The Process of Purification, Refinement and Testing

UV 989/10,000 Refinement and Purification 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. Malachi 3 v 3 The Lord God is not only a worker with clay, a potter but one who works on refining precious metals- silver and gold. The silver is a symbol for our speech. The lips of priests should preserve knowledge and lead many away from sin and error to salvation and the freedom and blessing of truth. The Word of God in our mouths is what acts as a refining fire to purify our minds and our mouths. The gold referred to in this uni-verse is a symbol for our faith and our works. Our faith and our works will be tested with the fire of suffering and the challenges of everyday reality. Does our faith melt or evaporate in the heat of personal suffering and the hardship of reality or does it get further strengthened in the face of threats, persecution and difficulties of life? Our faith, patience and hope should endure any of the tribulations we face. At the end of the day, people should see the image of God in our faces, our deeds, our words and our lives. We are the glory of God unveiled in flesh and blood. We are to be pure as purest gold. The Lord removes the doubts and errors in our faith and our character in order to prepare us as priests of righteousness or “ the sons of Levi”. Our works should reflect that we love God more than we love ourselves and we love others as much as we love ourselves. Since the Word of God is described as being like silver and gold that has been refined and purified seven times over, the more we intake the Word, meditate on it and apply it in our lives, the less work God has to do in purifying us, the less personal suffering we need to undergo in order to remove the impurities in our lives and become an “ offering” or living sacrifice of righteousness before the Lord. Instead of resisting and resenting suffering, we need to understand the larger purpose of the Lord in allowing us to undergo such fiery trials. Unlike gold and silver that are passively subjected to purification, refinement and testing, we play a role in shortening or lengthening our periods of refinement, purification and testing. As we study the examples of the people of faith in the Bible and emulate them, as we absorb the Word like a sponge, our learning curves are shortened. The extent and period the Lord needs to refine us and mature us is greatly shortened. Like a skilled goldsmith or silversmith, He will not hold us in the melting pot or crucible of fire a moment longer than needed. Prateep V Philip