March 1 – Withstanding the Furnace

“I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering. I will rescue you for my sake—yes, for my own sake! I will not let my reputation be tarnished, and I will not share my glory with idols!”  - Isaiah 48:10-11 (NLT)

Do we recognize how important God’s name is?  Finding promises in the Old Testament books by God’s prophets can be enlightening.  How important is God’s name to us?  How much do we guard our use and reverence of His name?  In today’s passage, God has been describing Israel’s stubbornness.  The people of Israel and Judah used God’s name when making promises they did not keep. But they proved to be obstinate to God’s warnings.  God gives them, and us as well, a reason, for why He holds them and us accountable in such a harsh manner.  He tells us that when we encounter difficult times, as a result of our stubbornness, it is a refining process.  Not like silver in a hot furnace but in a furnace of suffering.  As our actions result in difficult circumstances, they produce a cleansing.  The promise given us is this; when we find ourselves in such a refining situation, God holds back his anger so that we are not wiped out (Isaiah 48:9) and promises to rescue us.  He rescues us for his own name’s sake to keep his reputation from being profaned and to keep His glory from being shared with the idols. 

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July 12 – As By Fire

“The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.”  Proverbs 17:3 (ESV) 
“The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, And each is tested by the praise accorded him.” Proverbs 27:21 (NASB)

In our verses this morning we find a different kind of promise.   It is good for us to understand that in our lives as believers, God is working for our best and His glory.  He is shaping us to serve and worship Him. To do that we are tested and refined like silver and gold - sometimes by fire.  The first verse (Prov. 17:3) gives the example of testing and refining to purify gold and silver.  This process takes great skill and care.  This example is also used in our second verse (Prov. 27:21) but with a different lesson.   First lesson: it is God testing our hearts. He is the one who does it.  He does so by allowing challenging circumstances and situations to be in our path and to test our faith.  Life is not intended to be easy and it is not a bed of roses (even if it were, there would be lots of thorns to contend with).   Second lesson: using the same example, our testing comes through the praise given to us.  Perhaps we can even say we are tested by the praise we desire or we think we are owed, and by the praise we receive.  Public and personal praise, when it is given, is something that needs to be received and appreciated in a manner that is worthy of our faith in God who gives us all things.  We give the praise back to God.  Because it is God who does the testing, it is God who provides the praise we receive through others.  Do we stand up well to it?  We will be tested like silver and gold to make us ready, it's a promise.    

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