by Matthew Lorimer
1 Kings 14:22-28 - “It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. And 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 gold shields which Solomon had made. Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house. And whenever the king entered the house of the Lord, the guards carried them, then brought them back into the guardroom.”
The Lord had blessed Israel. So much so that, when Solomon was king, he had gold shields crafted to commemorate God's goodness. Unfortunately, the story didn't end there. Soon after Solomon's death, other kings rose up who didn't fear or serve God. And by the time of King Nabad, the Lord's patience was wearing thin. To punish the nation, the Lord had the gold shields stripped from the Temple and hauled off to another country. Rather than repent, Nadab replaced the gold shields with ones made of bronze.
What can we learn from this? I would dare say God was trying to wake Nadab up. Because of his sin, the nation was straying from God. But instead of repenting and returning, Nadab became satisfied with bronze shields.
Here is a question to ponder: Am I experiencing God's best or am I settling for bronze shields? Understand, it's bigger than material possessions. Spiritually, is the body of Christ experiencing all that God intended? Or is it possible that we're settling for cheap substitutes?
The Bible says that God has a plan for our lives. But in order to experience it, we have to choose God's will instead of our own. What kind of choices are you making on a daily basis? Are you living with God's best? Or is it possible you've settled for something else?
“ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.“ -- Jeremiah 29:11
Today's reading comes from Acts 11 & Psalm 1.