Better Than Gold

Several years ago, my husband and I visited the site of what had once been an amethyst mining operation. The price of admission included the privilege of searching for left-behind pieces of amethysts that still littered a rocky half-acre or more of land adjacent to the visitor’s center where we purchased tickets.

With great excitement, we set right to work. At first, we walked around looking for pieces lying on the ground. Then we resorted to digging in places that seemed promising. By the time we grew too weary to continue the back-breaking “mining,” we’d placed several various-sized pieces of purple stones in our buckets.

We were thrilled with our semi-precious stones, as we’d been pleased with the flecks of gold we’d panned for while on a trip to Alaska in 1996. (I opted to let an employee there place my gold in a pair of small, oval-shaped earrings.) 

But the “mining” we’d done wasn’t the real kind done by true miners! Their work is infinitely harder because they have to go far deeper (and more often!) into the earth to find the sought-after riches.

As I thought about these two “mining” experiences, I realized that studying the Bible is much like mining. Even a casual reading of God’s Word yields precious gems of truth. But if we’ll dig deeper and deeper (and dig often!) into His Word, the treasures (such as wisdom, knowledge, understanding, vision, perspective, faith, trust, and …) will increase exponentially.

Cry out for insight and understanding. 

Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, 

and you will gain knowledge of God. 

For the LORD grants wisdom! 

From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 

He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly.

Proverbs 2:3-7a, New Living Translation

Happy is the person who finds wisdom and gains understanding. For the profit of wisdom is better than silver, 

and her wages are better than gold. 

Wisdom is more precious than rubies; 

nothing you desire can compare with her. 

She offers you life in her right hand, 

and riches and honor in her left. 

She will guide you down delightful paths; 

all her ways are satisfying.

Proverbs 3:13-17, New Living Translation