Searching the Bible for “Hid Treasures” (Proverbs 2:4)
Introduction
In Proverbs 2:1-6, we read the following, “¶My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth [cometh] knowledge and understanding.”
Diligently Searching and Seeking For Jesus
To seek out wisdom is to seek out Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:10 tells us that seeking out and searching for Jesus is finding salvation and vice-versa, “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace [that should come] unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” In Hebrews 11:6 we read, “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.“
Romans 16:25, which reads, “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,“. Additional support is found in Colossians 2:2&3, where we read, “… to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God (God the Holy Spirit, Who reveals the mystery), and of the Father (God the Father), and of Christ (God the Son, Jesus); In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
The believers can see how God pre-figured Jesus and salvation through Him alone in All of the Old Testament historical accounts (doing the Will of God the Father by the Power of the Holy Spirit). Such examples (of what are in effect “historical parables“) can be found when we look at the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Barak, Boaz, David, Mordecai, Nehemiah, Jonah, Job, etc. However, for the rest (the non-elect, the unsaved, who are spiritually blind), such wisdom is “hidden,” because God hides the truth of the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ from them (God leaves them in their blindness!). This is made unmistakably clear in 2 Corinthians 4:3, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:“
Additional verses that speak to the issue of diligently seeking for the otherwise “hidden” Jesus include:
Psalm 119:2, Blessed [are] they that keep his testimonies, [and that] seek him with the whole heart.“
Jeremiah 29:13, “And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart.“
Searching the Scriptures for Hid Treasures (Proverbs 2:4)
Anyone earnestly seeking for truth in the Bible must ultimately come to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, for Jesus is, according to John 14:6, “the way, the truth and the life.” In John 5:39, we read where Jesus was admonishing the Jews and said, “Search the scriptures (only the Old Testament in that day); for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”(The “me” being Jesus Christ Himself!) For additional proof that Jesus Is to be the focus of our “searching”, please see the study on the Road to Emmaus. [And while this teacher is hesitant to point to the works of others, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you read the short evening devotional “Search the Scriptures” by Charles Spurgeon, circa 1868]
The Word of God Is Holy, as God Is Holy, and Sacrosanct. The Word, the Bible, is to be viewed as One and the Same with Jesus Christ, because Jesus Is The Word made flesh as we read in John 1:14. For more detail on how the Bible is uniquely and magnificently crafted by God to convey Himself to us in written form, please see the Bible Study Guide
There are many “hidden gems” within the Bible, which can easily be glossed over in general or casual reading. This is because God has deliberately Spiritually interwoven “hid treasures” within the various passages, which God Is Willing to reveal, and allow His children to discover, all in accordance with God’s predetermined plan and timing. And ultimately, every one of those “hid treasures” points us to God’s Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and glorifies God in the process, as well as honoring the believers, because those “hid treasures” draw the believers ever closer to the Lord Jesus Christ, their Savior. The believers are thereby provided comfort, edification, encouragement, and strengthened faith. Most importantly they teach the “Wisdom” of God as we read in 1 Corinthians 2:13, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
The Bible was first written by holy men of old, beginning with the Hebrew texts of Moses (in the Old Testament) and ending with the Greek transcripts of Revelation (in the New Testament). 2 Peter 1:21 makes clear, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.” By God’s Providence, we have been granted God’s Word in the written form of the Bible through His use of human scribes and translators guided by the Holy Spirit. And by God’s Grace, the Bible has been made available to us in English, according to God’s purpose and under God’s Spiritual guidance.
However, If anyone desires to have a more complete understanding of the Bible, it requires humble and prayerful Holy Spirit guided effort to look back into the original Hebrew texts to better “search” within the Old Testament. Those of us who are not adequately educated and proficient in the Hebrew language (or Greek and Aramaic when reading the New Testament) are forced to use other means for cross-correlation (comparing scripture with scripture, described as comparing “spiritual things with spiritual” in 1 Corinthians 2:13 as noted above) to help with the necessary understanding of words and phases as God defines them in the Bible. Historically, this had meant resorting to, and painstakingly sorting through, heavy bound printed books such as Strong’s and Young’s concordances and interlinear Bibles. In today’s world, however, that task has become greatly simplified, and it only requires a few key strokes on a computer to access various online tools such as the BlueLetter Bible or Bible Hub to gain greater insights on the original meanings, as well as some of the unique nuances in both the Hebrew and Greek texts to further enhance understanding and thereby strengthen one’s faith.
