Title
From Gold To Bronze
Scripture
He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made. Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place
(1 Kings 14:26-27)
Devotional
The foolishness of Rehoboam brought his inherited kingdom from glory to mediocrity---from gold to bronze. During the reign of Solomon gold was more than plentiful, and silver was as common as stones. Here we see the price of the sin of a nation. When God’s people turn away from His ways, the ways of His people degenerate. Like the onset of sin, the transition from gold to bronze can come so very subtly. Rebellion took the nation of Israel from Solomon and all his glory to Rehoboam and all his infamy. Here are the wages of sin. Sin will take you from honor to dishonor, from joy to sorrow, and from gold to bronze. We so foolishly give up the best for perceived good. A little pride, a little arrogance, and our collapse can come like a thief in the night. Which are you listening too, the counsel of gold or the counsel of bronze?
Text For The Day
1 Kings 14:26, 27: He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made. Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place.
Thought For The Day
“In reading the Scriptures I find a great moral power. Therein am I made aware of two great forces for good in human experience: the ‘fear’ of God and the ‘grace’ of God. Without the fear of God I should not stop at doing evil; the fear of God restrains from evil. Without the grace of God I should have no desire to approach positive goodness. The one is a deterrent from evil; the other an encouragement to good.” Jim Elliot, The Journals of Jim Elliot.
Questions To Ponder
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Does regression ever come by way of righteousness?
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Does God ever take us from a higher plain to a lower plain because of obedience?
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Are you growing in grace, faith, and knowledge or are you regressing?
Morning Study Guide
Defining: “Gold to bronze” did not come because of humility, but because of pride. Some of the most prideful people I know are those who are impoverished—they are impoverished not because of outward circumstances, but because of inward pride.
Referencing: “You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God,” Deuteronomy 28:12-13.
Applying: If you find your life in a state of entropy and if you find yourself digressing spiritually, repent.