See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. –Isaiah 48:10
Have you ever realized that ever precious stone has to be tried before it is displayed/sold? Have you ever noticed that anything that is to be used/sold has to be put through tests to ensure that it can withstand actual usage?
Think about it with me for a second; no one digs gold up and immediately wears it around their neck? No, it must first go through a refining process where all the dross is burned off, and then it is melted in fire and reshaped into whatever the goldsmith wants it to be. Similarly, a diamond must first go through a cleaving and sawing process, then a bruting process, and then it is polished, and inspected, and then used in jewelry or displayed. Cutting diamond requires specialized knowledge, tools, equipment, and techniques because of its extreme hardness. Machines, bridges, cars, safety devices, and anything else that will be used must also be tested before they are actually put to use. Would you put your child in a stroller that had not been tested and guaranteed to be safe?
If we understand that precious jewels must be refined and cut to bring out their beauty, can we understand why the Lord might choose to test us in the furnace of affliction? If we understand that anything that will be used must first be tested and proven to be safe/durable, can we understand why the Lord might choose to test us before He uses us?
I love what the next verse from Isaiah 48 says! “For my own sake, for my own sake I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.” Before any manufacturer or jeweler stamps their name on a product, they make sure that it is top quality because the product is a reflection on them. If most Calvin Klein clothes never fit well or fell apart after the first wash, no one would say, ‘O, this is a bad piece of clothing!’ Instead, they would probably say, ‘I am never buying anymore Calvin Klein clothes! He is such a horrible designer! His clothes never fit well and they are bad quality!’ Do you see where I am going with this?
We were created in God’s image to glorify Him here on earth. If we are not doing this, He refines us and tests us in the furnace of affliction for His own sake. How can He let Himself be defamed? Would you want your child that bears your name to go out and do all sorts of atrocities? If we are to be used by God, He tests us to prepare us for “actual usage.” Do you think God would have used Moses and David without first preparing and testing them?
We are God’s precious jewels and instruments for His glory! The refinement process is intense and may at times seem unbearable, but it is necessary if we are to come out as pure gold or clear diamonds. I assure you dear friends that the Lord loves us and wants us to display His splendor! If we will, by faith, endure His refining process, we find that He is actually blessing us with the very thing we thought to be a curse.
I leave you with Eleazar’s words from Numbers 31:22-23; “Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean. But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing. And whatever cannot withstand fire must be put through the water.” Can you withstand the fire?
Grace and peace be with you.
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