We are also told, in effect, to carefully study and correctly handle the scriptures. 2 Timothy 2:15, tells us to, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.“ But remember that it only God, Who Is the Author of the Bible, and He Alone is the One Who can provide the necessary understanding to those whom He graciously blesses with the “eyes to see”, and “the ears to hear”, such that they might testify of Jesus and worship God in the spirit of prophesy. See also: https://bereansearching.com/2021/12/29/the-hearing-ear-and-the-seeing-eye/
God’s Ground Rules for Bible Study, and Finding Jesus in the Process
In 1 Corinthians 2 (the whole chapter) we learn more of the means of understanding God’s Holy Word, the Bible:
a) in verse 2, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
b) in verse 5, “that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.“
c) in verse 7+8, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew:…“
d) in verse 10, “But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.“
e) in verse 13, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth: comparing spiritual things with spiritual.“
f) in verse 14, “But the natural man (everyone in the unsaved state) receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.“
In John 6:63 we read, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.“
Remember, the Bible makes it clear that Jesus always spoke in “parables.” In Matthew 13:34 we read that:”All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret*** from the foundation of the world.” (and this is a reference back to the prophetic statement we find in Psalm 78:2, “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:” and which we also find in Psalm 49:3&4 we read, “My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart [shall be] of understanding. I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.”)
Moreover, dear reader, please be aware that Job also spoke in a parable, as we are told in both Job 27:1 and Job 29:1. And a careful spiritual scrutiny of Job Chapter 28 makes clear that Job was serving as a “Type” of the Lord Jesus Christ in that parable precisely as crafted by God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus explained to His disciples why He spoke in parables to the multitudes. In Mark 4:11&12, we read: “And he said unto them, Unto you (the elect) it is given to know the mystery** of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without (the non-elect), all [these] things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.“(God reiterates this explanation in Isaiah 6:9&10, John 9:39&40, and Acts 28:26-28… PLEASE read these verses to see the perfect reinforcement that they provide). This study on the hearing ear and seeing eye is helpful as well.
* From the Hebrew word חִידָה (ḥîḏâ) H2420 (also used as dark sentences or speech) meaning “hard question, riddle, enigma, or puzzle,” and is synonymous with the word “proverb” or “parable”. But “parable” itself is derived from Hebrew word “mashal” which has the meaning of a “metaphorical adage requiring mental action.” Ezekiel 17:2 tells us that a parable and a riddle are the same, “Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;“
** Note that in the New Testament, “mystery” derives from a Greek word μυστήριον (mystērion) G3466 that means something that is hidden, secret, a mystery, a hidden purpose or counsel of God: the secret counsels which govern God in dealing with the righteous, which are hidden from ungodly and wicked men, but plain to the godly. Something which imposes silence by shutting the mouth. Note how this ties in with Ephesians 6:19“And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mysteryG3466 of the gospel,” and Colossians 1:26 “[Even] the mysteryG3466 which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:“
*** The word “secret” here derives from a Greek word κρύπτω (kryptō) G2928, that means “to conceal or hide”.
One Hidden Gem Example
In Proverbs 25:2 (KJV) we find this extraordinary verse, “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.” If we look carefully at the text as it reads in the original Hebrew using an Interlinear Bible or Online cross-reference like this: http://biblehub.com/text/proverbs/25-2.htm, we find that it can also read like this…”[It is] the glory of God to conceal a “word” (because it is from the Hebrew דָּבָר (dāḇār)H1697, a masculine noun): but the honour of kings[is] to search out a “word” (because the word that was translated into English as “matter” is also the same word found in the original Hebrew to be דָּבָר (dāḇār) H1697, which is translated more than eight hundred times in the Old Testament as “word.”)*. It appears, therefore, that God is telling us that He is glorified by the concealing of The Word (Jesus Christ) in the Bible, and the believers are “honored” by being made able to search out The Word (Who is Jesus Christ) when reading the Bible.
