REAL THING OR A LOOK ALIKE?

“So king Rehoboam made more shields to put in their places. But these shields were made from bronze, {not gold}. He gave the shields to the men who were guarding the palace gates.”
I Kings 14:27
(Easy-to-Read Version)

Solomon’s temple and the contents were made of the finest materials. King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold, each containing over fifteen pounds of gold (2 Chronicles 9:16-16). Gold is the highest and most precious metal and represents righteousness or divinity.
After the death of Solomon the kingdom was divided and his son, Rehoboam, became King over Judah (two southern tribes of Judah & Benjamin). Rehoboam did evil in the sight of the Lord because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 12:14). The people sinned worse than their fathers.
After he led the people into idolatry, Shishak, an Egyptian, rose up to attack Jerusalem, although he would not destroy them. He plundered Solomon’s temple and took away all the treasures, including the gold shields. Interestingly, Rehoboam replaced the shields, but rather than use gold, he used bronze.
When Rehoboam walked through the temple, the bronze shields looked like the genuine shields of his father, but in fact, they were a cheap look alike! Why did Rehoboam settle for a cheaper substitute? Did he not want to pay the price for the real thing? Did he want to keep up appearances to impress the people without paying the price? Gold is more costly than bronze, however, it will not rust or tarnish, unlike its counterpart. Bronze is a tin alloy. It is used to make bells and cymbals. Gold is tempered and durable. I Corinthians 13:1 says, “I may speak in different languages of people or even angels. But if I do not have love (GOLD), I am only a noisy bell or a crashing cymbal (Bronze).” We cannot replace the gold shield of the love of God with bronze look-alike of lust and selfishness.
Rehoboam and his guards knew the bronze shields were inferior, but they chose to keep them any way. They even guarded the bronze shields which were of no real value and were of inferior quality. Imagine the effort to keep up the appearance of the bronze shields! It may seem easier to choose a look alike, but be assured it will not stand the test of time. You will have to continue to polish and remove the tarnish. The counterfeit will always cost you more in the long run.
Are we substituting excellence with just being average and mediocrity? Which are we choosing? Are we offering the gold of repentance or the bronze of an apology or excuse? The gold of relationship with the bronze of religion? The gold of true unity with the bronze of ‘going along to get along’ and compromise? Accept only the real thing in your relationship with God. The gold will cost, but it is worth it!