Great Spoil

Psalm 119:162: I rejoice at Your Word like one who finds great spoil.

At the end of the summer a year or two ago, it was time to harvest our garden, and surprisingly enough, my darling little children (who were 5 and 3 at that point, I believe) weren’t all that interested in helping me dig up potatoes. Work in the garden, Mom? No thank you! That all changed when I sprinkled a few handfuls of change into the dirt. Suddenly they couldn’t wait to help me with the chores! Potatoes were apparently not worth the effort, but shiny pennies sure were! When we were finished, their little faces were filled with glee as they surveyed their spoils, true buried treasure.

It’s a fun little anecdote about the motivations of preschoolers, but it came to mind this week as I read Psalm 119:162: “I rejoice at Your Word like one who finds great spoil.” So often, although I know with the utmost certainty that the Scriptures hold a bounty of treasure and although the value and worth of the Word of God have been revealed to me time and again, as I approach my morning devotion time I carry with me the attitude of a preschooler digging for potatoes. Distractions abound: Facebook, email, breakfast for my kids, the cat begging to be let out (or back in), the book I meant to reserve at the library, the other book that I’ve borrowed for too long and remains unfinished, the text that was sent only in my head, and on it goes. I’m sure you can think of probably dozens of other things that compete for our attention when we sit down with Bible in hand. I know I should protect and value my time in the Scripture with the same fervor I might dig for treasure that I know is buried in my yard, but all too frequently my thoughts and attitude convey the truth: I’m digging for mere potatoes, and the results aren’t worth the effort. It’s one of the reasons my most frequent prayer for my children, my husband, those around me at church and Bible study, and for myself too is for God to teach us to love His Word above all else.

I’ve spent literal months in this psalm, and if v162 is one of the most challenging (for now, at least) perhaps the most comforting verse is at the end. After 175 verses, primarily of professed devotion and love and obedience, it ends with a cry for help. “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments.” Even the writer of this psalm, whether David or Asaph or another – even the one who says that he seeks the Lord with his whole heart (v10), claims the testimony of the Lord as his heritage forever (v111), and keeps His law continually for eternity (v44) – even he needs the Lord to bring him back. So do I. Lord, I have gone astray in my thoughts and affections and priorities; seek Your servant.

For further reading, consider Psalm 119:72, 127; Psalm 4:7; Matthew 13:44-46.