things of no eternal value? Most do not realize there is something of much higher value to be had. We have a part in them seeing it. We are to declare the gospel—make Christ known through our lives and our words.ix But we live in a world filled with people who cannot see the kingdom of God—even though it is available to all who will receive it.x
A source of this blindness is Satan’s influence. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” One reason you cannot argue people into the kingdom is this blindness put on them by the god of this world.xi You can reason with them. And sometimes that is helpful. But ultimately God must life that veil of deception so that the light of the gospel shines into their hearts. There is a spiritual dynamic involved.
In 1 Corinthians 2:7-10 we are given further insight on people’s inability to see the treasure of God’s kingdom and respond to it. There Paul wrote, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.” The natural man walks right by this treasure without realizing it is there. “The natural man,” says 1 Corinthians 2:14, “does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” The average person on the street does not understand why you would get up every Sunday morning and go to church when you could lounge around at home. He does not see any value in what you’re pursuing. He has not discerned that the treasure is even there.
In Matthew 13:10 the disciples asked Jesus why he spoke to the multitudes in parables. Jesus answered, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Matt. 13:11). That word “given” implies grace. Do you perceive this treasure of the kingdom of heaven? If so, it is not because you are smarter than other people. It is because God mercifully granted to you the discovery of this treasure. If you found the kingdom, you have much to be thankful for. You would walk right past it and never see it if God did not open your eyes to it. The man in our story found this hidden treasure.
According to our story, it was an EXCITING discovery.xii Our text talks about the JOY this man experienced when he found the treasure. Do you remember the day Jesus came into your life? Do you remember a time when the revelation came that you were a child of God and heaven is your home? It is joy unspeakable and full of glory! Do not ever take that discovery for granted. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). David started out Psalm 89 saying, “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever.” In verse 15 he added, “Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. 16 In Your name they rejoice all day long.” Do you know that joyful sound? Has the Devil tried to rob you of your joy? Don’t let him do that. Cultivate a heart of gratitude, thanksgiving, and joy.xiii
Conclusion:
We will continue this message next week. There is much more to be said about this parable, and we want to draw all we can from it. Every parable has one main point it is teaching. We will focus on that next week.
Today, we have learned from Moses and Solomon. Their counsel is to number your days, recognize the brevity of life and invest your time wisely. Don’t waste it on vain pursuits. Seek wisdom for it is the principal thing. Biblical wisdom centers on our relationship with God and how we live our lives. Priority for Moses was to “gain a heart of wisdom.”
We have begun to consider Jesus’s teaching in this parable of the treasure. It communicates the same truth that Moses and Solomon taught. Life is short; invest it well. Seek those things that are eternal. Use the days allotted to you by pursuing the kingdom of heaven. Let nothing distract you from that goal.
I want to conclude by giving you a few moments of silence to ponder these matters. Are there any adjustments to your priorities needed? Has time for prayer and Bible reading been crowed out by more urgent matters? Is God first in the way you use your money? Let God speak to you during this time. We will take just two minutes, During that time ask God to help you use your time wisely.
Two Minutes of Silence
ENDNOTES
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii Cf. James 4:14.
iii “The ‘wisdom’ meant is that which flows from a right consideration of the brevity of life, and our guiltiness as the cause of God's, anger against us; and consists in "fearing God" and "departing from evil” (Job 28:28).
(from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary (Psalms 90:11-12). Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997-2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
iv “This means reverent trust, love, and obedience toward Him. Such reverent fear presupposes the knowledge of how infinite in power, majesty, and goodness God is. He who thus fears God will fear to sin, lest he should displease
God (cf. Job 28:28, which was before Solomon's eye in this verse).” (from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Proverbs 1:7, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997-2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
v Cf. Rom. 1:20.
vi First John 4:8, 16. Cf. Richard W. Tow, Authentic Christianity: Studies in 1 John (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2019) 248-262.
vii Many people impose on Scripture a preconceived concept of God’s love that is not consistent with the whole revelation of Scripture. The love of God is not indulgent toward sin, but it is actively redemptive toward people.
viii Sound hermeneutics does not take each detail of the story in a parable as a truth to be examined. For example, the fact that this man hid the treasure is not teaching us to hide our discovery of the kingdom. It is just a part of the story which is used as background to teach the one point of the parable—the supreme value of the treasure found should cause us to sell all in order to have that treasure. I am discussing the hiddenness of the kingdom treasure because other New Testament passages teach this truth.
ix Cf. Mark 16:15; Romans 10:14.
x John 3:3,16.
xi Cf. 2 Cor. 4:4; 1 John 5:19; Richard W. Tow, Authentic Christianity: Studies in 1 John (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2019) 398-411.
xii This is another detail of the story that points us to other passages that teach this truth. See endnote number 8.
xiii Cf. Philippians 3:1; 4:4; 1 Thess. 5:16.