In Paul’s reference to the church in Laodicea, we read in Colossians 2:2 &3, “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” And please note the harmony with what we find in Ephesians 3:1-9, Paul describes the “mystery of Christ“, which, prior to the New Testament era was “not made known” but “is now revealed“…”That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:..to which Paul said he was given the grace by God to “preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:“
The Believers are Kings and Priests
It should also be noted that Jesus makes all believers “kings” and “priests”, as we read in Revelation 1:5&6, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” This is reiterated in Revelation 5:10, where we see from the preceding verses that Jesus, as the Lamb of God, has redeemed the believers by His shed blood, “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
Note how this is also consistent with what we read in Job 36:7 when speaking of God regarding the believers, “He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings [are they] on the throne; yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted.“
And note how consistent this is with 1 Peter 2:5, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” and 1 Peter 2:9, “¶But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:“
Ephesians 2:4-7, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.“
“Dāḇār” is also found in other key verses:
- Note what is found in Proverbs 16:20 where the King James Version translation reads, “He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good:…” but in the original Hebrew it reads, “He who wisely understands or heeds unto the word (דָּבָר (dāḇār))H1697 shall find good…”
- And in Psalm 56:10 we read (as also translated in the King James Version), “In God will I praise his word (דָּבָ֑ר (“dabar”))H1697: in the Lord will I praise his word (דָּבָר (dāḇār))H1697.”
- And in Psalm 33:6 we read, “By the word (דָּבָר (dāḇār)) of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.”
- And in Psalm 145:5, “I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works (actually “words” (דָּבָר (dāḇār))H1697 in the original Hebrew).“
It is hoped that the reader will, by the grace of God, come to search out and know The Word, the Lord Jesus Christ [Remember that we read in John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” and in John Chapter 1, verse 14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”]. In 1 John 1:1 we find, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;” And to make the connection between Jesus (the Son of God) and the Word as unmistakable as possible, we read in 1 John 5:7, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost.
*** The word “secret” here derives from a Greek word κρύπτω (kryptō) G2928, that means “to conceal or hide”.
A Second Hidden Gem Example
Most people have heard of Noah’s Ark, but fewer have heard of Moses’ “Ark”. God has hidden some interesting and profound spiritual insights within the verses that address these two distinct “Arks”, which each served as floating vehicles for their respective passengers.
- The first Ark, as is described in Genesis 6:13-22, contained Noah and his wife and his three sons and their wives for a total of eight humans, along with an untold number of animals of all kinds.
- The second Ark, as is described in Exodus 2:1-6, bore Moses, as a 3 month old baby, on the Nile River until Moses was discovered and adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter.
The “Hidden Gems” that can be found in association with these two “Arks” deal with the words in the original Hebrew that the King James translators interpreted in English as “pitch“, the key material that was applied in the construction of each of these two very different “Arks”.
This study will, hopefully, enlighten the reader to the fact that there is a lot more to the Bible than meets the physical eye, and that we should never take any translations of the original languages at face value, but rather carefully and faithfully and prayerfully search the scriptures to find the spiritual truths that God has hidden within His Word, and which can so easily be missed in casual reading. This admonition is particularly applicable to those who adamantly hold to the “Literal-Grammatical-Historical” hermeneutic in interpreting God’s Holy Word, the Bible and do not understand, nor are interested in, God’s hermeneutic, which is replete with a variety of parables that veil spiritual truth.
Salvation Provided by Noah’s Ark Through Atonement
If we just casually read the Bible, and come across verses like these that follow concerning Noah’s Ark, do we really give it much thought? Let us first read these two verses and then take a closer look to see if there is something that a casual reading might miss. What hidden gem might we find?
Genesis 6:13&14, ¶And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.“
Well, if we just take the words and accept them using the “Literal-Grammatical-Historical” method of interpretation, then we would have to say that God is telling us that the world is full of evil violent people, and that, as a result, God is going to destroy them and the whole earth in as well. Moreover, the Ark is going to be made of a wood called gopher wood, it will have rooms inside, and Noah was directed to seal it with pitch inside and out, presumably to make it water tight.
Is that all there is to the verse? Well, the literalists would certainly say so. However, there is something else, far more important, like a hidden precious gem in this text that the literalists will never see on their own. So then, let us take a closer look to see that hidden gem from God.
The first item that draws a curious glance is the word “gopher” wood. If we look at that original Hebrew, we come to a dead end, because the word translated as “gopher” is from the Hebrew word גֹּפֶר (gōp̄er)H1613. That word is only used once in the entire Bible! So we have no way to compare scripture with scripture for a cross reference to gain any spiritual insights from this word.
On the other hand, when we look at both the first and second words that are translated as “pitch” in the King James Version of the Bible, we find something quite extraordinary!
