Gold

Proverbs 8:19
My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.

Gold is a chemical element, with the symbol Au. It has an atomic mass of 197 and an atomic number of 79. It is a yellow-colored metal, highly malleable, ductile and lustrous. It is rare, and this makes it valuable. Throughout history, it has been used to represent wealth. There was a time when many of the world’s currencies were basically backed by an equivalent amount of gold. Chemically, gold is quite boring. It is difficult to corrode or react gold with anything. For that reason, gold exists in nature as a native metal, rather than being combined with other elements in an ore. Many of us probably have an image in our heads of prospectors panning for gold in mountain streams, looking for the tiny, tell-tale nuggets of the pure, shiny metal. Gold is so unreactive that most common mineral acids will not touch it. However, gold will react with hydrofluoric acid, dissolving away in the process.

In the Bible, gold represents wealth, as well as incorruptibility. Gold is first mentioned in Genesis 2, where the land downstream from Eden, along the Pishon River, was said to contain gold that was good. Gold also existed in Eden itself, as recorded in Ezekiel 28:13.

Yet, the Bible makes clear that even gold is perishable, and that our salvation is worth far more than even gold. Peter writes: “Know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Prayer:
We know, Lord God, that our salvation is the most precious thing to us. Indeed, it is more precious than gold or silver. Nothing that we have compares with You. Amen.

Notes:
Encyclopedia Britannica, , retrieved 3/7/2017
Image: Adobe Stock Photo, licensed to author

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