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.
3. Make the gold malleable enough that the goldsmith can shape it
Since gold is a metal, heat must be applied to make it malleable. The process of designing it into jewelry requires hammering and shaping. Hammering a cold gold nugget would only damage it. Intense heat makes it soft enough to hammer and shape at will, creating beauty and worth.
When things are going well and life seems a breeze, I continue on course. I have little regard for any interruption or redirection. That changes when trials come. Then I find myself seeking God and being completely open to the direction He sends. I’m sure I am not the only one? The apostle Paul had what may be called a strong personality. That personality drove him, leading him to success in life. Well educated, he had many things going for him that set him apart from the crowd. Then Jesus knocked him off of his donkey and changed the direction of his life. He struck him blind for 3 days, making him reflect on his behavior and his misguided zeal. After becoming an apostle, God kept Paul in the fire that kept him pliable. “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, NIV. This thorn in the flesh was given to keep Paul pliable. Did Paul resent his suffering? Already read: “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” What effect did it have on his view of God and his service to Him? He tells us, “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” Philippians 3:7-10, NIV. Paul didn’t want only to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. He also wanted to know “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” Paul learned that suffering kept him open to the leading and direction of God. He didn’t resent it; he appreciate it. May that be our attitude
4. Increasing the strength of the gold (the strength increased with each refining)
Annealing is the process of heating, hammering, shaping, and cooling gold. Because gold can be ruined by too much heat, the annealing process isn’t a single step but multiple annealings. The goldsmith knows what design and shape the finished product will have. He also knows that only negligible results can be gained by a single annealing. He must take it one step further in each annealing, getting the most from that heating, but never ruining the gold by heating it too high or cooling it too fast. Think about it: multiple steps to become what the goldsmith wants; strength through a series of fires. Sound familiar?
God’s major lessons to me didn’t come from earning a college degree in Bible or from studying to preach. They came from experiences in life that produced at least some pain and many struggles. He turned up the “fire” to make me malleable. Beyond the learning and changing that came from those periods, I noticed something else: Each experience made me stronger spiritually and emotionally than I was before. That our faith may be proved genuine. Faith will be stronger unless we give up on the faith. “He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” 1 Corinthians 1:8, 9, NIV.
5. Increasing the value of the gold (the value increased with each refining)
Joe Beam- When Herbert taught me about refining and shaping gold, he pointed out the importance of continuing the refining process rather than stopping at some intermediate point. He said, “Think about steel for a moment. From a pound of steel you can make many different products. You can go through a short series of annealing and make horseshoes. Or you can go through more annealings and make hypodermic needles. Which is more valuable,, a pound of horseshoes or a pound of needles? The more designed and better shaped the metal, the greater the value.” Then, smiling and gently looking into my eyes, he made his point: “Don’t you think the same is true of people?” While I understand this principle, I don’t always enjoy it. Even so, God is making gold for the kingdom. Larry Brannan, “I have no problem seeing God in my taillights. It’s finding Him in my headlights that’s difficult.” Wouldn’t it be encouraging if we could see Him in the headlights more often? Oh, soul are we wearied and troubled, no light in the darkness you see, there’s light for a look at the Savior and life more abundant and free..
