$7 million in gold found in dead Nevada man's home

An odd story, and a sad one. The scripture that comes immediately to mind is:

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)

$7 million in gold found in dead Nevada man's home
"When Walter Samaszko Jr. died at his home in Carson City, Nev., he had $200 in a bank account. But as officials later discovered, Samaszko had about $7 million stored neatly around his home, the Nevada Appeal reported. In late June, neighbors called authorities because of a smell emanating from Samaszko’s home. He was a recluse who had told them he hated the government and feared getting shots, but still, it had been a while since they had seen him, according to the Appeal. According to the coroner, Samaszko, 69, had been dead for at least a month."

"He died of heart problems, the Las Vegas Sun reported. In came the cleanup crews, which discovered boxes of gold in the garage. “At that point, we took the house apart,” said Carson City clerk-recorder Alan Glover. They found gold coins and bullion, tiny dos-pesos, $20 gold pieces, Austrian ducats, Kruggerrands and English Sovereigns dating to the 1840s – enough gold to fill two wheelbarrows. Samaszko and his mother had lived in the three-bedroom home since the 1970s, which is around the time they started collecting gold. Glover told the Appeal that the two kept detailed records of the gold they had purchased."

"As for who can lay claim to the riches -- Glover said the Internal Revenue Service will take a sizable amount in taxes -- about $750,000 -- and that the rest will likely go to a first cousin, a substitute teacher in San Rafael, Calif."

I think of what it must have been like for that old man...piling up gold, worrying about it, attending to his records of it, thinking up hiding places for it. Yet he died alone, and no one noticed for a month, until his body had decomposed and the death smell wafted out to the street. How sad!

What did he put his trust in? He didn't trust government. He didn't trust doctors. He didn't trust neighbors. He had no family to confide in. What was his heart condition? The bible tells us--

"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint." (Proverbs 23:4)

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:10)

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5).

Jesus does not condemn riches. Job and Abraham were massively wealthy and they are noted as men of integrity and faith. Yet their first priority was God. They clung to Him, His ways, and His statutes.

We should do the same. People who are not saved do not realize the utter fulfillment of knowing Jesus, no matter what the external circumstances. Whether I have money or whether I don't have money, I am rich. When we take our eyes off ourselves and our earthly belongings, and focus on Him, perspective immediately shifts to eternal treasures and immeasurable wealth of eternal life in glory. The richness is life with Him, and the treasure IS Him. Yet the unsaved senselessly cling to what will eventually disappear.

There is an old story missionary Arnold Skelton told of the natives in the jungle who discovered a way to trap monkeys. They dried and hollowed out a gourd, hung it from a tree, and in it, they placed peanuts. The monkeys would come and slither their hand into the gourd's narrow neck seeking the delicious treat. The monkey would grab a handful and clenching it, try to remove its hand from the gourd. The hole was too small for a clenched fist to go through. If they let go the peanuts, they would be free. But it would never occur to the monkeys to let go the treasure they had found. Eventually the hunter came back and killed them. Their own greed and selfishness ensnared them in a trap.

It is the same with people. Are you ensnared in a trap of your own making? Let go the gourd, and look up over the top of the trees. Jesus is in the clouds and He will return soon to claim HIS treasures: us. Please be part of that group. Repent and believe on the Gospel, and you shall be saved.

 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)