Refined Silver
There was a group of women that met for Bible study. While studying the book of Malachi they read "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." Malachi 3:3
This
verse puzzled the women and they wondered how this statement applied to the character and nature of Yahveh. One of the
women offered to find out more about the process of refining silver, and to get back to the group at their next Bible study.
The following week, the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him while 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 work, 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 the hottest as to burn away
all the impurities. The woman thought about Yahveh holding us in such a hot spot, then she thought again about the verse,
"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 entire time the silver was being refined. The man answered yes, that not only did he have to sit
there holding the silver, but also he had to keep his eyes on it the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver were
left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she
asked the silversmith, "But 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."