Scripture
King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them {those made of gold} and committed them into the care of the captains of the guards…Whenever the king entered the Lord’s temple, the guards would carry the shields and take them back to the armory.
~ 2 Chronicles 12:10-11 (CSB)
Quote
Be careful who you pretend to be, you might forget who you are.
~Image Quotes
I suppose being the son of a famous king would be difficult to handle. Rehoboam’s father Solomon was a man of renown. We can question Solomon’s commitment to the LORD but there is no question about Solomon’s fame. Solomon had 700 wives and yet only one child of record. For years I have tried to find out more about Solomon’s family but Rehoboam and one sister seems to be it. Rehoboam had 18 wives and 60 concubines and he fathered 88 children–38 sons and 60 daughters. Can you imagine Christmas morning at the Rehoboam’s? Solomon had a great start but a horrible finish and is not considered a ‘good’ king. Rehoboam was horrible from start to finish. He was a tinsel king who tried to live in the past. He was a pretender. His rebellion against God and harsh attitude toward his subjects lead to Shishak’s invasion. The Egyptian monarch did not destroy the city but he did take whatever he wanted and the 200 gold shields that Solomon had crafted were among the things that he took. Those shields were plated with 15 pounds of pure gold making each shield worth over a quarter of a million. The price of all 200 shields would be well over 50 million dollars. Rehoboam has his craftsmen make new ones out of bronze or brass. He used them in the very same way that his father had used the gold ones. He was pretending that nothing had changed. It’s as if he did not understand that even a pure idiot could tell the difference.
Why do we pretend? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it is wise to wear your feelings on our sleeves but there are times when we need to be honest. Sometimes we need to smile and move on with our day, hold back the tears and pretend it’s okay but we do so to lighten the burden of those around us who are having an even tougher time. One reason every one needs a quiet time with Jesus is so you can be themselves, at least for a few minutes. What I see in our present culture is pure deception: We pretend to have it all together when the opposite is true. No one wants to be vulnerable but we should be more intelligent than Rehoboam who thought his charade was deceiving people. I know exactly what you are and what you struggle with. Impossible you say, how can you know my fears and struggles? I read the bible and the bible reads me. It not only tells me what I am, it tells me what you are. I don’t need to see you sin to know that you are a sinner. The bible makes it clear that ALL have sinned and that includes you. So you can pretend all you want but I know the truth. The fact that you never go to the altar does not mean that you have it all together, it means you are a pretender and you are more concerned about what people think than you are about what God thinks. Am I right or am I right? I don’t brag on my son much because I don’t want to put more pressure on him but I had rather hear him or someone like him any day than someone who pretends to have it all together. Honesty communicates: I sit up and pay attention when someone starts getting honest. Superficial impressions make a bigger splash than rock solid integrity but in the long term, integrity is much more rewarding. So my advice is: “Get real.”
- Jerry and Sheila made it home last night but it was after dark. Jerry had surgery in B’town yesterday.
- Ray Edwards came home Sunday evening. He is about the same.
- Weather forecast not good for farmers: more rain and possible snow. We may have a white Thanksgiving.
- Luke 14 this Sunday night.