I have not decided yet. Do I do two blogs a week, or one blog. I have ample time, but what with sleeping in and spending time at the Lake shore. I just feel swamped. You can let me know, I guess. If I have time, I will read my e-mails. My e-mail is the same; oldirishguy51@yahoo.com. This week we will try for Monday and Thursday.  

I love it when a new element I have never seen before appears in the Scripture. Malachi 3 is a case in point. I have read this passage many times and have preached from it a few times. The first four verses compares the Lord to a refiner of gold and silver and He is going to refine and purify the sons of Levi and make them something special. The Levites are the priestly line, so those given the task of proclaiming the Word are going to go through a process of refinement. Since believers are the Spiritual children of Abraham, I have always taken that to mean that those who are called to be the proclaimers of the Word, those who are tasked to be teachers and preachers and pastors and witnesses, will go through refining. This would be all believers, since we are all supposed to be witnesses, but even more so for teachers and preachers and pastors. And that is the teaching in the first four verses in the chapter. The rest of the chapter builds on that. It has always spoken to me and has assured me that all the struggles and turmoil have been a refining. 

But then sitting in church Sunday morning, I was given a new thought. While I have seen the overall message of the passage, a group of very learned scholars were puzzling over a single word in verse 3 of chapter 3. (This is how you know if someone is a scholar. They get all worked up over a single word.) In verse 3 we see this; He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. I have always seen the sons of Levi as being refined. Period. But these scholars from three hundred years ago were stumped by the word 'sit'. What does that mean? Why does the refiner sit? To you and me, we think that maybe he doesn't want to get tired. But this small group wanted to investigate the word, so they divided up and went to various silversmiths in their city. 

Interestingly they all got the same basic story from the smiths. During the process of refining, the smith would put the silver into a ladle and hold it over a fire and hold it there for a long while. As it heated it would begin to melt and the impurities would begin to float to the surface, where they would burn off. The silver had to be held in the direct center of the flame to be sure it would melt and purify the same all the way through. At a certain point, the superheated, melted silver would be poured into a mold, where it would become something new. In each case the smith was asked why he sat down at the beginning of the melt. The answer of all the smiths was that only by sitting could you maintain a steady hold and keep it in the direct center of the flame. So, this answered the word 'sit.' But one scholar was a little more inquisitive. He asked the smith he was observing how it was that he knew the exact moment to remove it from the fire. The smith said something profound to the scholar; When I see the perfect image of my face in the silver, I know it is ready.

You see, it isn't just that we are refined, the Lord is seeking to get us to reflect His image. We can all be that refined. We all know people who reflect Christ in their lives. Oh, sometimes an impurity surfaces, but as it burns off, the image of Christ becomes clearer in their lives. We all need to be refined in such a manner. Confess our failings and draw closer to Him. 

Blessings.