“The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭33‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Not only are God’s people His treasure, belonging to Him because Jesus bought them with His own blood, but He also is our treasure, providing for us during our time on earth. 

Unlike ungodly people who belong to and live by the standards and practices of this world system, God’s people live in two opposing realms simultaneously. We live in earth, a fallen planet, but our citizenship is in heaven. 

Paul explains this distinction. 

“For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

People who live only in this world live for self and for now. God’s people, on the other hand, live for Jesus now and for the future. 

Jesus, in His  high-priestly prayer, made this distinction clear….

“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The problem that God’s children face in our life in this world is that we have two natures in us. The remnants of our old nature that agrees with the world remain in us. We have a strong pull to live for ourselves now. However, we also live in God’s kingdom. He has given us His nature with its desire to live in obedience to Him and under the influence and power of His Spirit in us. 

These two natures are in constant conflict, the desires of our flesh and of our spirit pulling us in opposite directions. 

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Isaiah provides an answer to this dilemma. God has prepared a deposit for us, a treasure of stability (salvation), contained in the wisdom and knowledge of His realm, Zion, where His seat of government on earth rules in justice and righteousness. 

He has given us access to this treasure by a key…

“The fear is the Lord is the key to this treasure.”

The fear of the Lord is a big subject but, for our understanding here, let me simplify it. The core of  the fear of the Lord is to hold Him in such awe, reverence, and respect that we take His Word seriously and obey Him implicitly.  

This application has many spinoffs but, for us in this context, when we obey the Lord because we honour Him, the door opens to the wisdom and knowledge we need to live under His authority despite the darkness all around us…as Solomon said…

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now let me summarise…

When we honour God and obey His Word, He opens the door to His treasure store of wisdom and knowledge. These enable us, empowered by His Spirit, to live under His rule