ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD!

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD!

2 Chron 12:9-12

9 So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord , and the treasures of the king's house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

10 Instead of which king Rehoboam made shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the entrance of the king's house.

11 And when the king entered into the house of the Lord , the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard chamber.

12 And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord  turned from him that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well.

          When he became king, Rehoboam sought counsel first of the older men who advised him to be a servant leader. Then he asked the young men who advised him to establish his rule with a show of force [See 1 Kings 12:6 – 10]. In addition to following bad advice, Rehoboam forsook the law of the Lord. His reign became harsh, burdensome and ungodly.

          God used the king of Egypt to punish Rehoboam by looting the Temple and the royal palace. Now, the palace guards carried great shields make of gold. These were stolen away by Shishak forcing Rehoboam to replace them with shields of brass. The brass glittered in the sunlight but all that glitters is not gold.

          When we fail to heed good advice from experienced people because we prefer the advice that will agree with our own desires, we invite disaster. When we forsake the law of the Lord we invite God’s punishment.

          Surrounding himself with advisors who only parrot his own wishes, our leader reigns in harshness with disregard to the rule of law. He is inviting disaster and his nation will bear the weight of wrath. Through it all there is an attempt to put on a happy face and to keep up appearances. Everything that glitters is paraded through the streets but all that glitters is not gold. If we want to restore the glory then we need to return to the Lord and humble ourselves before Him.

          The good is always the enemy of the best and the last phrase in 12 points this out to the careful observer. After describing the loss of great treasure and the substitution of brass for gold, we read: “also in Judah things went well.” Really? Things went well? All we have to do is look around and see that this is not so. Let’s stop pretending and return to the Lord. Perhaps in his grace He will provide for us a bit of revival.

Dear Lord, let us begin by properly evaluating our real condition. Things are not going well because we have heeded some really bad advice. We, as a nation, have forsaken you and we are suffering for it. Revive us, Lord. Amen