The Treasure in the Gold Box

In the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelites to make a box and cover it with gold. This box was called the Ark of the Covenant. While this gold covered box possessed great value, it could not compare to the value of what was contained inside of the box. The contents consisted of the Ten Commandments which were engraved on stone by the finger of God. It also contained a jar of manna and Arron’s rod that had budded, but the value of these things was small in comparison to the greatest treasure of all, which was the presence of God’s glory.

The people of Israel knew that the glory of God was the empowering force that helped them escape from Egypt. The glory cloud led them through the dessert and provided the miraculous daily provision of manna and the water that came from a rock. No enemy could come against the Israelites without being rebuked by disaster. The Israelites knew that the reason for all of this was the visible presence of the glory of God that was with them everywhere they went. The ark was the holy dwelling place that was reserved for God who’s presence brought immeasurable blessing to the Israelites. It was the greatest treasure in Israel and the greatest treasure in the world.

The Glory Departed, the Treasure was Gone

There came a time when the Israelites forsook God, and his glory departed from the temple where the ark was kept. The temple was destroyed by enemies and the ark was removed from its intended dwelling place. Israel had lost its greatest treasure, but God had a greater plan than to dwell within a golden box. He sent his son, who was both the temple and the dwelling place of God’s Spirit.

Why do I say that Jesus was the temple for the dwelling of God’s glory? Because the bible tells of an occasion when Jesus drove away the marketers and money changers who were selling over-priced animals for sacrifices and they questioned him saying, ‘“What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”’ Jesus answered them, “’Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days’” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raise from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken (John 2:18-22).”  

The Treasure in Jesus, the Treasure in Us

Not only was Jesus the temple of God, he was God. God dwelt within him. Jesus said in John 10:14, “I and the Father are one.” He prayed to his Father, God, for his disciples and all believers in John 17:21, saying, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” We also know that when he was baptized by John in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit came to rest upon him in the form of a dove. This was the anointing, or rubbing of God’s presence upon him that qualified him to be known as “Christ,” which means “the anointed one.” This anointing was God’s glory resting upon him to enable him to heal the sick, drive out demons, raise the dead, and do all miracles that he performed in a Spirit of love.

As wonderful as this is, Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, and then ascended into heaven. His body is no longer on earth to be the temple and the ark that provides a dwelling place for the presence of God. God still wants this glorious treasure of his presence to be with us on earth, but without a holy temple, or an ark, or Jesus Christ to dwell in, where can this awesome treasure of God’s presence dwell? I’m hoping you already guessed the answer, God dwells in believers, those who put their faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. We are the dwelling place of God’s Spirit, He put this great treasure in us that it may overflow as a blessing into the world.

 

God in You

We are the Dwelling place of God

As Christians, we are the dwelling place of God’s Holy Spirit through whom God pours out His blessings on this world. God may have instilled many treasures within us, but this is the greatest treasure that we possess, and his work through us is the greatest treasure that we have to offer. Some may ask, how is it that God’s Spirit first dwelled in the Ark of the Covenant, then dwelled within Jesus, and now He dwells in us? The Bible answers this by telling us that we have been baptized into Christ which means that we have been united with him in his death and resurrection life (Romans 6:3-10). We are unified with Christ through his Spirit, so that he is in us, and we are in him (John 17:22-23).

The Bible actually declares in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” The Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” The Bible is clear that the same Spirit that dwelled in the Ark of the Covenant, and the same Spirit the dwelled in Jesus Christ, the anointed one, dwells in us. Romans 8:11 says, “And if the Spirt of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” Not only that, the Bible tells us that Christ is in heaven and has assigned us to be his body on earth that his Spirit can work through (1 Corinthians 12:27).

Empowered by His Spirit

God has given us dreams and desires to motivate us to act on the gifts, talents, and abilities he has given us in order to develop them and share them with others. These are great treasures that God has given us, but the greatest treasure of all is His Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit gives us the capacity do even more with our abilities and to channel them in a way that brings blessing. God desires that all of our gifts and abilities are touched by his Spirit so that they flow out of us from a heart of love. When our talents, gifts and abilities are expressed without love, they lack the power to bless others that God intended, which is why we need his Spirit.

If you don’t already possess this treasure, you can. Simply make a decision to follow Christ, and believe that he died on the cross to take the blame for any sins that you committed. Know that he rose from the dead to promise that the same resurrection power in Christ will dwell in you, granting you eternal life as a free gift. God wants to empower the talents, gifts, and abilities that he has put inside of you and to help them to be expressed in a way that blesses others. This is the first step to maximize the treasure within you, and it can be yours as a free gift from God, just by asking.