ON THE VANGUARD

UNIQUE TREASURE
“In turn Adonai is agreeing today that you are his own unique treasure, as he promised you; that you are to observe all his mitzvoth; and that he will raise you high above all the nations he has made, in praise, reputation and glory; and that, as he said, you will be a holy people for Adonai your God.”
Deuteronomy 26:18-19

About twelve years ago I was out taking a walk and saw a coin on the ground. Now I am the kind of person that will stop and pick up money when found, even if it happens to be only a penny. So when I bent down to grab this coin, I found a coin I had not seen before. Using a little spit to wipe the dirt off, I found the top to look like a nickel. When I turned it over, though, I saw a buffalo. In my mind, I had just found a treasure. I hurried home to do a better cleaning job and found the date. Oh I was sure this was something now. Later that day, I made a call to a local coin collector and told him about my treasure, wondering exactly how much it may be worth beings so old. I was shocked to hear his quote. “Because I have so many and they are still common, it won’t be worth more than a dollar.” What? How could it be only worth that much? If it was so common why was this the first time I had seen one? I was perplexed that my treasure was not as unique as I had thought.
I was reading the Bible last night with my children and we read a section from Deuteronomy 26. Even though the passage doesn’t say the words “IF” and “THEN”, the latter part of the chapter really is an if/then statement. Let me show you. “You are agreeing today that Adonai is your God and that you will follow his ways; observe his laws, mitzvoth (commands), and rulings; and do what he says.” This is the “IF”. If we agree to do all that God has decreed, keeping His commands and walking in His ways, then we get to enjoy the benefit. And the benefit, the “THEN”, is so worth doing what He has commanded us.
Here is the “THEN”. “In turn Adonai is agreeing today that you are his own unique treasure, as he promised you; that you are to observe all his mitzvoth; and that he will raise you high above all the nations he has made, in praise, reputation and glory; and that, as he said, you will be a holy people for Adonai your God.” The “THEN” is that He raises us up above others in praise, reputation, and glory. But what is more, in doing the “IF” we become His unique treasure. Unlike my coin which did not turn out to be worth thousands, God places a great value on us.
But before I close, I want to take a minute to explain just how valuable we are to Him. The word for ‘unique’ in Hebrew is CAGULLAH. We translate it not only as unique, but also as valued property, peculiar treasure, a jewel, or possessed. Think about this. In God’s part of this joint relationship He is agreeing that we are His possession, His jewel of value, and His treasure. There are many days when I do not feel like a treasure. In fact, I probably have more days when I feel like a trash can in His presence as opposed to a treasure. Yet He thinks highly of me. Granted I need to do my part in keeping His commands and walking solely in His ways, but when I do as He has commanded I am looked at as His unique treasure.
I am so tired of looking in the mirror and feeling overtaken with disgust. I am so tired of stepping out of line with Him and being left to my own demise. I want to walk only in His ways, agreeing with Him today that I will follow Him, observe His laws and commands, and do what He says. I do not want to do it only for the “THEN” portion, but because in the “THEN” portion I begin to see myself as He sees me. I begin to see I truly am His unique treasure.