Dross

[I know that if there is anything I'm not is short and to the point with most of posts. I should be more apologetic about that...in the future I'll try to work on brevity.]

Various times through the Bible we are taught that God refines His people. Refinement is a part of sanctification. My vocabulary is ALWAYS lacking, so praise the Lord for dictionaries and books. I need them more than most people. ;) I learned about something new recently in regard to refinement: dross. Dross is in the Old Testament at least 8 times. God lists the sins of Israel and says that their sins are dross (Ez. 22:18 "...the House of Israel has become dross to Me.").

I looked online for a description of dross. (Disclaimer...I don't know the level of credibility of the website quoted) I found the information below helpful in understanding what God meant when He described Israel as what should be a precious, pure metal

but instead is dross ("...the house of Israel has become dross to Me" v.18):

In the original sense, people used "dross" to refer to impurities which arise during the smelting process. As metal is melted, it oxidizes, forming a layer of scum and impurities which float to the surface as the metal heats up. This dross can be skimmed from the metal so that the refined product will be more pure, ensuring a reliable performance when it is cast or worked. With some metals, the amount of dross generated can be very high, as much as 50% of the metal, and this can drive the cost of the metal up significantly.

In addition to containing the products of oxidation, the dross can contain a variety of unwanted impurities which have gotten into the metal. In some cases, these impurities can be dangerous in addition to unwanted, explaining the occasional usage of the word to describe something which is potentially toxic. This type of dross needs to be handled and processed with special care so that it does not pose a risk to human health, and it can sometimes cause problems in refineries and forges, as it may off gas dangerously when heated.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-dross.htm

Dross is a metaphor for sin in Scripture (again mentioned at least 8 times). Here are a few references:

Proverbs 25:4-5 "Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith; Take away the wicked before the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness."

 

Isaiah 1:22-26 "Your silver has become dross, Your drink diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels

And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe, And chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widow’s plea come before them. Therefore the Lord God of hosts, The Mighty One of Israel, declares, “Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries, And avenge Myself on My foes. “I will also turn My hand against you, And will smelt away your dross as with lye And will remove all your alloy. “Then I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city.”

 

Ezekiel 22:17-22(Note: dross is mentioned after a LONG list of Israel's sins) “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are the dross of silver.“Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Because all of you have become dross, therefore, behold, I am going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.‘As they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into the furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath and I will lay you there and melt you.‘I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it.‘As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out My wrath on you.’

So what do I do with this information? The Holy Spirit is teaching me about His refinement as a part of sanctification. The Christian life/walk looks something like this:

Justification ------ Sanctification ------- Glorification

Justification: the point at which we receive salvation through trusting Christ as Lord and Savior. Through the grace by faith in Jesus Christ, we are made right with Him (Rom. 3:24; Eph.2:8)

Sanctification: the process through which God is continually transforming His people to be more and more like Jesus Christ.

Glorification: "The final step in the application of redemption. It will happen when Christ returns and raises from the dead the bodies of all believers for all time who have died, and reunites them with their souls, and changes the bodies of all believers who remain alive, thereby giving all believers at the same time perfect resurrection bodies like His own." (Wayne Grudem Systematic Theology, 1243)

I long for the day when Jesus returns. For now, however, I'm being sanctified. The Holy Spirit does this sanctifying work in so many ways...teaching me (Jn14), reminding me (Jn14), disciplining me (Heb.12) , refining me (Mal.3). The last two are pretty painful...but so worth the pain. I'm so grateful that He doesn't just throw me away.

As He refines me, He convicts me of sin (dross) in my life.

So really, all that to say, Scripture is such an important part of the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work. And if God has blessed me with the gift of literacy and as much access to the Bible as I could ever want or imagine, then how dare I not hunger after God's Word.

And if I'm not hungering for His Word, then IT IS because I have become dross to Him (Ez.22). I have allowed destractions (sin) to consume my time. I have to say, I have experienced Him take something away that was a distraction (and I'm sure it will happen again in my sanctifying journey). It can be something like the electricity going out when I was consumed with "needing" to use the internet. That's a mild example...there are many more...many more that perhaps will be shared another day. But studying the Word is vital to God's purifying work in me. 

And what I'm about to share is an EXCELLENT resource for really delving into God's Word:

The New Inductive Study Series (Big Picture Studies for Every Book of the Bible

Please take some time to find out about this resource. These study guides help us to learn how to study the Bible for ourselves. We are guided through observing what the text says, interpreting what the text means, and applying it to our lives. Again, EXCELLENT  resource. I consider it a treasured find. The series breaks down studying Scripture into 30 minute study sessions (which is perfect for my daily quiet time). God has really opened my eyes and heart as I've used these guides to study through the prophets. I would like to go through the Bible using them.

Nevertheless, regardless of how you or I systematically study through Scripture, my life long prayer is that we will hunger to know God through what learning and obeying what He says. I pray that we will surrender to His lovingly and painfully removing dross and purifying our hearts.