The honest prayer of Amy Carmichael rings true: “Lord, make me what I seem to be.”
Clearly, metals can be symbolic. Who has a golden voice, a lead foot, a tin ear, or an iron will? Examining the tabernacle, we thought about truth illustrated by the gold, silver, and bronze objects. Today we see how eloquently the metals speak. On the way up from Egypt, Shishak took the fortified cities. On the way back, he “took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took everything” (2 Chron 12:9). One category of treasure is mentioned. He took “the gold shields which Solomon had made.” There were “two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold” (1 Ki 10:16-17). Gone! So what did Rehoboam do? He “made bronze shields in their place” (2 Chron 12:10). The term “brazen” is synonymous with words like arrogant, audacious, or insolent. The idea was that a man with a brazen face couldn’t blush. The term “brassy” suggests “tastelessly showy,” and that’s exactly what this action was by the king. Unfortunately this is a recurring problem. One generation pays the price for quality; the next generation settles for no more than appearance. In society, product development has been replaced by brand image. The mantra is “Perception is reality.” It happens in the church, too. The first generation has the truth in their hearts, the next may only have it on their bookshelves. God-given convictions dribble down to mere opinions. Instead of standing on the promises, we’re just sitting in the premises. What has happened to evangelistic zeal, tears at the Lord’s Supper, all-night prayer, the hope of His return? Being bold and brassy just won’t do. Has the enemy stolen the gold?