Gold has always been…
a highly prized possession. Just in the first two books of the Bible, it’s mentioned nearly 100 times. The temple was adorned with gold. The ark of the covenant was covered with gold. The temple utensils were gold. Abraham was rich in gold. When the Israelites were getting ready to leave Egypt, the men and women asked their neighbors for articles of silver and gold and “thus you will plunder the Egyptians.” (Ex. 3:22; 11:2)
In more modern times, the California Gold Rush brought many to the front hoping to strike it rich. Many did. But many also failed. Greed spawned thefts and murders in order to own the yellow metal. If you can believe the movie depictions of the era, booze flowed freely, and gambling and prostitution were widespread. In the last ten years we’ve seen the price of gold range from just over a thousand dollars an ounce to over two thousand. From 1934 to 1969 the price of gold was fairly steady at around $34 an ounce. Today it’s over $1,900 an ounce.
Most of the gold mined today
—about 75%–ends up in jewelry. The rest is spread over minted coins, electronic components (excellent conductor of electricity), medicine and dentistry, computers and cell phones and space technology. Because of its rarity and, apart from some wild swings in assumed value due to speculators, it has always been accepted as a stable currency.
But God doesn’t want His people to focus on gold for two reasons. First, “Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire.” (James 5:3) And second, He has something better…and it’s free. “The law of the Lord is perfect…the testimony of the Lord is sure…the precepts of the Lord are right…the commandment of the Lord is pure…the fear of the Lord is clean…the judgments of the Lord are true…they are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold…moreover, by them Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” (Ps. 19:7-11; emphasis added)
I firmly believe…
that many of God’s people today do not place high value on God’s Word. It’s like they’ve gotten their ticket for the Glory Train punched and that’s all they care about. If that weren’t true, today’s church would be more relevant, more powerful as a societal influencer and more prominent in the daily lives of believers. God’s Word would occupy a large part of our hearts, not just a space on a dusty shelf. It would prevent deceptive theology from sneaking into our churches. We would be more like the Bereans: “Now these [Bereans] were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
Are we eager to study God’s Word or is it a drag? Do we rationalize with thoughts like “It’s so hard to understand” or “That’s the Pastor’s job?” Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word… (24) He who does not love Me does not keep My words” (John 14:23,24). Simple question: How can we keep Jesus’ words if we don’t know them? How do we know them if we don’t read and study the Bible? The Psalmist said, “Your Word is very pure, therefore Your servant loves it.” (Ps. 119:140)
What else can you think of
that is “more desirable than much fine gold?” Jesus told a parable about a guy who found a treasure hidden in a field (Matt.13:44). He was overjoyed, went and sold all he had and bought the field. The treasure is a picture of salvation. Salvation, we’re told, comes by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8), “…faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17) So if you’re not in love with The Word of God, you should examine yourself to see if you have been given the gift of salvation. A good tree bears good fruit.
If you don’t know for sure that you’re a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), CLICK HERE for an overview of your condition and future from God’s perspective. Thanks for coming. Hope to see you back soon.