The Bundle of Life
The Rich and greedy Nabal refused to help David and his band of men who were languishing in the wilderness, an enraged David determined to kill him. His hasty resolution was turned aside by the generous gift of provisions, and the gentle, yet forceful, words of that sterling character Abigail, wife of Nabal. In her plea she reminded David of the law of God, and of his privileged position as the Lord’s anointed.
Among her words were the following:
Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God. But the lives ofyour enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling (I Sam 25:29).
Abigail’s words to David use a beautiful illustration: the “bundle of the living” (NIV), or “the bundle of life” (KJV).
The bundle
The “bundle” (Heb. tserowr) was a pouch where precious possessions were kept; the same Hebrew word occurs in Genesis 42:35 (“money pouches”), Proverbs 7:20 (“purse filled with money”), and Haggai 1:6 (“purse”). J.S. Mayer writes, in Biblical Illustrator:
“It is a very beautiful expression, especially when you consider what the word bundle would mean in those times. Nowadays we do not usually associate anything precious with a bundle. It is rather the other way. If a household were removing, for instance, it would be the odds and ends, the things of little value, that would likely be put into a bundle for convenience of removal. The precious things of the household would be secured in some safer way than by being simply huddled together in a bundle. But in those primitive days they had not such elaborate means of securing safety. In shifting their tents to pastures new, any things of special value would simply be bound up in a bundle, and the husband or wife would see to it that that bundle was well looked after on the journey. It would be with them on their camel, or somewhere where they could always see it. Note, however, in passing, that the other metaphor Abigail makes use of with regard to the enemies of David: `The souls of thine enemies, them shall He sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.’ It is a very forcible way of putting it. It just means emphatically the opposite of the care and attention connected with the bundle. What could be thought more lightly of than the stone slung out of a sling? So, the bundle implies that which is particularly valuable, whereas the stone slung out of a sling suggests that which is worthless, not worth taking any trouble or concern about.”
Treasured possessions
The ultimate, and most beautiful, picture illustrating this concept is Malachi 3:16,17 – although the same Hebrew word is not used here, the idea is very relevant. “Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. ‘They will be mine,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him.'”
What a “picture” of redemption: to be taken by the loving hand of an omnipotent Father, and “bound up” in the bundle of His special and treasured possessions, kept safe and secure close by Him, through all travels and trials, until the final destination is reached.
The Treasure Hidden in a Field
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field (Matt. 13:44).
Noted nineteenth-century scholar John Kitto writes, also in Biblical Illustrator:
“Owing to the insecurity of property in the East, from war and oppression, joined to the necessity of keeping valuable property in hand, for want of secure banks of deposit, the practice of hiding precious utensils and ornaments, money and jewels, has always been common. Often these are built up into the walls of the owner’s house, often buried in fields and gardens.”
What might the “treasure” symbolize?
- Understanding and insight into the truth of God’s revelation (Prov. 2:2-5).
- Wisdom, especially the wisdom that comes from God (Prov 16:16).
We should search for this understanding and wisdom diligently, as if it were “hidden treasure” (Prov. 2:4). This “treasure” is to be found particularly in Christ: “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:2,3).
There is an obvious connection as well as a distinct contrast between the parable of Matthew 13:44 and the next one.
The Pearl of Great Price
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it (Matt. 13:45,46).
In the earlier parable, the man stumbles upon the “treasure” – he was evidently not seeking it at all; he didn’t even know it was to be found! But in the second parable, the merchant has been searching high and low for the greatest “treasure,” the greatest pearl: tirelessly and with a practiced eye, he has sifted through and evaluated other pearls; he knows the worth of what he seeks, and he knows immediately when he finds it: “This is it,” he cries out in joy, “my heart’s desire!”
In each case, whether by apparent accident, or by design and ceaseless effort, the man who at last finds the great “treasure” will do anything, and part with everything else, if only he might acquire it!
So it should be with the knowledge of Christ that leads to eternal life. Never has there been, nor ever shall there be, such a treasure as this. One man may happen upon it, in what looks like the purest coincidence (but really isn’t!) – a leaflet picked up and casually perused, a word listened to at just the right moment. Another man may seek diligently, a whole lifetime, until he finds the real and satisfying truth of the Bible. Each path is acceptable, and each path has been taken by many men and women. The point is that each path leads to the same goal: the “treasure” of life.
Christ in the parables
It must be said that there is an interesting “twist” in the story. Notice that “the man” in the other parables of Matthew 13 plainly represents Christ: for example, he is the man who sows the seed, in each of the first two parables (vv. 3, 24, 37).
Thus the question arises: instead of the “treasure” being the “gospel” or “Christ” himself, and the man the one who finds the gospel, why not the reverse? Why not: the man who finds the “treasure” is Christ, and the treasure being found is the believer?
The answer, I believe, is why not indeed? Whether it be by what appears to be coincidence (but which is really the providence of God), or by diligent and long searching, Christ will seek out and find HIS “treasure,” HIS “pearls.”
And they will be the “treasured possessions,” the “jewels” in his crown (cp. Phil. 4:1; I Thess. 2:19), the ones who are bound up in HIS “bundle” of precious things!
They will be Christ’s “treasure,” also, BECAUSE they “treasured” what they found. It is a cliché, surely, that in time we all become what we seek after, or what we want to be. The pleasure-seeker becomes a hedonist, the leisure-seeker becomes lazy, the ardent striver after wealth becomes rich: what we desire in our heart of hearts is what, at the last, we will BECOME! “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” and “As a man thinks in his heart, so he becomes.”
The seeker after the treasure of God’s truth, His word, His promises – who desires that above all else, and who will sacrifice everything else to possess it will, in the end, BECOME the very “treasure” which he sought! If the word of God is precious (I Sam. 3:1) – and we know it is – then those who treasure that word will become themselves the precious “word made flesh” (John 1:14). They will have the treasure of God’s word stored in jars of clay (II Cor. 4:7), and they will eagerly anticipate the day when their corruptible vessels will become incorruptible vessels of eternal truth.
United all together, the individual redeemed ones will constitute the Bride of the Lamb, the “virtuous woman” who is the Bridegroom’s greatest treasure, “for she is worth far more than rubies” (Prov. 31:10).
Two aspects of redemption
Each of these two propositions has merit, and each – it is believed – may be true:
- Do we seek Christ, or does Christ seek us?
- Do we find Christ, or does Christ find us?
And the answer is: Yes, and yes! It all depends on which perspective we have. To human eyes and human experience, it may appear as though WE do all the seeking and all the finding. Yet from God’s point of view, we all were known and marked out ahead of time. We do not save ourselves; we cannot save ourselves. Rather, we are searched for, and found, and redeemed, and treasured – all because of HIS desire, and by HIS will:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us [literally, ‘marked us out ahead of time’] to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves (Eph. 1:3-6).
Those chosen of God are bound up in the “bundle” of God’s living “pearls,” and at last forming the wondrous treasure which adorns His Son’s glorious crown.
“Come out, you daughters of Zion, and look at the king wearing the crown, the crown with which he was crowned on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced” (Song. 3:11).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One