‘The Lord shall open unto thee His good treasure.’— Deut. xxviii. 12.

WHEN the wise men ‘opened their treasures,’ they brought out gold and frankincense and myrrh.1 When Jehovah opens unto us His good treasure, we shall see greater things than these.2

The context of this rich promise seems to make ‘the heaven’ the treasure-house; and in its primary and literal sense, the fertilizing rain is the first outpouring of the opened treasure, soon after expanded into beautiful details of the ‘precious things of heaven and . . . the precious things of the earth.’* But the spiritual blessings are closely interwoven with the temporal in the whole passage, and the faithful Israelites who did not ‘ look only for transitory promises ‘ * may well have claimed the opening of heavenly treasure through this promise.5

What shall He ‘ open unto thee?’ In a word, ‘the unsearchable riches of Christ.” In Him

> Matt. ii. IT. 2 John i. 30. 8 Deut. xxxiii. 13-16.

* Deut. xxviii. x-14. 6 Art. vii. * Eph. iii. 8.

‘are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” but the Lord shall open them unto thee. Riches of goodness, and forbearance, and longsuffering* shall be meted out in infinitely gracious proportion to our sins, and provocations, and repeated waywardness; exceeding riches3 of grace for all our poverty now, and riches in glory4 enough and to spare for all the needs of glorified capacities though all eternity. ‘All are yours’ in Him.5

Faith is the key to this infinite treasury, and in giving us faith8 He gives us treasure for treasure. He is ready to make us ‘ rich in faith,” and then still to ‘increase our faith ‘8 ‘unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding.” Ask for this golden key, and then put it into the Lord’s hand, that He may turn it in the lock.

He shall open unto thee the good treasure not only of the living Word, but of the written word.10 This is indeed ‘ treasure to be desired,”1 ‘more to be desired than gold; “2 and when Jehovah the Spirit opens this to us, we shall, we do, rejoice ‘as one that findeth great spoil.”3 Christ, the true Wisdom, has said, ‘ I will fill their treasures,”* and ‘the chambers shall be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”5 So that when He has done this we are ‘ made treasurers over treasuries,”6 and may ‘bring forth out of’ our ‘ treasure things new and old.'”

1 Col. ii. 3. 2 Rom. ii. 4. » Eph. ii. 7.

* PhiL iv. 19. 6 I Cor. iii. 22. ^ Eph, ii. 8.

‘ Jas. ii, 5. 8 Luke xvii. 5. * Col. ii. 2.

^0 Luke xxiv. 32. 11 Prov. xxi. 20. 12 Ps. xix. 10.

W Ps. cxix.162. 1* Prov. viii. 21. 16 Prov. xxiv.

W Neh. xiii. 13. ^t Matt. xiii. 52.

It is only with God-given treasure that we can enrich others. When we want to give a word to another, it generally seems to come with more power if, instead of casting about for what we think likely to suit them, we simply hand over to them any treasure word which He has freshly given to ourselves. When He opens to us some shining bit of treasure, let us not forget: ‘Freely ye have received, freely give.’1

Also, let us not stand idly waiting for some further opening of the treasure,2 but ‘let there be search made in the king’s treasure-house,” ‘in the house of the rolls where the treasures were laid up,’* where the ‘decrees’ and ‘records’ of our King are to be’found.’5 They are truly’hidden riches.’8 Neither must we trust in our own store of spiritual treasures, whether of memory, experience, or even of grace,7 for we shall soon come under the condemning word, ‘O backsliding daughter, that trusted in her treasures ! ‘8 No, it is only continual drawing from His good treasure that will profit us, even ‘the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.’* And ‘ we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.’ 10