1 Kings 14:25-28 ESV
25 In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house. He took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made, 27 and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king's house. 28 And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.

REPLACING GOLD WITH BRONZE.
Rehoboam’s reign at the south was marked with evil practices in almost every place. “Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done.”[v.22]

In his fifth year, Shishak king of Egypt invaded the land. He took away every treasure from the temple and the palace. This included the shields of gold that Solomon had made. Rehoboam replaced them with shields of bronze and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king's house. The wealth Solomon had accumulated were gone in just five years.

Substituting gold with bronze is unquestionably a downgrade. How many times we sacrifice the superior with the cheap in life? The temporal for the eternal? Or the important with the urgent? Let’s not forget what Paul had argued, saying, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” [2 Cor 4:17,18]

This replacement is a perfect picture of the decline under the days of Rehoboam. During Solomon’s reign, the gold shields were hung on display in the House of the House of the Forest of Lebanon (1 Kings 10:16-17). Under Rehoboam, these replacement bronze shields were kept in a protected guardroom until they were specifically needed for state occasions. He was contented to assure himself that the appearance had not much difference.
How many times a believer is ‘having the appearance of godliness but denying its power.’ [2 Tim 3:5] Forms replace functions. Religious rituals replace reverential worship. Religious appearance replaces relationship authenticity with God.

Today, are you and I replacing our gold for bronze?

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