Kings 14:27-28

“…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. 28 And as often as the king went into the house of the LORD, the guard carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.”
ESV 1 Kings 14:27-28

I heard a story once of a man who marched into the office one day positively beaming. It seems that over the weekend his wife had told him that he was a model husband. Bursting with pride, he told everyone who would listen about this magnificent compliment that his wife had paid him.

Most people listened politely, but as the day wore on, folks began to tire of his boasting. Finally, a co-worker asked him if he had given any thought to what the comment might really mean. Well, of course he had and he commenced to list a host of positive connotations that the compliment might have. His co-worker abruptly brought him down to earth by pointing out the meaning of the word “model”…a cheap imitation of the real thing.

When Solomon was King of Israel, he commissioned 200 large shields and 300 smaller shields that were made of solid gold. To put that into perspective, we are talking about over 2,000 pounds of gold! Oh what they must have looked like lining the palace walls. I imagine them in an outdoor procession with the sunlight reflecting off of a hammered gold finish. Can you imagine the splendor of it all? The shields were stored inside the palace and when Solomon ventured out, the shields were sent out before him; a symbol of his status, wealth and the financial health of the kingdom.

Unfortunately, the legacy did not extend far into the reign Solomon’s son Rehoboam. Rehoboam lost the shields, and most other kingdom treasures, to an invading king from Egypt just five years into his reign. But Rehoboam replaced the shields with shields of bronze. Oh, they looked like gold. And when painstakingly polished, bronze shines like gold. Like Solomon, Rehoboam sent the shields out ahead of him in a public display every time he went to the Lord’s house. But though they glittered, Rehoboam’s shields were nothing more than a cheap imitation of the real thing; a deceptive false front.

How genuine are you in your commitment to God? If you attend church, do you attend because it is the socially acceptable thing to do or do you attend so that you can come together with other believers and worship God? When you dress up and go to the Lord’s house, is your worship genuine?

As you reflect these next few days on the year that will soon pass us by, and as you make resolutions for 2007, examine yourself honestly before God. Ask yourself this question: Has my commitment to God been the real deal this past year or has it been a cheap imitation of the real thing?

Resolve to be genuine in your commitment to God in 2007 and may your worship flow from a heart that desires His glory. Happy New Year!

-Ken Askew