The Ecstasy and Necessity of Gold

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Roland Meadows was with my prospector friend, his fiancée Stormie Waters. I found them at a stream near her home and watched them panning for gold. After a spell, I asked why she found gold so compelling. Her answer surprised me.

She was not expecting to get rich but was doing all right. Like so many others, she likes the color and weight. Gold has been the object of much killing and theft. It is also discussed frequently in the Bible, and she added that it applies to the attributes of God in many ways.

Gold is a gift of the Creator for our pleasure and because it has many uses. It is also used in Scripture in relation to the attributes of God.
Dubai Gold Sauk, RGBStock / opinto
In Revelation, we read that we're going to walk on pure gold in the streets of the New Jerusalem.

The antagonist of James Bond in Goldfinger is Auric Goldfinger (yes, there are people with that surname). Auric means "of gold" or something, but note the first two letters: AU, which is the chemical symbol of this element. None of that is relevant to anything, I'm just showing off something I noticed.

There are many applications for gold, which may be part of the reason for its value — besides beauty, wealth, and power. The best connections for electrical components often contain gold. The stuff is extremely durable, too. Although none of it is being formed today (that was taken care of during creation week), it is being deposited as we speak. Most deposits were made during the Genesis Flood. It is something given to us by the Creator for our pleasure and for our use.

God gave gold many properties that make it so valuable. It does not rust or tarnish. Fire does not destroy gold but only makes it purer. It can be alloyed to other metals, like copper, to add strength without losing beauty. Gold is easy to shape. Under the right conditions, 1 ounce (28 g)1 can be stretched into a wire 60 miles (100 km) long, or hammered into a big sheet, 100 feet by 100 feet (30 m x 30 m), to cover the dome of a fancy building.

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Because of its special properties, gold plays a prominent role throughout Scripture. It is mentioned over 450 times, more than any other metal. It often symbolizes God’s own regality, preciousness, immortality, holiness, and glory.

You can read it all by following the link to "Gold."