‘But my righteousness will last for ever, my salvation through all generations’
Isaiah 51: 8 [NIV]
Isaiah 51: 8 [NIV]
I discovered a while ago, how much gold there is in the ‘gold’ jewellery you buy in the shops – perhaps you already know this? If you have a 9 carat gold ring you may think it is 100% gold, actually it is only 37.5% gold (by mass, not volume). This means it is more not-gold than gold. The rest is likely to be silver and copper (much cheaper!), and there could be some zinc in there too. So your 9 carat jewellery could have more copper in it than gold. 18 carat gold has twice as much gold in it (75%). If you want pure, 100% gold then you need to buy 24 carat gold (rare and expensive).
Gold is referred to often in the Bible, to illustrate what is valuable, rare and dependable. Gold has a value which although not constant is safer than any other currency. Even today banks and governments keep reserves in gold.
God is the ‘gold standard’ against which we can measure our righteousness. God is 100% pure and without sin. Outwardly we may look like we are 18 carat gold, but if tested we are probably significantly less. We can improve ourselves and sometimes we compare ourselves against others, however all that matters is that against the gold standard of God we are not pure.
God loves righteousness and hates sin (though he loves sinners, otherwise we would have no hope at all!). If we are to become more like God, we need to recognise sin and come to hate it. The world’s view is that sin is out of fashion and it is not politically correct to stand up against it. There is a creeping slipping of standards evident today. Look at what is on TV, even before the 9 o’clock ‘watershed’ when programmes are supposed to be suitable for children.
Lets guard against the acceptance of sin, and spend today looking to God’s gold standard of righteousness.
Dave MacLellan (first published in 2003)
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