Like Silver Refined

"The words and promises

of the Lord are pure words,

like silver refined in an earthen furnace,

purified seven times over."

Psalm 12:6

"The words of the Lord"
those are the words that are
brought to us in Scripture.

They're flawless, they're without error.
They are absolutely and totally reliable.
Do you perhaps wonder how that could be
Since they were brought to us by human agents,
by men who were often weak and fallible
and made mistakes?

How can it be that the message
that comes to us through such men
is absolutely infallible, authoritative?

The psalmist uses a beautiful picture.
He says it's like silver refined
in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.
You see, the silver is the message of God.
The furnace of clay represents
the human instrument, the human messenger.

     There's a fire in that furnace
which is the fire of the Holy Spirit,
infinitely pure, infinitely purified, 
and as the message comes through the fire,
even though it's in a furnace of clay,
the fire purifies the message
and makes it absolutely pure
and absolutely reliable.

That's why you can put your faith without question
in the absolute accuracy and authority
of God's Word, the Scripture.

The words of the Lord are flawless.

They've been purified seven times
(that speaks of the Holy Spirit)in a furnace of clay,
 and they come forth as pure as refined silver.

"Refined In A Furnace"

Derek Prince

The Word of God is like a fire,

It kindles in our hearts desire

To see its Author face to face

And to know all the fullness of His grace.

Haldor Lillenas