In The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien said:
“All that is gold does not
glitter,
Not all those who wander are
lost;
The old that is strong does
not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by
the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall
be woken,
A light from the shadows
shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that
was broken,
The crownless again shall be
king.”
In William Shakespeare’s play
The Merchant of Venice we read:
“All that glisters is not
gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgement
old
Your answer had not been
inscroll’d
Fare you well, your suit is
cold.”
And then there was Geoffrey Chaucer
who gave two early English versions:
“But all thing which that
schyneth as gold / Ne is no gold, as I have herd it told,” and “Hyt is not al
golde that glareth.”
Apparently this well-known
saying, “All that glitters is not gold” originated in the 12th
century and may have even dated back to Aesop according to Wikipedia.
When reading Chaucer’s
versions, I want to scratch my head and go, “UH?” This in turn reminds me of
the KJV only Bible thumpers who insist we read only the King James Version (KJV)
of the Bible because it’s the only one approved by God, according to them. They
never use anything but the original
King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, so they say. The facts are; if they
actually had the original King James
Version (KJV) of the Bible, they wouldn’t be able to read it, let alone
understand what it is saying. Anyway, that’s another subject. Let’s talk about
“All that glitters is not gold.”
I have never panned for gold
and assume not many of you have either. Regardless, when we study the process
and listen to those who have, we learn that there are two types of gold to be
found; true gold, and what is called “fools gold.” Fools gold is actually
pyrite. True gold is rather dull, while pyrite reflects considerably more
light. True gold equates to wealth. Not so with pyrite.
Many people over the years
have dug up pyrite, thinking it was gold, but the joke was on them, when they
found out it was just fools gold. I can see them now dashing into the Assayer’s
office bubbling over with excitement thinking they have struck it rich, but
then feeling like a fool when the Assayer informs them it’s just pyrite. No wonder
they call it fools gold. One would certainly feel like a fool.
How many are going to feel
like a fool when standing before God at the judgment because they think they
have the real thing, and He tells them they just have a pocket full of lies.
That’s what fools gold is you know. It’s dressed up to look like the real thing,
but it’s just a lie. We fall for it, and become just another fool.
Those without Christ who
expect to enter Heaven with anything other than God’s grace through His Son
Jesus have nothing to present but the work of a fool. Unless we are wrapped in
the cloak of God’s righteousness our destination will be 180 degrees in the
other direction. Only the saving blood of Jesus Christ upon the cross can
provide entrance into our Heavenly home. Only that empty grave assures our
destination. It is all about what He has done for us, not what we can do for
ourselves or for Him. The work of Jesus Christ is pure gold. Anything else is
fools gold.
How many will stand before
God thinking all their sparkly good deeds will out-weigh the bad? How many
glittering excuses will there be that will come from the mouths of fools? Will
we hold our shiny pyrite before God expecting entrance? If so, we may hear from
Him:
“For he shall grow up before
him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor
comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire
him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we
esteemed him not.” Isaiah 53:2-3
When Jesus came the first
time to provide a way for us to be saved from our sins, He did not come in
kingly robes and with a marching band. He came as the pure gold of Heaven to
die for us. Read the remainder of Isaiah chapter 53. Only in Him is there true
wealth and happiness.
Satan throws every enticement
he can at mankind to prevent us from finding that which provides true spiritual
wealth and happiness. Our very first parents discovered this when they chose to
eat of the forbidden fruit. (By the way, nowhere in the Bible does it say the
forbidden fruit was an apple.)
Even today most people seek
wealth and happiness in areas that will never supply what they so desperately
need.
Another thing to consider is
all the garbage Satan throws at us that looks good (for a while), sounds good
(for a while) and feels good (for a while).
“Be of sober spirit, be on
the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour.” 2 Peter 5:8 (NASB)
Whether it be spiritually or
materially related, test everything against God’s Word. The Bible is our
Assayer’s office.
Many people, including
Christians, in our modern society may be in violation of God’s commands and
think they’re living a “saintly” life because everyone “thinks this way,
therefore it’s politically correct.” Don’t take someone’s word that this or
that is okay. If you are a Christian, be a diligent student of the Bible, not
just a casual once in a blue moon, if ever, reader of the Word. Only God speaks
the Truth all the time, and His Word is final.
With enough persuasion, most
any activity or belief may look good under the right circumstances, but is it?
Is it true gold, or is it fools gold?
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
