God’s Jewelry Box

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.”  Matthew 13:44

This was a parable that Jesus told His disciples to give them a picture of His kingdom.  Some folks believe that the treasure is Jesus Himself, and it is true that He certainly is the most valuable treasure to all those who know Him as Lord and Savior.  However, the treasure represents the nation of Israel because the Jews were the first ones to whom Jesus came.  The treasure also consists of all those who by faith have believed on Christ.  While salvation is worth giving up all one possesses, man is not the one who gave his life for the treasure.  Man cannot buy his way into God’s kingdom.  Jesus was the One who gave His all to redeem the treasure.  God also referred to His people as another item of infinite value in Malachi 3:17:  “And they shall be Mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that serves him.”

People, especially women, get all excited about jewelry.  Most young women look forward to receiving an engagement ring.  I remember when I received my engagement ring.  It was just about one quarter of a carat because that’s all my sweetie could afford, but it was special to me.  I also remember my son took on an extra job to be able to buy a diamond ring for his girlfriend.  It’s not so much about the ring as it is the promise of a life together with the man that the woman loves.  The ring represents that promise, or at least it used to be that way.  They say that “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”, although I can think of a lot of other things, particularly people, whom I consider to be far more valuable and needed that diamond jewelry.  Gold is also used in making jewelry, and, particularly in the last few years, has increased dramatically in value.  When I was married in 1970, our gold bands cost about $35 each, but that was a lot of money to two people who had a combined income of not much more than four dollars an hour.  Many high school seniors can’t afford senior rings any longer because of how expensive they have become.  While it is true that diamonds, gold, silver, etc. have become much more costly, think about how much it cost God to purchase us, His jewels.

Knowing that God thinks of us as a treasure and a jewel should cause us to worship and serve Him.  When we realize how much God loves us and what it cost Him to fill His “jewelry box”, we can’t help but love Him and love others.