Gold signifies the holiness of God. It was used to adorn and cover items within the tabernacle:
The poles to carry the Ark of The Covenant were overlaid with gold and four golden rings were made to carry the poles. Exodus 25:10-16
The Ark of The Covenant was covered by the Mercy Seat, which was also covered in gold; plus it had two solid gold cherubim attached to the top, which faced the Mercy Seat.
The poles to carry the Ark and the rings into which these poles fit were also covered with gold. Exodus 25:17-22
The Table of Showbread was completely covered in gold. In addition, the plates and dishes which sat upon it were also covered in gold. These rings and carrying poles were also overlaid in gold. Exodus 25:23-30
The Lampstand, the last specific item designated for the inside of the tabernacle is also made of hammered gold. None of these items were fastened together, nor were they welded or mixed with anything to hold together. That took God-given craftsmanship: beaten, hammered out sheets or blocks of gold, seamless, to produce each of these specially-designed pieces.
God had given Moses the plans, blueprints, for each part of the tabernacle when he was on the mountain with God. And God gave each one involved in the making thereof special knowledge to create the items.
These, however, were not the only things made of gold or gold overlay. Exodus 26:6 'hooks of gold to hold the tabernacle curtains up'. Exodus 26:31-33 describes the veil which separated the room where the Ark of The Covenant would be and the outer room where the Table and the Lampstand would be. The curtain for the door required hooks of gold set in brass sockets, and the pillars of the door had to be covered in gold. Exodus 26:37.
Yet, these are not all of the gold items within the Scriptures that reference the holiness of God. The prophetic verses in Zechariah 6:11-13 tells us (11) Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest; (12) And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaks The LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of The LORD: (13) Even he shall build the temple of The LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
Isaiah 9:6-7
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of The LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.
Isaiah 11:1-5
(1) Then a Shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. (2) The Spirit of The LORD will rest on Him—The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and strength, The Spirit of knowledge and fear of The LORD. (3) And He will delight in the fear of The LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear, (4) but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.
(5) Righteousness will be the belt around His hips, and faithfulness the sash around His waist.
Revelation 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a Name written, that no man knew, but He Himself.
In order for gold to be used purposefully, it first must be purified in fire. It must be tested until the refiner is satisfied with the result. Even when it is God's people who are being refined as gold.
Malachi 3:3 tells us that the sons of Levi, the priestly lineage, will be refined like silver and gold. As God's people, we see this happen time and again in our lives: that God is testing us in various fires until we "come forth as gold" in His eyes Job 23:10.
Revelation 3:18 The Word of God is compared to gold: I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. How do we buy from Christ that which we cannot afford? With out obedient faith in His Word, by trusting in His promises, and that He is, indeed, a faithful God. By believing that God is truly trustworthy: worthy to receive our trust in Him.
Unlike manmade gods, which have no value and cannot see, nor hear, nor eat, nor receive what is presented to them by the people who made these metal or brass or wooden or silver or gold or bejewelled idols and icons. Psalm 115:4-8; Psalm 135:15-18; Isaiah 44:9-20; Jeremiah 10:3-5; Habakkuk 2:18-19; Jeremiah 2:27-28.
When we offer our hearts and surrender our bodies and our minds to God's service and kingdom, we present such--to us--unworthiness. Yet, in His time and with His love, God transforms the sinner into the saint by the power of His Holy Spirit. He breathes on us, empowering us to become more like Jesus. We are refined in the fires of tests that we might have a faithful testimony > The Lord delivered me from all of my fears, my doubts, my weaknesses. >The Lord saved me from a horrific death and punishment: the grave and hell. >The Lord lifted me up from the miry clay, the things which threatened to bring me down and keep me down.
With this knowledge and understanding, we bow our knees to King Jesus and praise His Holy Name now, while we till draw breath. For we know that the time is near when "Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:9-11.
