Gold For The Kingdom

HoHum:

The devil went down to Georgia, he was lookin’ for a soul to steal. He was in a bind ‘cause he was way behind and he was willin’ to make a deal. In the book of Job he didn’t go to Georgia...

WBTU:

Why does God let Satan hurt us? When we read a book like Job, we are mystified by the interactions and dealings between God, Satan, Job and Job’s family. When Job questioned God about the harm in his life, God replied (chapters 38-41) by pointing out Job’s lack of knowledge. He made it clear that if He explained why these things happened, Job wouldn’t be able to understand it. God reminded Job of His sovereignty. “Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.” Job 41:11, NIV. I realize that I can no more explain God or His decisions than I can speak a new world into existence. I must accept God’s sovereignty and trust that He knows what is best. He intervenes as necessary to accomplish His will. He assures us He watches and that we should not be afraid. “God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”” Hebrews 13:5, NIV. This is important to remember- even when it appears God isn’t there. Having made clear my lack of omniscience, I still believe I can give some insight into why bad things happen to good people. The Scriptures give us hope.

Sometimes God allows satanic forces to attack us because we need to grow or change or learn some lesson. He doesn’t let them defeat us, but He does permit them to cause us great struggle. God allows it because we need it. Read 1 Peter 1:3-9.

Reminding us that we have a living hope and that we are shielded through our faith by God’s power, Peter writes that we should rejoice when we suffer grief in all kinds of trials. He doesn’t say that our living hope and God’s shield will protect us from grief- he makes it quite clear that those shielded by God’s power will suffer grief. Peter explains the reason for our grief- so that our faith may be proved genuine and so that we will give praise to Jesus.

I know next to nothing about gold (used to have silver coins but no more) so got this information from Herbert Ledbetter in a book by Joe Beam called “Seeing the Unseen.” Herbert is a gemologist, a jeweler, and a life long goldsmith.

Joe asked Herbert, “Why is Peter comparing faith to refined gold? What can I learn from this?”

Thesis: Herbert gives 5 areas where the characteristics of tried faith and refined gold blend into a wonderful analogy, giving insight into suffering.

The process of putting gold through intense fire is to:

1. Burn away impurities (to make the rough ore into a precious metal)

Untried, unproven faith may not be faith at all. Many people who think they have faith in Jesus actually follow an idea rather than a master. Jesus spoke of these kinds of people in the parable of the sower. He told about seed being sown on rocky soil, then He explained what he meant: “The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.” Matthew 13:20, 21, NIV. God allows trials into our lives to enable our faith to grow roots- so that our faith will last. The trials that prove our faith also make the faith precious. If we have had some tragedy, trial or persecution, we know that the attack drives us to our knees. As we pray, seeking God’s power and deliverance, we come to rely solely on Him. Money, prestige, personal power, and all those other things that so allure humanity, lose their appeal. They can’t give us the things most precious to us. We come to the realization that the best thing we have is God and so we cling to our faith as our most precious possession. The trials and griefs we suffer burn the impurities from our faith, making it more precious than gold.

2. Bring the gold to such a high gloss that the goldsmith can see his reflection in it

Goldsmiths in the first century used a simple method: When the gold reached such a level of gloss that the goldsmith could see himself clearly in it, it was a precious and valuable product.

The same is true of us. When we reflect God, we are more valuable in His cause. When satanic forces attack the people of God, those who cling to their faith become more like God. God wants us to be participants in His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). “Grief through all sorts of trials” burns away our doubts, fears, and sinful desires. Those impurities in a Christian distort God’s reflection, keeping those around us from seeing Him clearly. As we endure the trials of life, our faith becomes stronger, destroying lingering doubt and removing limiting fears. We become stronger in our ability to resist temptation. We reflect God clearly, revealing Him to those who interact with us. God wants those with whom we interact to see God in us. God wants us to be like Him. Many times the only way that happens is when we face trials and loss.