Psalm 12:6 - February 5, 2009

Ps 12:6 "And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times." NIV

Oh, the glory of the word of the Lord! Flawless, powerful, pure, living and active, how awesome are the words of the Lord! The image of highly refined sliver is such a stunning portrait of the magnitude of the word of God. This image of silver purified seven times reflects the absolute purity of God’s word. The refining process represented here results in an agitation of the silver as the dross is purged from it. The conclusion of this refining process is evidenced by the molten silver coming to a place of “perfect stillness”. What an image of the Word of God. It is so pure that it has come to the place of perfect stability, perfect stillness, no imperfections and in the same way it imparts this stillness and stability to those who partake of it.
Oh, how wonderful the Word of God. Paul encourages his disciple Timothy to be, “nourished in the words of the faith,” ASV 1 Tim 4:5. As we practice these words of Paul by practicing Col 3:16 that instructs us to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” NIV The indwelling of a rich deposit of God’s Word will bring us to the place of stillness in the inner man that is like silver refined in the fire.
Heb 4:12 tells us that “the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart” ASV. The Word of God is alive! This is the source of its transforming power, its impact upon the human heart. It is actively working to produce the image of Christ within the life of those who read it through the work of imparting faith into our soul and spirit. The above passage instructs us as to what our expectation should be concerning the Word of God. It is sharp, it is actively working to divide soul and spirit within us. This means that one of the primary works of the Word is to identify within the life of the believer those thoughts that come from the spirit and those impulses and impressions that are rooted in the soulish nature which is being crucified with Christ. Its purpose is to train us to discern the thoughts and intents of our own heart so that in all things we may choose that which reflects the image of the living God.