"... in all the land, two parts shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left. And I will put this third into the fire, and Refine them as silver, and test them as gold. They will call on My Name, and I will answer and say, 'They are My people'; and they will say, 'Yahweh is my Elohim!!!'." (Zec 13:9)
"... when He Has Tried me, I shall come forth as gold!" (Job 23:10)
But who can endure the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. (Malachi 3:2)
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on My Name, and I will answer them; I will say, It is My people; and they shall say, Yahweh my Elohim is my Elohim. (Zechariah 13:9)
Behold, I have refined you, but not with silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, even for my own sake, will I do it: for how should My Name be polluted? and I will not give My Glory unto another. (Isaiah 10-11)
And many of those who understand shall stumble, to refine and purge them, and to make white, to the time of the end because it is still for the appointed time. (Daniel 11:35)
And they said to me, The remnant left of the captivity there in the province is in great affliction and shame. And the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire. (Nehemiah 1:3)
Job on Wisdom:
"Surely there is a mine for the silver, and a place where they refine gold. (Job 28:1)
"But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know the way to it, and it is not found in the land of the living. (Job 28:11-13)
And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." (Job 28:28)
9 Who keeps us in life And does not allow our feet to slip. 10 For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined. 11 You brought us into the net; You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins. 12 you made men ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water, Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance. (Psalms 66:9-12)
Because he has set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he has known My Name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and show him My Salvation. (Psalms 50:14)
And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am Yahweh your Elohim, and I will hear them. (Zech 10:6-7)
Come now you may greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if must be, you are in heaviness through a myriad of temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Yeshua the Messiah. (I Peter 1:6-7)
Over the last several years, a certain e-mail kept reappearing in our e-mail inbox. It was called "Refining Silver" and it's meaning, though simple, was extremely powerful. In short, it is a quick lesson on how a silversmith refines silver -- a lesson that can be applied to the many ways God "refines" His own Creations.
As God's Creations, most of us have gone through "fire" in one way or another and, hopefully, we learned from the experience. Through our trials and tribulations, rough edges were smoothed and sharp edges were sluffed off, until we more closely resembled what we were meant to be.
God allows us to go through hard times so that we may grow and become smooth and shiny. His goal is for us to become a reflection of Him that not only He can see, but also so others can see Him in us.
The sooner we realize that, the quicker we become a valuable member of the Family of God....
Some time ago, a few ladies met in a certain city to read the scriptures, and make them the subject of conversation. While reading the third chapter of Malachi they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse: "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." One lady's opinion was that is was intended to convey the view of the sanctifying influence of the grace of Christ. Then she proposed to visit a silversmith and report to them what he said on the subject.
She went accordingly and without telling the object of her errand, begged to know the process of refining silver, which he fully described to her. "But Sir" she said, "do you sit while the work of refining is going on?" "Oh, yes, madam," replied the silversmith; "I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured."
The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." Christ sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for them. Their trials do not come at random; "the very hairs of your head are all numbered."
As the lady was leaving the shop, the silversmith called her back, and said he had forgotten to mention that the only way that he knows when the process of purifying is complete when he sees his own image reflected in the silver....
--Author Unknown
