“He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.”
Malachi 3:3
Where is the Bible's promise of God as the silversmith? If we look at the technique of purifying silver, we may find an answer to this question. The process begins by first heating the fire to a very high temperature. The refiner then places the silver in the middle of the fire. At the right time, he introduces oxygen above the silver, which causes all the impurities to rise to the top. He then scrapes them away. He can tell when it is done when he can see his reflection in the silver.1
What does this process have to do with us? God says that He will refine us like silver or gold. As the silversmith purifies the silver, He must also watchfully stand over the fire to make sure it does not burn us (See Isaiah 43:2). God has promised that He will walk in the fire of tribulation with us, and He will not let us endure the pain by ourselves.
He allows hardships to come into our lives to cleanse the imperfections in our characters, but He never leaves us to bear them alone. He promises that He will not give us more trials than we can handle (See 1 Corinthians 10:13). Just as the silversmith pulls out the silver at the right time, God will ease the trials when He knows we cannot bear them anymore. This does not mean He will not permit more trials in the future, but He will never let us be overwhelmed by them.
Call to Action
God will continue to allow trials to come to our lives until we reflect His character as clearly as the melted silver reflects the face of its refiner. This process may come in the form of people in our lives or events that happen to us. We need to realize that while we are in the fire, it is painful. Experiencing trials is never easy or fun, but how will we reflect God if we do not go through them?
Scripture quotation taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman \ Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
- “Refiner’s Fire and Fullers’ Soap,” accessed November 28, 2022, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2016/06/refiners-fire-and-fullers-soap?lang=eng.
