“Real Treasure”
June 2025
Proverbs 3:13-15, 18
13 Happy are those who find wisdom; and those who get understanding,
14 for her income is better than silver; and her revenue better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.
What comes to mind when you think about “treasure”? Do you think about pirates and maps? Family heirlooms and jewelry? Maybe you think of friends or family members?
During my first year of teaching at Dillon Christian School Julianne was in kindergarten. After school, I would pick her up and take her back to my classroom so that I could prepare for the next day. She spent hours finding “treasure” left behind by the middle schoolers. There were paper clips, candy wrappers, and various parts of mechanical pencils. Every day she would fill up her bookbag with all the treasure that she found.
It seems silly, because those discarded scraps left behind in my classroom don’t stack up to the “treasure” that we buy from the store. Whether it’s clothing, electronics, or toys, we invest our money in securing the things we want, things we believe will make us happy.
But the passage above flies in the face of our cultural understanding of treasure and happiness by suggesting that “Real Treasure” is something that can’t be bought.
“Happy are those who find wisdom.”
The author goes on to suggest that wisdom is greater than silver, gold, and anything else you can desire!
This is hard for us to imagine. We do feel happiness when we buy new things. But we also know that everything new eventually loses its shine.
What this passage points out is that wisdom never loses its shine. Wisdom is always present, always guiding, and even gets better as time goes on.
When explaining this passage the commentator Raymond Van Leeuwen said, “The quest for wisdom is inescapably a journey in the presence of God.”
In other words, wisdom is greater than earthly riches because it draws us deeper in relation to God. And there’s no greater happiness than being with God. That’s “Real Treasure.”
In Christ,
Pastor Thomas
13 Happy are those who find wisdom; and those who get understanding,
14 for her income is better than silver; and her revenue better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.
What comes to mind when you think about “treasure”? Do you think about pirates and maps? Family heirlooms and jewelry? Maybe you think of friends or family members?
During my first year of teaching at Dillon Christian School Julianne was in kindergarten. After school, I would pick her up and take her back to my classroom so that I could prepare for the next day. She spent hours finding “treasure” left behind by the middle schoolers. There were paper clips, candy wrappers, and various parts of mechanical pencils. Every day she would fill up her bookbag with all the treasure that she found.
It seems silly, because those discarded scraps left behind in my classroom don’t stack up to the “treasure” that we buy from the store. Whether it’s clothing, electronics, or toys, we invest our money in securing the things we want, things we believe will make us happy.
But the passage above flies in the face of our cultural understanding of treasure and happiness by suggesting that “Real Treasure” is something that can’t be bought.
“Happy are those who find wisdom.”
The author goes on to suggest that wisdom is greater than silver, gold, and anything else you can desire!
This is hard for us to imagine. We do feel happiness when we buy new things. But we also know that everything new eventually loses its shine.
What this passage points out is that wisdom never loses its shine. Wisdom is always present, always guiding, and even gets better as time goes on.
When explaining this passage the commentator Raymond Van Leeuwen said, “The quest for wisdom is inescapably a journey in the presence of God.”
In other words, wisdom is greater than earthly riches because it draws us deeper in relation to God. And there’s no greater happiness than being with God. That’s “Real Treasure.”
In Christ,
Pastor Thomas
