Anchor Bible Church
By Steven Strickland
In 1859 two men were prospecting on the side of Mt. Davidson near Virginia City, Nevada. They came across a bluish-grey material that at first glance thought worthless. It turned out to be the now famous and fabulously rich “Comstock Lode” of silver ore. This ore is how Nevada gets its nickname: “The Silver State.”
Modern refining uses acids to extract silver from its surrounding waste rock called dross. But the ancient refiner would put the ore into a pot and heat it with fire until the ore melted into liquid. The heavier silver would drop to the bottom while the lighter dross would float to the surface. With a ladle, he would then draw off the dross, discarding it to the side. The refiner would know the fire and heat had done its job and the process was finished when he could look into the pot and see his own image. His face was reflected back to him from the mirror-like surface of the pure silver below.
The direct application of the above passage is the Lord refining the Israelites during the Tribulation period. They will be his true witnesses to the Gentiles during the Millennium. But a broader application can extend to the believer today. Are the circumstances of your life making you feel as if you are in the fires of trial? Don’t discount the possibility that the Lord might be doing a bit of refining in order to see more of his own image reflected in you (1 John 3:2).