Preserving Treasure
Proverbs 4:20-23 KJV My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. (21) Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. (22) For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. (23) Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
“As secure as the gold at Fort Know” and “As protected as the crown jewels” are references to two of the most famous locations of extravagant treasure. Because of the great wealth in both of these places, they have also become famous for their impenetrable security and the impossibility of breaking in to them and stealing their holdings. The guards at both these places go way beyond just a guy with a stick, but include the military, along with other elements of professional defense. For someone to even consider stealing from either place would seemingly be an exercise in futility.
While the crown jewels have yet to be successfully touched by thieves, there has been a loss at Fort Knox that has to do with letting enemies in to government and leadership where they eventually received gold handed over to them without the need of break-in.
The treasure considered by God to be above any the world could stockpile is the fellowship and intimate relationship with those He created having an independence of will. Because of its superior worth to God Himself, there is a huge incentive for His enemies to steal and destroy this treasure. There is no way the thieves and terrorists of satan’s ranks are going to stand by and let any convert have a straight and easy path to heaven. There will be endless attacks made at the most vulnerable of places with an attempt to utterly kill, steal, and destroy.
I love this set of Proverbs from 4th chapter where what I believe to be the key to true security and defense of the heart is commanded to be both installed and activated. Before there is any directive to keep (protect and preserve) the heart with all diligence, the way to this ‘keeping’ is shown to clearly be an attending to the words of the Father in a relationship that is uninterrupted and continuous. From whatever direction it may originate, the ultimate purpose of any attack will be a degraded relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords. This, then, is the greatest indicator of an attack and the motivator for a return to that Secret Place by the Father where His greatest treasure can be ‘kept’ from the threats and preserved for the blessing and treasure of His presence– our most valued and protected possession.
