In His Study | Refining through fire

Malachi 3:3 “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

The 21st century provides little understanding from daily life to that of the daily life of those from Bible times. We travel around in vehicles worth $15,000 to $50,000, while they walked everywhere wearing handmade sandals. If we could understand the life of those to whom the Scriptures where first written, then perhaps we could better understand the lifechanging words written for our benefit. The following story illustrates the point.

Malachi 3:3 puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and to get back to the group at their next Bible study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.” She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered:“Yes.” Explaining that he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”

He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy --when I see my image in it.”

Ephesians 4:13 tells us why He refines us through others: “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” In other words, He wants us to be a perfect reflection of His Son.

Colossians 1:28 confirms this when Paul states: “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

So, we can see why the fire seems a little hot sometimes. Our loving Father is just refining the image of His Son in us. May the Lord do so and more, Amen.

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Jim Duncan is the pastor of Mountain Bible Church, Mountain, Mo. He may be contacted at P.O. Box 146, Pea Ridge, AR 72751;

or by telephone at 417-341-8504; by e-mail at james.

[email protected]. His Web site is www.jamesduncan-writer.net.

Church, Pages 2 on 08/04/2010