- The first word in the original Hebrew in Genesis 6:14, which was translated as “pitch” is כָּפַר (kāp̄ar)H3722, is only translated once as “Pitch” in the entire Bible. However that same original Hebrew word appears 101 times in other places in the Bible where it is translated variously in the following manner: atonement (71x), purge (7x), reconciliation (4x), reconcile (3x), forgive (3x), purge away (2x), pacify (2x), atonement…made (2x), merciful (2x), cleansed (1x), disannulled (1x), appease (1x), put off (1x), pardon.
Wow!…what does that bring to mind? For me, my first thought is the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, as He is the Spiritual means by which the eight souls in the Ark can be saved who Typify the elect of God, the eternal Israel who are purged of their sins and reconciled to God who are saved from the wrath of God on Judgment Day (“Typified” by the Great Flood that destroyed the world in Noah’s day). What about you? Is this just some strange happenstance or some kind of error? Absolutely NOT!
Let us look at a few exemplar verses that show how this word is used elsewhere in the Old Testament in:
- Leviticus 16:32&33, “And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement (כָּפַר (kāp̄ar))H3722, And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement (כָּפַר (kāp̄ar))H3722, and shall put on the linen clothes, [even] the holy garments: And he shall make an atonement (כָּפַר (kāp̄ar))H3722 for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement (כָּפַר (kāp̄ar))H3722 for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement (כָּפַר (kāp̄ar))H3722 for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.“
- Proverbs 16:6, “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged:(כָּפַר (kāp̄ar)) H3722 and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
- Daniel 9:24, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation (כָּפַר (kāp̄ar)) H3722 for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Amazingly, God confirms this derived spiritual interpretation via a “second witness”.
The second word that is translated as “pitch” in Genesis 6:14 is from the original Hebrew word, (כֹּפֶר (kōp̄er))H3724, which is again only translated once in the whole Bible as “pitch”, and yet it appears 16 times in other places in the Bible where it is translated variously in the following manner: ransom (8x), satisfaction (2x), bribe (2x), camphire (2x), sum of money (1x), village (1x).
Job 33:24, is one example, “Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom (כֹּפֶר (kōp̄er))H3724.”
So then, the two words that are translated as “pitch” in association with the construction of Noah’s Ark actually corroborate each other to convey profound spiritual truths, which both point us to the Person and Work of the the Lord Jesus Christ. That can be understood only from a spiritual perspective, by which we see that the salvation typified of Noah and his family in the first Ark involved an “atonement“, which also required a “ransom“. The fulfilled Atonement, which the “pitch” of Noah’s Ark pointed to, was wrought solely by the Lord Jesus Christ through the sacrificial ransom paid by the shedding of His Blood resulting in His Death in 33 AD, which also fully “satisfied” the Law of God.
New Testament Corroboration
Please remember what the New Testament tells us regarding The Lord Jesus Christ and His Work, because it is perfectly and entirely consistent with what was just expounded above:
Romans 5:11, “And not only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.“
Hebrews 1:3, “Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;“
Hebrews 2:17, “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
1 Timothy 2:6, “Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
The Correct Hebrew Word for “Pitch” Is Zep̄eṯ, Not Kāp̄ar or Kōp̄er
The correctly translated Hebrew word for “pitch“, as is provided by God in two places in the Bible, is זֶפֶת (zep̄eṯ)H2203, and NOT כָּפַר (kāp̄ar)H3722 or כֹּפֶר (kōp̄er)H3724. If God, by His Holy Spirit, had intended to mean “pitch” for Noah’s Ark, then God would have inspired Moses to use zep̄eṯ as the word to convey that meaning. Clearly, God did not, evidently for the reasons presented earlier in this post.
Interestingly enough, this Hebrew word, that really does mean “pitch”, can only be found in two verses of the Bible. First in Exodus 2:3 with regard to Moses’ Ark, “And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him (Moses) an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch (זֶפֶת (zep̄eṯ))H2203, and put the child (Moses) therein; and she laid [it] in the flags by the river’s brink.” and second in Isaiah 34:9, “And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch (זֶפֶת (zep̄eṯ))H2203, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch (זֶפֶת (zep̄eṯ))H2203.
Judgment In Moses’ Ark, Versus Grace and Mercy in Noah’s Ark
- The first is in Genesis 11:3, where it is used to construct the Tower of Babel, which God subsequently destroyed, “And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime (חֵמָר (ḥēmār))H2564 had they for morter.”
