Treasure hunt - pleasure hunt

 

We are focused on Psalm 16 this week:

 Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. 

 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good besides You." 

As for the saints who are in the earth, They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight. 

 The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied; I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood, Nor will I take their names upon my lips. 

The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot.

 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. 

 I will bless the LORD who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. 

 I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 

 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. 

 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. 

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Over the centuries, we humans have shown a startling propensity for treasure-hunting, no? Get rich quick schemes know no "era." From ancient times to the American Gold Rush of the 1850's, to the efforts of wealthy modern scavengers using technology to find and bring up ships that have gone down in the deep with cargoes of gold and jewels -- the inclination of humans seems to be to grab for everything they can. 

We give up so much in the "hunt" for elusive treasures. We ignore the wonderful things around us. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, or in the next square grid to be searched. . . 

Many of us are like Scrooge McDuck in the comic books of old; Scrooge found pleasure in his money vault. This was his treasure, and he took great pleasure in swimming around in his vault full of coins and bills! From the days of Adam and Eve, we've sought pleasure. The devil originally tempted Eve by suggesting that God was withholding something good - the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He also suggested that they would find true satisfaction by sinning and eating that fruit. The devil has used that same strategy over the years: "Following God is gloomy and sad. Boring. Sin will bring you pleasure."

The truth of the Bible is that sin may bring short-term pleasure but it will always bring long-term misery. Bucket-loads of pain. Submitting to God may bring short-term difficulty, but it always results in growing faith, lasting joy, and true pleasure. The Presbyterian denomination (and many others) often rely on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and it begins, "What is the chief end of man?" The answer memorized by many believers is: "To glorify God and enjoy Him forever."  What a concise and thought-provoking answer! I believe that we'll find evidence to support that in Psalm 16.

This psalm is all about experiencing joy and pleasure in God. It tells us that when the Lord is our treasure, we will be satisfied both now and forever!

Psalm 34 invites us to enjoy God:

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34:8)

Psalm 16 will teach us how!