Refined and made precious by God
Psalm 12:6 “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.“
Malachai 3:3 “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.”
This image of God as a refiner is a powerful one. My brother, who is not a Christian, sent me a YouTube video that contained a story about Malachai 3:3 of which the “punchline”really surprised him. So here’s the story…
A small group were studying the Bible together and came across Malachi 3:3, which says, “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver”. They were curious about why God is described as sitting while refining silver. Unable to agree on the meaning, they decided that one member should visit a silversmith to learn more.
The chosen person went to watch a silversmith at work. The silversmith explained that he had to hold the silver in the hottest part of the fire to burn away all the impurities. The process was delicate; if he left the silver in the fire for too long, it would be damaged. It required skill and patient observation.
The Bible student then asked, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” The silversmith smiled and said, “That’s easy; when I can see my own reflection in it, I know it’s pure.”
This story uses the process of refining silver as a picture of how God works in our lives. Just as a silversmith carefully watches the silver and removes it from the fire at just the right moment, God refines us as we go through life’s challenges to remove our faults and make us better people. God knows we are ready when He can see His own character reflected in us.
Gareth Gadd