Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith

Proverbs 25:1-7 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.

² It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
³ As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
⁴ Take away the dross from the silver,
And there comes out a vessel for the smith;
⁵ Take away the wicked before the king,
And his throne will be established in righteousness.
⁶ Do not claim honor in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the place of great men;
⁷ For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.

Although education is highly valued in our culture and society, and the wisdom of man is esteemed, there is often very little logic attached to that wisdom. It is possible to be highly educated and still be a fool.  Today again we look at the wisdom and logic of Proverbs.  The text begins saying:  It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable.  It may seem that God conceals things, but in truth, because of His great love and compassion, He reveals things to us. God wants us to know His will and His heart. Amos 3:7 says:  Surely the Lord GOD does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets. God not only reveals His secret counsel to the prophets, but He reveals it through the prophets. In Jeremiah 29:13-14 God says:  You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you. In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus says:  Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Here’s the thing, in Romans 8:14-17 it says:  All who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.   As heirs of the kingdom, we are kings, intended to reign with Christ. It is our glory to search out the things of God. The last book of the Bible is called The Revelation of Jesus Christ, but in truth, from Genesis to Revelation, God reveals His plans and His will for us. He reveals His plan of redemption from sin, reconciliation to Him and restoration of all that He intended in creation. He who seeks finds. 

The text says:  Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith.  The process of salvation, redemption from sin is a matter of believing that Jesus died for our sins. The process of restoration is an ongoing process. Although there is nothing that must be or can be added to the finished work of the cross, the process of removing the dross; the impurities from our lives is a life long process. Romans 8:28-30 says:   We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.   God doesn’t cause the evil or bad things in our lives, but He will cause them to work together for our good. As we continue to love Him and seek His will, even in the difficult times of our lives, God will use those things to remove the dross and impurities from our lives. As we focus on Him, we become more and more conformed to the image of Christ. We are glorified in and through Christ, and become a pure vessel for the smith. 

The text continues:  Take away the wicked before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness. Do not claim honor in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of great men; For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,” Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen.   Psalm 89:14 says:  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.  God’s throne, His authority is founded in His righteousness, there can be no evil in His presence. We cannot attempt to stand in His presence on the basis of our own righteousness, but rather in the righteousness of Christ. It is because of His mercy, His grace and His loving kindness, that we stand and walk with Him. Hebrews 4:16 says:   Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  James 4:10 says:  Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.  In Luke 14:8-11 Jesus says:  “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  The way and the wisdom of the world says that people should seek their own. That they should prioritize their rights and their desires. Psalm 37:4 says:  Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit, that You reveal Your will and Your ways to all who seek You. You reveal and demonstrate Your great love, in that while we were sinners Christ died for us. I humbly submit myself to Your love in every circumstance and situation I face and I boldly come before Your throne of grace. I delight in You. Day by day, may I be transformed and conformed to Your likeness. Restored to all that You intended when You created me in Your image.  Amen.