Lamentations 4:2: “The precious sons of Zion, / Valuable as fine gold, / How they are regarded as clay pots, / The work of the hands of the potter!”

November 24th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

The Babylonians regarded the Jews, who they had conquered and brought to captivity in Babylon, as worthless as earthenware or clay pots, a substance that was of so little value in that culture that if it was broken, they didn’t bother to repair it, but simply threw it away. But this verse tells us that God saw them as “precious,” as valuable as “fine gold.” Gold exists in a natural state, meaning it is wholly a God-created metal, as opposed to something developed through man-made chemistry. However, gold ore is usually found combined with other elements. In order to make it “fine gold” it must be refined or purified, which happens when the gold ore is melted at extremely high heat, causing the dross and impurities to rise to the surface so they can be removed, leaving only pure gold.

Becoming a child of God is a definite, creative act of God that only occurs through the “new birth” experience, as Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (John 3).  But the refining process continues throughout all the days of a believer’s life here on earth. In the last book of the Old Testament there is a clear picture of God doing the work of a refiner in His children’s lives. Malachi 3:3 states that God “will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” God is saying that His children, though broken and full of impurities, are of such great value to Him that He does not simply discard them.

A goldsmith knows that he must place the gold ore into the hottest part of the fire to melt off the undesirable elements. He also knows that he must keep a constant eye on the process so that the gold is not over-heated and lost. How does the goldsmith know when the process is complete and the gold is truly refined into fine gold? When he can see his image clearly reflected in the liquid metal.

“LORD, we feel the heat of Your refiner’s fire in our lives, but we do trust that You will never allow the fire to get too hot.”