But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 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. (Mal 3:2–3)What is a refiner’s fire?
Gold melts at 1,948°F. In order to purify gold (or other similar metals), you must bring it to its melting point. At that temperature, the ore becomes liquid. Oxygen is introduced to oxidize impurities that oxidize more readily than the base metal. Those oxidized impurities rise to the surface, and the refiner skims them off, leaving a purer metal. It is very hot, and it is grueling work. The temperature must be carefully controlled: too cool and the metal will not liquefy; too hot and the ore can be damaged. But the outcome is remarkable.
Purified gold is malleable and can be hammered without cracking. Unpurified gold is brittle and harder to shape. Purified gold is stable and resists corrosion; unpurified gold tarnishes and corrodes. Purified gold is more valuable in sheer density than unpurified gold. Purified gold is essentially eternal, while unpurified gold degrades and loses luster.
Now, let’s do a little mental exercise. Imagine this gold ore is given a choice. “Would you prefer to go into that 2,000° oven or remain out here in the cool air?” What would it choose? “We’re planning to cook you and burn out all those impurities. Are you up for that?” What would it say? “It will make you better gold.” So—would the ore choose the fire or not?
If left up to us, we would choose the “comfortable temperatures” over and over. I know this because we complain so readily about God’s work in our lives. “It’s too hard.” “It’s excessive.” “It’s uncomfortable.” “Doesn’t God owe us a more pleasant existence?”
God knows better. He knows what impurities cling to us—impurities we neither see nor suspect. He knows what must be burned away for us to bear His likeness. He knows that righteousness is not formed in the “comfortable temperatures” we prefer but in the heat of His wise and loving discipline. And He knows that the fire He applies is never destructive for His people, only purifying.
The refiner does not abandon the crucible. He sits, watching, tending, adjusting, ensuring that the flame accomplishes its purpose without consuming the gold. So it is with God. His hand is steady. His eye is fixed. His purpose is sure. And when He has finished His work, what remains is not ruin but radiance—faith refined, character strengthened, and a life that can at last present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.
2 comments:
I notice that none of the work is accomplished by the gold. The gold doesn't choose to go into the fire, have the dross and slag swept away, or be pulled out when ready. We get to have all of this done for us so that we may be presented to the Son as His gift.
This is some good writing, about an aspect of our sanctification that, while uncomfortable during the process, is beautifying in the end. My favorite part is:
”The refiner does not abandon the crucible. He sits, watching, tending, adjusting, ensuring that the flame accomplishes its purpose without consuming the gold. So it is with God.”
This is a comforting thought. I can trust that the Lord is using just the right intensity and pressure to burn away and buff out those imperfections in me.
As I type this, my husband and my son are outside, sawing and sanding away at our new construction materials. The power saw ruthlessly separates the desired materials from the waste, just as the Lord might desire to cut away unproductive and unattractive aspects of my sinful nature. The sander bears down unmercifully with the roughest of surfaces, but with just the right force, in skilled hands it produces a smooth and splinter-free finish--ready to receive gleaming paint or stain.
Come to think of it, we’ve done enough re/construction and property improvement projects over the decades that I can’t help but see the spiritual parallel, as God works assiduously to complete His upgrades in me. Those enhancements will survive the refiner’s fire and bring Him glory for all eternity. May I desire the final outcome He’ll produce enough to accept--even welcome--the uncomfortable process required to achieve it.
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