Musing – Are We Wasting Sacrifices? “Talking Gold, living Brass”

Hebraic Musing – Are We Wasting Sacrifices? “Talking Gold, living Brass”

What Spiritual gifts has God given to us? 

Gifts of the Holy Spirit are available to us.  “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:  for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge …, to another faith …, to another gifts of healings …, to another the working of miracles,… prophecy, …discerning of spirits, … different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”  1 Corinth. 12:7-11 NKJV 

“God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will.” Hebrews 2:4    We receive and have these gifts!  And “How much better to get wisdom than gold!”   Prov.16:16  Those gifts are more precious than gold!

And God expects us to use the gifts He has given us.  “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Romans 12:6-8   Note that we are expected to utilize these gifts “according to the grace that is given to us.”  How much grace have we received?

Are we fully utilizing God’s gifts to us?   An example from 1 Kings of “Talking Gold, but Living Brass”.* 

Who was King Rehoboam?  His Father was Solomon who had plenty of Gold!  And his Grandpa was David!  BUT Rehoboam did not exercise Kingly Authority, and thus provoked God.   “And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. ….”    However we learn in v.22 “Now Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked Him (the LORD) to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done.  For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree…  They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.” 1 Kings 14:21-24 NKJV

Jerusalem, God’s city, suffered a great loss.  It seems that Rehoboam did not fight for God’s city.  “It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem.  And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made. 27 Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king's house.   And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards carried them, then brought them back into the guardroom.”  1 Kings 14:25-28  NKJV   What was the evil?  When Shishak came; he was rewarded by being given the Gold shields, etc., to get along rather than fight for the LORD’s city.  God had provided the guards with gold shields, but now they settled for brass shields!

Observe the Great Coverup in v.27.   The Brass Shields instead of Gold were shiny, looked like gold (but brass tarnishes!).  Might some of our ministry look genuine, but tarnished?
But the guards carrying brass instead of gold knew the difference!  Now it’s a show and not real.  Do we ever…
And WORSE – The Family knew the difference – for 12 years putting up a front.
They never recovered the gold!   His son and the whole nation suffered.

The Problem. “And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.”  1 Chronicles 12:14

Points to ponder

If we don’t proclaim Jesus today, then all the many many sacrifices
made by men of God throughout the Bible, and all those before us, were wasted!

Live and Speak Biblical Truth in order to Reach the World for Christ

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                      May 3, 2022
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”    Weekly “Hebraic Musings” at   InsightsByYosef.blogspot.com

*  Inspired by message “Talking Gold, living Brass” from David Shepherd at Conservative Baptist Network meeting -11/14/21  Also preached by Dr. Bailey Smith & Adrian Rogers     “”Wasted Sacrifices”