Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada, and welcome to Joni and Friends.
The other day I was digging through my closet and I found a little velvet bag on one of the shelves – I looked inside and there were some of my long-forgotten pieces of silver jewelry left over from the 80s. Everything was pretty badly tarnished, even a pair of big silver earrings I used to love wearing. I put the little bag on my bathroom sink and laid everything out – there was another pair of earrings, a turquoise ring my mother gave me, a Delft pendant on a tarnished silver chain. Everyday I’ve been polishing a few pieces and, oh, does that silver glow! I’m so glad I found that little bag.
I’ve always had a fascination with silver. In fact, all of the jewelry my mother ever gave me was made of silver. And that reminds me of something that happened earlier this year during the winter Olympics when they were giving out gold and silver medals. My little friend, Steven, and his dad were watching the Games on TV. During one of the medal ceremonies, young Steven looked up at his dad and announced, “I think I’d rather have a silver medal.” His father gave him a funny look and asked, “Why?”
“’Cause it looks better, it’s shinier. Gold looks like it’s got all kinds of junk in it.”(I guess that is one way of putting it).And it’s true: silver often takes a back seat to its richer brother, gold. But in the mind of Steven, silver had a greater attraction. It was shinier than gold. It looked faster; it looked cool; it looked more pure. It didn’t look like anyone added “junk” to it (I guess that is what an alloy is, I don’t know), but God seems to agree with Steven’s view on metal alloys, for Psalms 12:6 says, “The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.”
When describing his Word, God says that it is more refined than silver. And I guess that’s true because gold can’t “hang together” if it’s entirely free of impurities – gold needs other metals mixed in it to make an alloy; that’s the only way it can remain in a solid state. So little wonder God chooses to liken his Word to silver – it has no other impurities in it. God chooses silver as a metaphor for his Word because he is less interested in attractiveness and more interested in purity. God’s Word, because it reflects a pure and holy God, must likewise be associated with that which is refined and pure.
One unusual quality of silver that accentuates its purity is the ability it has to kill bacteria (did you know this?) when it comes in contact with it. It’s as if bad things can’t survive in silver or around it! (No wonder you have silver fillings, right?) So, too, the Word of God is not only pure in and of itself, it has the ability, when applied by faith, to cleanse the reader of his or her sin. God is not as concerned about people finding his words “golden,” all beautiful and attractive, as he is about people’s lives being touched by the “silver” of his Word – becoming changed, and holy and pure.
The purity of God’s Word should make us treasure it highly. More importantly for God, it should make a change for the better in our lives. He wants us to apply his commands to refine and change our hearts. And to those who are willing to allow the pure words to effect that change, he grants an invaluable gift: the security of knowing that his promises are as pure as his commands and truths. Maybe that’s why Proverbs 10:20 says that “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.” Today, friend, look to be changed; look to be made holy and pure – lay claim to the purity of God’s Word and, as you do, pass on to others the encouragement of the Word of God, just as you would choicest silver.
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