My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
Proverbs 2:1-5
In 1708, the San José set sail from what is now Panama carrying an immense treasure of gold, silver, and precious stones to Spain. Before it reached its destination, the ship was intercepted by the British navy, which intended to capture the vessel and seize its cargo. During the battle, however, a cannonball struck the ship’s powder magazine, sending the San José, its treasure, and nearly six hundred people to the bottom of the ocean. Today, the cargo is estimated to be worth as much as $18 billion, earning the wreck the nickname “the Holy Grail of shipwrecks.” Since the wreckage was discovered, its enormous value has sparked decades of legal battles and competing claims. The governments of Spain and Colombia have each asserted ownership, as has the salvage company that located the wreck. Historians argue that the site should remain undisturbed because it is also a burial place, while descendants of the indigenous people from whom much of the treasure was taken contend that it should be returned to them.
The reason the fate of the San José sparked such intense battles is the value of what is believed to be hidden among the wreckage. In the Word of God we have been given a treasure of far more value than any ancient coins or gems. Yet too often we take it for granted rather than treating it like the resource it is and seeking to learn and grow in our knowledge of the Bible. The more we value it and seek it, the more the Holy Spirit will lead us to the truth.
