The Lord is our treasure

We closed last time by saying that instead of hunting for treasure and pleasure in other places, we should make the Lord our treasure. We're studying Psalm 16; let's check out the first six verses again but take them one at a time:

Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. (v 1) 

The Lord is our treasure first of all, because He is our refuge and our Savior. Just like David, when Saul was hunting for him, or when Absalom was pursuing him, we all need a place of protection. We need a refuge for now and for eternity. We all try to protect ourselves. Don't we? We avoid risks that could kill us . . . . we wear our seat belts in the car. We refrigerate our potato salad so that we don't get sick at the picnic (that's a story for another day). We don't smoke so that our lungs will stay healthy. We try to eat healthy foods in reasonable amounts. All of these are positive things, but the bottom line is that the Almighty, who created us, is the only One who can truly be our protector. It's absolutely OK to pray for God's protection for ourselves and those we love.

I think as he wrote this verse, David may have been thinking of God's word, and the cities of refuge that God ordained (Numbers 35). If a person accidentally killed another, or was somehow responsible for an accidental fatality, that person could flee to the safety of one of these cities. These cities were a foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus - He bore the curse of God's wrath that WE deserved for our sins. Even more than preservation in our life here on earth, we need an eternal place of refuge. If we flee to Jesus Christ for refuge, we will be safe on the day of judgment.

I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord;

I have no good besides You.” (v 2)

Verse two says the Lord is our treasure because He is the best we can have. I think a companion verse is this one:

Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. (Psalm 73:25)

In other words, if we have God, we have it all. We need nothing more. How about it? Can we affirm that we have no other good besides God? The only way we can say that and truly mean it, is if we can first affirm the first part of the verse...."You are my Lord." The word used there is the one that also means "sovereign." When we personally surrender to Jesus Christ as our Lord, we can experience Him as our only good -- our treasure. Then we will personally understand these two parables from Jesus:

 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 

 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 

When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:44-46)

For Christians, whose eyes have been opened by the Holy Spirit, it is natural to see Jesus as the most valuable treasure in the world. It is He Who is the pearl of great value; is is He Who is worth giving up everything in order to gain Him. And we have joy in the discovery:

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 

 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8)

Have we done that? Has the Spirit opened our eyes to see Jesus as our treasure? As our only good in the world? Have we bowed before Him, and surrendered to His leadership?

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 

 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. 

 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23)

It's the only path to real treasure and to pleasures forever.