Refinery
Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:
Jeremiah 9:7
“See, I will refine and test them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
The words “refine” (tzaraf) and “test” (bachan) are metallurgy terms. They are each used a couple dozen times. Another example of them being paired together:
For you, God, tested [bachan] us;
Psalm 66:10
you refined [tzaraf] us like silver.
Refining ore involves melting it down. The impurities are burned off. Rock or other substance is separated from it.
Then its quality is tested. There are other words translated “test” (nisa, like when God tested Abraham in Genesis 22) with the idea of revealing character and providing training. While similar, this word has the goal of examining the genuineness of an object via examination. This word is used in other places in Jeremiah. For instance, in Jeremiah 6:27 God makes Jeremiah a “tester” (the noun form) of ore to “test” (same word) their ways. Interestingly, a related word is “siege tower” (bachun – Isaiah 23:13), which tests the walls of a city, searching for a weak point to exploit.
Unfortunately, refining is not a painless process. So too when God works on us. I wish he would just snap his fingers and fix my flaws, but he doesn’t work that way. Instead, he sticks me in smelting circumstances to shape me and burn off the sin in my life.
To Ponder…
- Are you willing to let God refine and test you?
- What sin does God need to purify you from?