- The second is in Genesis 14:10, where it addresses the death of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, “And the vale of Siddim [was full of ] slimepits (חֵמָר (ḥēmār))H2564; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.”
Hopefully the reader can now see that God has made a clear distinction between the three words that have been translated in the King James English version of the Bible as “pitch“: כָּפַר (kāp̄ar)H3722, כֹּפֶר (kōp̄er)H3724 and זֶפֶת (zep̄eṯ)H2203. The first two, kāp̄ar and kōp̄er, point to God’s Grace and Mercy, with regard to Noah’s Ark representing the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Ransom that He paid for the Salvation of His Sheep, and the third zep̄eṯ, which only points to God’s Judgment, and specifically to that which comes under the works of the Law as typified by Moses in his “Ark”. Remember what we read in Romans 8:3 says, the law, because of the inability in our sinful flesh to keep it, cannot save us… “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”
Indeed the Law (typified by Moses preserved in his Ark) will judge all, for it is true and pure and demands full obedience, but the Bible makes clear that Salvation is by God’s Grace alone, and not of works. Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” And we know that grace came at the highest price, the atoning ransom paid in full by the Person and Work of the LORD Jesus Christ (as typified by the preservation of Noah and his family in his Ark).
Jonah 2:9, “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay [that] that I have vowed. Salvation [is] of the LORD.”
Conclusion
Regarding “Hid Treasures”, we are also told in 2 Corinthians 4:5-7, “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ¶But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”
You see, the key is that as we come to Read the Word, and Know the Word, We Know Jesus Christ and we are then to Preach the Word (Jesus) to others. It is God in the believers, in their hearts, Who is that “hid treasure” as found in His Word, the Bible that is to be shared with others to God’s Glory Alone.
So then, dear reader, you might well consider this question…Is all of the above all just a wild rant coming from a “fantastical” figment of this teacher’s imagination, because the interpretation is “allegorical” and not “literal”? Well, you be the judge.
But, if you are now even somewhat concerned that the Bible is indeed the Word of God, and you have begun to see that the Bible was supernaturally crafted perfectly by God the Holy Spirit… and you can begin to appreciate the implications that it holds regarding the destiny of your (and everyone else’s) eternal soul… then please cry out to God while you still can, repent of your sins whatever they are, and make peace with God through His Dear Son, The Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the life!
Finally dear reader, are you seeking the real hid treasure, the Kingdom of Heaven? Matthew 13:44, “¶Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. ¶Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.“
POSTSCRIPT
Why is it that a man, living 150 years ago in England, could see and understand the Bible so clearly, and yet in our day, with all the technology available with which to search the scriptures, there is so little understanding of what the Bible teaches? One has to wonder why are there so few who are even the slightest bit curious? The following sermon is from an evening devotional.
Charles Spurgeon, in 1868, wrote “Search the Scriptures” an exposition on John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.“
The Greek word here rendered search signifies a strict, close, diligent, curious search, such as men make when they are seeking gold, or hunters when they are in earnest after game. We must not rest content with having given a superficial reading to a chapter or two, but with the candle of the Spirit we must deliberately seek out the hidden meaning of the word. Holy Scripture requires searching–much of it can only be learned by careful study. There is milk for babes, but also meat for strong men. The rabbis wisely say that a mountain of matter hangs upon every word, yea, upon every title of Scripture. Tertullian exclaims, “I adore the fulness of the Scriptures.” No man who merely skims the book of God can profit thereby; we must dig and mine until we obtain the hid treasure. The door of the word only opens to the key of diligence. The Scriptures claim searching. They are the writings of God, bearing the divine stamp and imprimatur–who shall dare to treat them with levity? He who despises them despises the God who wrote them. God forbid that any of us should leave our Bibles to become swift witnesses against us in the great day of account. The word of God will repay searching. God does not bid us sift a mountain of chaff with here and there a grain of wheat in it, but the Bible is winnowed corn–we have but to open the granary door and find it. Scripture grows upon the student. It is full of surprises. Under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to the searching eye it glows with splendour of revelation, like a vast temple paved with wrought gold, and roofed with rubies, emeralds, and all manner of gems. No merchandise is like the merchandise of Scripture truth. Lastly, the Scriptures reveal Jesus: “They are they which testify of me.” No more powerful motive can be urged upon Bible readers than this: he who finds Jesus finds life, heaven, all things. Happy he who, searching his Bible, discovers his Saviour.
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