Because the Nephites had become worshippers of worldly things and had made gold, silver, and other precious things the god to whom they bowed and to whom they rendered their praise and their offerings of homage, the true and living God threatened that a curse would come upon the land, causing their riches to vanish and their buried treasures to disappear, never to be found again (compare Mormon 1:18). On the other hand, the righteous, those who chose to serve the God of heaven, could safely hide up their treasures that had been consecrated for the benefit of his kingdom; they would be protected and could be brought forth when necessary.