Heaven is a Treasure

Jesus said to his disciples: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys the field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it."

Consideration: God is giving to all of his children who love him, a treasure like nothing that anyone is capable of comprehending. We need only to love him more than anything this passing world has to offer us. Remember these words, "No eye can see; no ear has heard; or has it entered into the heart and mind of any person, what God has prepared for those who love him." Amen.

Exodus 20

20:1 The Ten Commandments 

 

And God spoke all these words, saying: 

 

2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 

 

3 "You shall have no other gods before Me. 

 

4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image — any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 

 

7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 

 

8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 

 

12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you. 

 

13 "You shall not murder. 

 

14 "You shall not commit adultery. 

 

15 "You shall not steal. 

 

16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 

 

17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's." 

 

18 The People Afraid of God's Presence 

  

Now all the people witnessed the thundering, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." 

 

20 And Moses said to the people, "Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." 21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.  

 

22 The Law of the Altar 

 

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 You shall not make anything to be with Me — gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. 24 An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you. 25 And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it. 26 Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.' 

Exodus 19:21-25

And the Lord said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. "Also, let the priests who come near the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them." But Moses said to the Lord, "The people cannot come up the Mount Sinai; For You warned us, saying, 'Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it." Then the Lord said to him, "Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them." So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them. 

Consideration: The Lord, God, sets bounds around Mount Sinai; smoke, thunder, and lightning shake the mountain. Moses tells the commands of God to the people and priests. Moses goes back up the Mountain as commanded by God.

Moses was not prepared for what was about to occur on Mount Sinai.

See and Hear Truth

The disciples approached Jesus and said, "Why do speak to the crowd in parables?" He said to them in reply, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look and do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaish's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: 

You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and I heal them. "But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." 

Consideration: Jesus clearly explains that many will see and hear things, but will not understand, because they lack the true faith. This continues to be true in the world today; people see but are blinded by their own passions and concerns; and hear but are deaf to the truth and pretend not to hear. But there are those who are blessed with the true faith, because they see and hear with their hearts that beat in rhythm with the Lord.

God Summons Moses

In the third month after their departure from the land of Egypt, on its first day, the children came to the desert of Sinai. After the journey from Rephidim to the desert of Sinai, they pitched camp. 

While Israel was encamped here in front of the Mountain, the Lord told Moses, "I am coming to you in a dense cloud, so that when the people hear me speaking to you, they may always have faith in you also." When Moses, then, had reported to the Lord the response of the people, the Lord added, "Go to the people and have them sanctify themselves today and tomorrow. Make them wash their garments and be ready for the third day; for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai before the eyes of the people." 
On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lighting, so all the people in the camp trembled. But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke, for the Lord came down upon it in fire. The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. The Trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking and God answered him with thunder. When the Lord came down to the top of the Mount Sinai, he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain.

Consideration: The Lord, God, made himself known to the people of Israel, so that they would have faith in Moses; and his testimony, when he returned to them from the top of the mountain; and his encounter with God.

The Will of the Father

While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak to him. Someone told him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak to you." But he said in reply to the one that told him, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother."

Consideration: When we are in tune with the will of our Lord, we are one with him. The family of our Father in heaven is comprised of those who have lived their life doing his will, and caring for, and loving, one and other. Amen.

A Sign

Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights. At the judgement, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgement the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here."

Consideration: An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign. Jesus seeks repentance from people who need to repent for their sinfulness. In repentance we will see the sign of mercy, transformation, and redemption. Amen.