Shields of Brass
Sunday, March 22, 2026
Pastor Mark D. Boykin
You cannot fail too much that God cannot restore you.
Setting the Scene:
King David has long since passed on. King Solomon was richly blessed by God with wisdom and immense wealth. The gold in that city was at such a surplus that there was gold everywhere. There was gold in the temple. There was gold in the palace. Wherever Solomon put his hand, it was guilded in gold and silver. The beauty of this kingdom was known worldwide. Because God blessed Solomon so much, he even had shields of gold instead of other metals like other kingdoms usually had.
But things took a turn at the end of his life. King Solomon disobeyed God by adopting foreign practices, which led to the kingdom’s decline. Rehoboam is the son of “Solomon the Great.” He was brought up in the lap of luxury. Never was a kid given greater opportunity, or so it seemed. He inherited great privilege but made poor leadership choices.
Who in life has not at some time wished they had the opportunity, or the advantage of another? It all seems so much better over there…
Rehoboam began his reign by seeking advice from both older, experienced leaders and younger peers. The elders urged humility and gracious leadership, while the younger men encouraged a harsh, fear-based rule. Rehoboam rejected the wise counsel and chose to follow the young guns’ advice. When the people of Israel gathered and asked how he would rule, Rehoboam threatened them: “My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions." This isn't the first time youth has been beguiled by quick solutions and shallow answers.
This angered the Israelites, leading most of them to support another, Jeroboam, in a revolt. As a result, ten tribes broke away to form a separate kingdom, leaving Rehoboam with only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Soon after, Egypt invaded Jerusalem and took its treasures, including King Solomon’s golden shields. This marked a period of major loss, humiliation, and low morale for the Israelites.
1 Kings 14:25–28 KJV
"And it came to pass 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 even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. And king Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king's house. And it was so, when the king went into the house of the Lord, that the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber."
What is the point of this story of the brass shields? Why did this great historian even tell us about them? Perhaps he is emphasizing youth and folly; or maybe this is his way of pointing at his misery. I don’t think so.
Very few of us today are strangers to failure and misery. We’ve all had our share of missing the mark.
Our passage today has three movements.
Movement 1: The Shields of Gold
They represent of the glory days. The halcyon days of youth and beauty. It’s the things that dreams are made of. The golden memories of Rehoboam’s childhood. They speak of “the way it should be.” They represent the “golden age” or any life, or home, or family. The gleaming shields of gold in one’s life.
Solomon’s was the “glory of the former reign.” Everything in history is compared to the wistful glory days of his reign and his wisdom. He was a builder and a trader, with style unmatched.
But as good as it was, it wasn’t as good as people remembered. Solomon was also a man of divided loyalty. Time is a friend to discrepancy. We immortalize the memory of special people. His kingdom was deteriorating by the end of his reign, and taxes were at an all-time high.
Solomon himself said: “to everything there is a season.” There is a season of greatness. A season of prosperity. A season of increase. A season of spiritual blessing. But it’s only for a season. The realities of life continue to take hold.
A lot of us think “oh, if only i could go back and repeat the years that I lost…” When you compare your past to now, it feels like you’re in a deep pit. What is there to do? Maybe you feel like Rehoboam right now. You only have two tribes left. Ten tribes have left you. You feel like walking away.
Remember, one thing is for certain: seasons change. You may not feel it today, but the seasons do change.
Movement 2: The Shields of Brass
This is the keystone to Rehoboam’s story.
Life is not fair. You are not always guaranteed to always have golden shields. You can either curse your situation, or bless your opportunity.
Rehoboams kingdom came to be regarded as a kingdom of brass.
With conviction, he committed the shields to the captains of the guard. The gold is gone, but there will be a tomorrow. The sun will rise tomorrow. Tomorrow is a different day.
It would've been easy to quit. It would’ve been easy to have the mentality of “If I can’t have all twelve tribes, I’ll take none."
Paul wrote these words: "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:12-13 (KJV)
It’s hard to walk with shields of brass after walking with golden ones. But even with shields of brass, you can fulfill the purpose God has given you.
David was no stranger to using shields of brass. There was a time that he had to flee to the cave of Abdullam to escape King Saul’s jealousy.
His victory at the cave of Adullam was the bench mark of greatness.
Show me a man who can be king in a cave, and I’ll show you a man who can rise to the throne.
Show me someone who can make it with brass shields, and I’ll show you a man who could be a great king.
David could’ve quit after his defeat, but instead he encouraged himself in the Lord. There were bitter hours when he had to fight to keep his self-respect, but he had years ahead of him and a remnant of people counting on him.
David eventually conquered Mount Zion and became king over Israel. He won. What about the one who loses? The one who lost ten tribes and only had two left?
Movement 3: The Symbol of Glory
Let’s look back at our passage and take note where King Rehoboam placed the brass shields.
1 Kings 14:27 “And king Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king's house.”
Notice the proximity of the shields to the door of his house. Every that he came out of his palace and went into the house of the Lord to worship, he saw the brass shields.
They served as a reminder of his brokenness, of his weakness. He wasn’t king Solomon, or King David. But he was a man who was still king.
When he went to the house of the Lord to worship, those shields reminded him that “when I am weak, God is strong.”
God takes what is broken, what is weak, and with the glory of his power, he raise sit to a level to do what it’s called to do. Just because it failed, doesn't mean that it’s over.
If you feel like quitting, don’t give up. God has anointed you.
Stay. Brandish the last shields and God will bless you.
When you’re in God’s plan, He will finish it. God is not through with you. Keep fighting and brandishing the shields. God is still in control. He is the one to makes the last decision, and His decision is that you are more than a conquerer because He has called you. With brass shields, you can overcome and defeat any army.
It’s not over. God is with you. If God is with you, who can be against you?
Today is a message for those who have tasted failure, who have experienced loss. Who have failed in the very pride of their lives. Maybe you feel you have failed your children. Maybe you failed at your job. Or maybe you have made some bad mistakes. God doesn’t write you off because you made a bad decision or because you failed.
God wants to restore you to that place of prominence in your kingdom. You cannot fail too much that God cannot restore you.
Are you in a place where it’s hard for you to forgive yourself of the mistakes you’ve made? God may not make it the same, but He will make it better. God restores and He turns things around. God is with you. If He is for you. Who can be against you?
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
I come to you today, broken. My heart is full of passion. Lord, I ask you to restore the years that has been robbed, and restore me. Father I ask your blessing upon my hands and upon my feet. I ask you to bless my family. I ask that you would heal my inner soul, because there is a void deep within my heart. Lord, at times I feel like failing, but I know you called me to restoration. Today is a new day. Today is a new season. I am walking into a new blessing, a new plan. I declare that God is for me, so who can be against me? I pray this in Jesus name,
Amen.
Watch the full sermon in it’s entirety here: