“‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal’” ( Matthew 6:19 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal: ).

Heaven is the only safe place for treasure.

In the Orient during biblical times, wealth was basically preserved in three ways. There was no paper, there were no bank books, there was nothing to match the kind of system we have. Wealth was identified in literal commodities: garments, grain, and gold or precious metals.

Garments in the Bible were always an expression of wealth. In Judges 14:12 12 And Samson said unto them, Let me now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can declare it unto me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment; Samson told the Philistines that if they could answer his riddle, he would give them “thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes.” But there is one problem with garments—moths eat them. Have you ever noticed that moths don’t eat what you wear, only what you store? We tend to hoard, and a lot of our treasure is invested in our garments, waiting for moths to destroy them.

Grain was another source of wealth. The rich fool said he would tear down his barns and build larger ones to store all his grain and goods ( Luke 12:18 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods. ). In Matthew 6:19 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal: the Greek word translated “rust” literally means “eating.” The problem with grain is that mice, rats, worms, and vermin like to eat it.

The third commodity was gold or precious metal. The problem with this one is, where can a person hide it? He might keep it in his house, but a thief could break in and steal it. Therefore, it was common to find a secret place in a field and in the dark of night dig a hole and bury it. But thieves would lurk around at night and watch where men would bury their treasure, then later dig it up.

Nothing you own is completely safe from destruction or theft. And even if you keep your possessions perfectly secure during your entire life, you are certainly separated from them at death. That’s why Jesus said you should lay up treasures in Heaven “where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal” (v. 20). What about you? Are you putting your treasure in a safe place?

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank the Lord for providing a secure and eternal place where you can invest for His glory.

For Further Study

Read James 5:1-3 Chapter 5 1 Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver are rusted; and their rust shall be for a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. Ye have laid up your treasure in the last days. . What happened to the commodities there?

From Strength for Today by John MacArthur Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

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