Gold vs. Bronze: Faith vs. Judgment

GOLD REPLACED WITH BRONZE
FAITH REPLACED WITH JUDGEMENT

When Rehoboam “forsook the Law of the Lord” (2 Ch. 12:1), Shishak, king of Egypt, came and took the golden shields which Solomon had made. Rehoboam replaced them with bronze.

Gold represents faith.
Bronze represents judgement.

When we don’t walk in faith, we end up critical and walking in judgement. It says that Rehoboam had the commanders guard the bronze shields. There was a particular guarding of the bronze shields-as if someone would steal them. How much like us. We guard our own religious judgements and protect them. Why? Because we know that we’re right-and others are wrong! We guard those areas in our hearts. We set up 'commanders,' our own thoughts and devices, to make sure that everyone else knows that we have the truth-and we won’t budge when we judge!!

REAP WHAT WE SOW

Egypt is a type of the world. 12:9 says that the king of Egypt “took the treasures of the house of the Lord”. The Lord’s treasures are His people. The world has infiltrated, sabotaged, and plundered God’s people with subtlety, subterfuge, and deceit. The world, the flesh, and the devil, have all had their share in plundering God’s people for too long. Let us not be misled by our bronze masquerading as our gold. "Judge not, that you not be judged" still applies to us today. "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" If all that we have been sowing is judgment, masked as 'prayer concerns', we will reap a harvest. But it won't be a harvest of righteousness by faith, it will be a harvest of destruction.

It's our choice! Let's replace our bronze with the gold! The shield of faith will bring freedom into our lives, free from playing God and judging others.