Peace Before the Promise: Where the Real Treasure Is Stored
- Catherine Guillaume-Sackey
- May 23
- 5 min read
Master of Public Affairs and Politics | 2024 Princeton P3 Scholar | 2022 Rutgers University Paul Robeson Scholar | Analyst | NJ Certified MWBE | Community Development Advocate | Leadership Development Consultant
May 23, 2025
Before the walls came down, there was peace. Before the victory was visible, there was obedience. Before Rahab saw salvation, she chose profound purpose, aligning not with certainty but with faith, not with status but with surrender.
The real treasure was never just the gold stored in the temple. It was the woman who stored peace in her spirit before the promise ever arrived. It was Rahab— transformed, reserved, and reassigned for something far greater than survival: legacy.
“They burned the city and everything in it. But they put the silver and gold, along with the bronze and iron equipment, into the treasury of the LORD’s house.” — Joshua 6:24 (CEB)
“Instead of bronze, I will bring gold; instead of iron, I will bring silver. Instead of wood, I will bring bronze; and instead of stones, I will bring iron. I will make peace your overseer and righteousness your taskmaster.” — Isaiah 60:17 (CEB)
There’s something sacred about realizing you weren’t just spared—you were preserved. Not set aside because you didn’t fit in, but set apart because your struggles have value and were never meant to blend in.
That’s the kind of revelation that began to take shape in my life when I wrote “I Am Being Rebuilt.” I didn’t fully understand then that God wasn’t just helping me recover from hard seasons—He was recasting my foundation. He was refining me, not back to who I was, but forward into someone I hadn’t yet become.
And then I met Rahab again.
Not for the first time, but in a deeper way. Not just the woman with a past, but a woman with a prophetic position.
Rahab: The Treasure That Lived
When Jericho fell, Scripture tells us everything was burned—but the silver, gold, bronze, and iron were spared and stored in the treasury of the Lord’s house (Joshua 6:24). Those weren’t just resources. They were symbols. God was declaring: Even in destruction, I preserve what still carries value for My purpose.
Here’s the revelation: Isaiah 60:17 unveils the value God sees in what He preserves.
“Instead of bronze I will bring gold; instead of iron I will bring silver…” (Isaiah 60:17a, CEB)
God doesn’t just store what survives—He refines it. He upgrades it. Just as Joshua stored the metals for God's use, so God stores the refined version of you—the you that has come through fire, the you who stayed soft in surrender, the you He values enough to place in His treasury.
Rahab lived this truth. She wasn’t burned with the city. She was saved before the fire and set apart, just like the precious metals. Her life wasn’t simply rescued—it was reserved for something more. And not because she had it all together—quite the opposite. She made her choice while still standing in the wreckage.
But here’s what often gets overlooked:
“The men said to her, ‘We will be free from this pledge you made us swear unless, when we enter the land, you tie this red woven cord in the window… and gather your father, mother, brothers, and your whole family into the house with you.’” — Joshua 2:17–18 (CEB)
Rahab didn’t just save herself. She saved her family. And maybe, like her, you've been grinding out a purpose that revolves around providing for those you love. Maybe you've thought, If I can just build enough wealth, gain enough traction, and climb high enough, I can secure safety for my family. That’s not wrong. I know that thought intimately. I once built my strategy around it, too.
But God interrupted me. And lovingly corrected my understanding.
He whispered: “You provide for others— I will provide for you.”
That’s when peace entered the room. Not the kind that comes from a padded savings account, but the kind Isaiah 60:17 talks about:
“I will make peace your overseer and righteousness your taskmaster.”
I began to prioritize obedience, even on days when I felt distant from God. On those days when I lacked a prophetic dream or spiritual high, I had to ask myself, 'What Would Jesus Do—really?' and make choices from there.
I had to confront my instincts: the parts of me that wanted to self-protect, overreact, or hold onto bitterness. I had to override my knee-jerk responses—the emotions of selfishness, anger, and frustration—and let the fruits of the Spirit guide my way instead.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” — Galatians 5:22 23 (CEB)
It was a surrender of control. And a reclaiming of legacy.
The Isaiah 60 Exchange: You Are the Gold He Brings Forth
Isaiah 60:17 is not just a promise of material abundance. It is a picture of your inner transformation.
In “Reassigned by Refinement”, I wrote about how survival strength must be surrendered to build with Kingdom strength. God was trading my bronze for gold, my iron for silver—not just improving me, but transforming my operating system.
“This third I will bring through the fire. I will refine them like one refines silver; I will test them like one tests gold.” — Zechariah 13:9 (CEB)
And I wonder—what if your past was not a flaw to fix, but the evidence of what can endure fire and still shine?
This Is About You Too
You may not be standing outside a literal burning city, but I imagine there are places in your life that feel scorched—losses, transitions, silence, disappointment.
But what if what remains isn’t rubble, but refined treasure? What if the part of you still standing is the part God intends to store in His treasury?
“We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but we aren’t crushed… We are knocked down, but we aren’t knocked out.” — 2 Corinthians 4:8–9 (CEB)
Friend, you are not what you went through. You are what God preserved through it.
Where others saw rubble, He saw resources.
Where others wrote you off, He wrote you in.
Where others saw shame, He saw a sacred story.
You are Rahab. You are gold. You are not leftover—you are reserved for glory.
And here’s the part that humbles me the most:
Rahab’s story didn’t end when the walls fell. Because she chose peace and righteousness, she became an ancestor to the One who would embody both—Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and the King of Righteousness.
“Salmon was the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab…” — Matthew 1:5 (CEB)
Her “yes” in a moment of chaos became a legacy that birthed redemption itself.
“A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse... The Lord’s spirit will rest upon him…” — Isaiah 11:1–2 (CEB)
So if you’ve been questioning the worth of your obedience... If you’ve been wondering if your quiet sacrifices matter...
Know this: God still knows where He stored you. And He never forgets what He preserves.
“Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven… where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” — Matthew 6:19 21 (CEB)
Your real treasure isn’t in what you’ve built—it’s in who you’re becoming. You are the treasure. You are being stored, refined, and reassigned for Kingdom use. And God hasn’t lost track of you, not even for a moment.
So surrender the pressure. Release the weight. You don’t have to figure it all out or strive your way into purpose.
Allow God to repurpose you for His purpose, and He’ll handle the rest.
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