April 2nd, 2026
This week, I’ve been thinking differently about a verse of Scripture I’ve known for as long as I can remember. 119:11 says,
“I have stored up your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
That’s the version of this verse I’ve known as long as I can remember. Other popular versions say, “hidden your Word” rather than “stored up your Word.”
However, the best translation of that particular Hebrew word is not either of those things. The word actually means to treasure. That may seem like a minute difference, but it is significant in the way that we relate to God’s Word.
I went to a Christian elementary school, and we would make a declaration every morning regarding the Bible. It went,
“I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.”
For years of my life, I declared daily that I would store His Word in my heart. I have no doubt the power of that declaration, repeated so often, positively affected my life, but it wasn’t until I truly learned to treasure His Word that it changed my life.
See, there are a lot of things we can say and store that we don’t treasure. There are things in bins in my garage that I haven’t seen in years. I tossed them in there in case I need them someday, or until I do some decluttering and donate them. They’re stored, but they aren’t treasured.
We have to be careful not to treat God’s Word that way. We can’t treat the written Word, or the things He speaks to us specifically, as things to be stored. We can’t tuck them away and all but forget about them. What value do you place on the Word of God?
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was given great insight into who Jesus was while He was still a baby. Luke 2:19 says,
“Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”
Later, when Jesus was twelve years old and had been in the temple teaching the scholars, it says,
“His mother treasured up all these things in her heart.”
Mary wasn’t throwing those words and experiences regarding Jesus into storage to be forgotten. She was treasuring them, carefully pondering them, as she saw the miraculous purpose of God unfold in Jesus’ life.
The value we place on God’s Word will directly affect the course of our lives.
Proverbs 2:1-5 says,
“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.”
I encourage you to read all of Proverbs 2. It goes on to say that the wisdom of God will be like a shield, guarding and delivering you. It’s a beautiful passage of Scripture and the truth is that when we seek His Word, we will inevitably find Him. Jesus is the Word made flesh and the written Word of God is inspired by the Holy Spirit. We should regard every Scripture and every Word that He speaks as unspeakably valuable. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says,
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Jesus said in Matthew 4:4,
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.”
His Word is our very life, necessary for training, completion, and equipping. It’s not optional for our well-being. It’s the foundation!
If we regard His Word as treasure, we will treat it differently than if we see it as helpful, optional, or even if we regard it as just a tool. God’s Word is a tool He’s given us. It’s the Sword of the Spirit—the weapon we use to combat the enemy. Jesus used the Word of God when confronted by the devil in the wilderness (Luke 4). However, the tool of His Word only works when you learn to wield it as something to be treasured, not something to be used.
There are Christians alive today with such limited access to the Word of God that they treasure even one page. Many of us have Bibles in every room, but does that mean we treasure it as the gift that it is? Do we search His Word for insight by the Holy Spirit, as we would for hidden treasures?
To conclude, let’s look at just a few more verses regarding the value of God’s Word. Psalm 119:2 says,
“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart.” Psalm 119:14-16 says,
“In the way of your testimonies, I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your Word.”
Psalm 119:161-162 says,
“…my heart stands in awe of your words. I rejoice at your Word like one who finds great spoil.”
Proverbs 4:20-22 says,
“My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.”
Joshua 1:8 says,
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says,
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
None of these verses speak of a casual handling of God’s Word. We are not meant to store His Word like clutter in our house to be found when we need it. We’re meant to treasure it, hiding it carefully in our hearts, the way we keep valuable items in secure places. We’re meant to treasure His Word in our hearts, keeping it always on our lips, and in our minds. As we do, we will see every promise of His Word unfold for us. It’s His promise!
“I have stored up your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
That’s the version of this verse I’ve known as long as I can remember. Other popular versions say, “hidden your Word” rather than “stored up your Word.”
However, the best translation of that particular Hebrew word is not either of those things. The word actually means to treasure. That may seem like a minute difference, but it is significant in the way that we relate to God’s Word.
I went to a Christian elementary school, and we would make a declaration every morning regarding the Bible. It went,
“I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.”
For years of my life, I declared daily that I would store His Word in my heart. I have no doubt the power of that declaration, repeated so often, positively affected my life, but it wasn’t until I truly learned to treasure His Word that it changed my life.
See, there are a lot of things we can say and store that we don’t treasure. There are things in bins in my garage that I haven’t seen in years. I tossed them in there in case I need them someday, or until I do some decluttering and donate them. They’re stored, but they aren’t treasured.
We have to be careful not to treat God’s Word that way. We can’t treat the written Word, or the things He speaks to us specifically, as things to be stored. We can’t tuck them away and all but forget about them. What value do you place on the Word of God?
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was given great insight into who Jesus was while He was still a baby. Luke 2:19 says,
“Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”
Later, when Jesus was twelve years old and had been in the temple teaching the scholars, it says,
“His mother treasured up all these things in her heart.”
Mary wasn’t throwing those words and experiences regarding Jesus into storage to be forgotten. She was treasuring them, carefully pondering them, as she saw the miraculous purpose of God unfold in Jesus’ life.
The value we place on God’s Word will directly affect the course of our lives.
Proverbs 2:1-5 says,
“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.”
I encourage you to read all of Proverbs 2. It goes on to say that the wisdom of God will be like a shield, guarding and delivering you. It’s a beautiful passage of Scripture and the truth is that when we seek His Word, we will inevitably find Him. Jesus is the Word made flesh and the written Word of God is inspired by the Holy Spirit. We should regard every Scripture and every Word that He speaks as unspeakably valuable. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says,
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Jesus said in Matthew 4:4,
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.”
His Word is our very life, necessary for training, completion, and equipping. It’s not optional for our well-being. It’s the foundation!
If we regard His Word as treasure, we will treat it differently than if we see it as helpful, optional, or even if we regard it as just a tool. God’s Word is a tool He’s given us. It’s the Sword of the Spirit—the weapon we use to combat the enemy. Jesus used the Word of God when confronted by the devil in the wilderness (Luke 4). However, the tool of His Word only works when you learn to wield it as something to be treasured, not something to be used.
There are Christians alive today with such limited access to the Word of God that they treasure even one page. Many of us have Bibles in every room, but does that mean we treasure it as the gift that it is? Do we search His Word for insight by the Holy Spirit, as we would for hidden treasures?
To conclude, let’s look at just a few more verses regarding the value of God’s Word. Psalm 119:2 says,
“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart.” Psalm 119:14-16 says,
“In the way of your testimonies, I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your Word.”
Psalm 119:161-162 says,
“…my heart stands in awe of your words. I rejoice at your Word like one who finds great spoil.”
Proverbs 4:20-22 says,
“My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.”
Joshua 1:8 says,
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says,
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
None of these verses speak of a casual handling of God’s Word. We are not meant to store His Word like clutter in our house to be found when we need it. We’re meant to treasure it, hiding it carefully in our hearts, the way we keep valuable items in secure places. We’re meant to treasure His Word in our hearts, keeping it always on our lips, and in our minds. As we do, we will see every promise of His Word unfold for us. It’s His promise!
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