Matthew 13:44 (ESV)
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
2 Corinthians 4:7
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
Judges 6:11-18
“The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joashthe Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” 13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” 15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” 17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”
There is a human fascination with finding things of value in unexpected places.
It’s like the joy we experience when we find a $20 bill in the pocket of an old coat.
I think we enjoy the adventure of the hunt and discovery. But even more of finding something of value that we didn’t have to work to earn.
Really it is the discovery of a gift.
The Bible is the original source to use the imagery of hidden treasure to describe things of value. In the verses we read, God hides His kingdom, His Word, and gifts in believers themselves in this symbolism of earthly vessels.
God takes great joy when we discover His gifts in hidden places.
In Matthew 13 the parable teaches that God’s kingdom is of such valuable worth that it is worth giving up everything else to find it.
We must be willing. The great news is it’s not that hard to find.
In the story, the man who discovered the treasure in the field stumbled upon it by accident but knew the value he found. Although the transaction cost him everything, he paid nothing for the treasure itself. It was free with the field. Because the Kingdom is a gift.
In 2 Corinthians we understand from Paul that believers carry the priceless treasure of the gospel in fragile human lives, demonstrating God’s power.
The gospel is the greatest treasure ever discovered, and God has chosen to place that treasure in ordinary people so His extraordinary power will be displayed. Though we are weak, He chose to use you as the delivery system of the message of the gift of grace.
God is our power source, and we are to carry the God news of the gospel to the ends of the earth. This is our responsibility both individually and corporately.
In Judges we add the idea of purpose to the encounter with grace.
Because we all have a general purpose of spreading the gospel, we each are equipped with specific talents that accomplish specific purposes along the way. The problem we encounter is we rarely see those individual talents the way God sees them.
The key to discovering the joy of purpose is in unearthing those talents and then using them for their God inspired purpose.
Sometimes the Treasure Is Hidden Even From You When we first meet Gideon
- He is hiding in a winepress.
- He is threshing wheat in secret.
- He sees himself as weak.
- He believes his family is insignificant.
- Yet God says: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” (Judges 6:12)
Notice that Gideon wasn’t acting like a mighty warrior.
God spoke to the identity He intended to bring forth, not merely Gideon’s current condition. The Lord finds Gideon in a place he does not belong. Doing a task in an improper place due to fear. (The worthy task of separating the wheat from the chaff)
God’s answer isn’t to condemn or even to correct.
God’s answer was to call him according to his purpose.
To identify the gifts and talents, even though they were not in use.
Many people are living beneath God’s calling because they’re defining themselves by their fears, failures, or family background instead of by God’s Word. We have to have an ear to hear God. For Him to identify us and our gifts. You are not a product of your family. You are not a sum of your mistakes. But highly favored and recognized by the high price that was paid for you.
God Sees the Treasure Before the World Does
In countless stories in the bible and throughout history, there is always a sotry of the CALL.
The CALL is not merely an invitation to act, it is an invitation to be.
Before we have a profession, a mission, or even a clear identity, we have a self discovery of who we are at our core.
And the world mislabels, misjudges, and mistakes us.
Even those that have the best intentions.
Samuel looked for a king and overlooked David.
Israel looked at Saul’s size.
The disciples overlooked children.
People saw fishermen, Jesus saw apostles.
People saw a persecutor, Jesus saw a Paul.
People saw Gideon hiding, God saw a deliverer.
1 Samuel 16:7 “The Lord looks on the heart.”
As a matter of fact, the call comes to the humble of heart far more often to those strong of mind or body. It is in the story of the underdog, the misunderstood, the misdirected, that the Lord does His best work!
Hidden Treasure Must Be Unearthed
God didn’t simply encourage Gideon. He challenged him.
Tear down Baal’s altar (Judges 6:25–32).
- Face your fears.
- Trust My voice.
- Lead My people.
Hidden treasure is discovered through obedience.
Because in the process the Lord reveals the talent and even instructs of the purpose. But it is up to us to pick up and use the talent in its proper place. There is a place where courage must be screwed to the sticking place. A time in all of us, where we have to decide for ourselves. And the coolest part is the Holy Spirit is always along for the ride. Directing our steps and lighting our path.
God Removes What We Depend On
Judges 7:2 “You have too many men…”
God reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300. Why?
God must get the glory.
Because treasure is revealed when God’s power is unmistakable. Sometimes God subtracts resources so we discover His sufficiency.
It is always a dangerous place to think that the victory was achieved through our own might. There is a danger in the discovery of the impact of our talents. When our gifts are discovered, we have a tendency to lean on them and not God. God has a need to use the pure of heart. Not mistake free, actually just the opposite. But certainly those have lived through and understand the value of faith and humility.
Don’t Bury What God Put in You
In Matthew 25:14–30 it tells the story of the 5 bags, 2 bags, and 1 bag Each according to his ability.
The servant buried what had been entrusted to him. The only excuse is not to have put the talents to work in the first place. Gideon could have stayed in the winepress. God would have still have loved him. Instead, Gideon stepped into God’s calling.
Every believer has been entrusted with something:
- a gift
- a testimony
- an influence
- a calling
- a ministry.
The question isn’t whether God has given you something. The question is whether you’ll bury it or invest it.
We have two focal words in our mission statement . Grace & Purpose.
You can encounter grace living and accepting the gift without experiencing the purpose part.
But to fully enjoy the abundant life you have to step into the discovery of your purpose.
The joy of purpose starts with the realization and then utilization of those hidden talents within you. And with that you understand as He taught us how to pray, “On earth as it is in heaven”.
The hidden nature of the kingdom of God is revealed to you. Because the kingdom of God is in all of us, unlocked through the grace of salvation and matured through the uses of your talents within.
