Shields of Bronze

While passing through 1 Kings 14 I came across a couple of lines that got my attention and I thought I would stop a moment and type out a few thoughts.  This is what I read:  “1 Kings 14:25-27 (ESV) In the fifth year of King Re-hoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 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, 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.”

I remember reading about the shields of gold that were taken away by Shishak, King of Egypt.  These shields were crafted during the reign of Solomon.  For me they represented one of the best times in the life of Israel.  God was blessing the reign of Solomon so very much.  God was fulfilling a promise to Solomon that he would not only give him much wisdom, but He would also provide him with very great wealth.  Shields of gold are a testament of God’s blessings.

Now they are stolen away and Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, must replace them with shields of bronze.  He is wanting to keep up the appearance of blessing but in all actuality he is living a lie.  He is wanting a gold standard life but he is settling with bronze.  Why?

It all began with his father Solomon.  When God promised Solomon great wealth and blessing He did so with a catch.  I will bless you and those who follow you forever said the Lord as long as you walk  in my ways and statutes.  There came a time in Solomon’s life where he did not live up to that request.  He married many times over but then he got caught up in his wives’s false worship.  After sending him many warnings God divided his Kingdom and his son had the southern remnant that was left.

But then it tells us that Rehoboam allowed false worship to spread in Judah.  Judah provoked the Lord for their sins and the Lord punished.  His punishment was the defeat by Shishak who stole the shields.

I just wonder how many times we find ourselves in the place of Rehoboam.  Sin has caused us to find the displeasure of God but we want to keep up the front.  We continue to go on as if nothing has happened and we put a smile on it all.  In reality there is something vitally wrong and we cover it up.  We place a band aid on cancer and hope that it gets better.  It won’t.  You have got to deal with the cancer on the inside.  Solomon didn’t deal with it.  Rehoboam didn’t deal with it.  No longer do they live in their golden world.

Just whistling a happy tune will not make things better at all.  We must admit that we have sinned and go to the one to whom we have sinned against.  In the words of Chris Tomlin: 

We bow our hearts
We bend our knees
Oh Spirit come make us humble
We turn our eyes
From evil things
Oh Lord we cast down our idols

So give us clean hands
and give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Oh give us clean hands
and give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Oh God let this be
a generation that seeks
Who seeks Your face, Oh God of Jacob
Oh God let us be
a generation that seeks
Who seeks Your face, Oh God of Jacob