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.
Impurities!
For the precious to be desirable, it must be separated from the worthless.
This usually takes intense heat, high pressure, or both!
Immediate Context
The purification of silver is described in Proverbs 17:3 and in Proverbs 20:10. For more analysis, look at the keyword silver.
However, this proverb is drawing an analogy between the refinement of metal by a smith, and the reform of a civil government by a king. It is the glory of God to conceal a threat or challenge, but the glory of kings is to search it out. As the heights of heavens and the depths of the earth, so are, so are the hearts of kings unsearchable. Refine the dross from the silver, the metal is fit for a pitcher. Purge the wicked from the king, and his throne will be founded in justice. Yet how will the king find righteous advisors? Do not claim honour in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men. It is better that you called, “Come up,” than for you to be sent lower in the presence of the prince. (Proverbs 25:2-7)
Excellent public leadership does not come easily. All that glitters is not gold. All that shines is not silver. Counterfeits abound. When my wife and I visited the famous UNESCO site of Petra in the country of Jordan, we succumbed to buying a “pure” silver bracelet from a local peddler. I felt compassion of the seller, and colluded in my own deception.
All that Shines is not Silver
In many ways, life involves separating truth from error, fact from fiction, and information from misinformation. This was humanity’s first challenge—and failure. God told Adam that if he disobeyed God, “you shall surely die,” Genesis 2:17. In direct contradiction, the adversary, through the serpent, said, “You surely shall not die!” Genesis 3:4. Mixed messages. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, “the ground was cursed beneath their feet,” a tragedy came upon the whole earth. It’s usually called the “Fall”. I prefer to call it the "Great Rebellion" since a fall may be accidental, but Adam's sin was deliberate disobedience against God Almightly - great rebellion.
Today, curses, confusions, and counterfeits abound. When it comes to money, everyone hates being cheated.
If we use silver coins for financial transactions, instead of digital or paper “fiat” currency, then we must be sure that the silver is pure. Thus we turn to reputable Mints, like the Royal Canadian Min, boasting 99.99% purity in its Silver Maple Leaf. The American Silver Eagle and South African Krugerrand shown below are also known for their silver purity.
Their edges are deliberately ribbed, to show if anyone has filed away some of the precious metal. So we turn to mechanical or regulatory devices, in a somewhat vain hope of slowing that “race to the bottom.”
It takes intense heat to remove the impurities from silver.
Those close to the king, be they highly paid public servants or any kind of upper eschelon bureaucrat want to keep their cushy position near the hub of power. A wise ruler will carefully select his advisors so that his governing power will be used for the benefit, not harm, of those under his rule. Even good “kings” are inevitably swayed by the flattery of his own ambitious agents, chipping away at their corporate righteousness.
Liars love easy money. Speaking truth to power is risky.
Removing Dross Requires Great Heat
Note that God’s punishment is compared to an intense furnace—an pleasant experience.
Then word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, the house of Israel have become dross to Me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver. Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem. As silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are gathered into a furnace to be melted with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in my anger and my wrathe and put you inside the city and melt you. I will gather you and blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her. As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the LORD have poured out my wrath on you.
Ezekiel 22:17-23
Bronze can be visibly separated from silver, but it’s not easy with lead and iron. Likewise, when the public culture becomes corrupted, with the lead of greed and the iron of malice, the culture almost always needs a public catastrophe to reveal the depths of corruption.
Who dares tell the emperor he has no clothes? This simple tale by Hans Christian Anderson reveals a profound truth. When a leader surrounds himself with “yes men,” it leads to personal embarrassment or even a public disaster. It often takes a disaster to educate those in power.
Terrorists?
What some see as joy, others see as terror. The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous, but is terror to the workers of iniquity (Proverbs 21:15). Sometimes, criminals refer to the police in a slang expression as “heat.” The highly successful movie, The Sound of Freedom (link to trailer), demonstrates that a sting operation brings terror to criminals—law enforcers are terrorists.
Our Maker, Saviour, and Friend
Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Jesus was no pacifist. True Christians, through the power of God, also destroy the works of Satan (Romans 16:20). The elimination of impurities on earth will be uncomfortable - to say the least.
The prophet Isaiah predicted the Messiah, would not jump to conclusions based on external appearances but would rule with righteousness, even when it meant being harsh with the wicked. .
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
And He will delight in the fear of the LORD,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
But with righteousness He will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;
And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. (Isaiah 11:1-4)
Sadly, many false prophets and worldly preachers, neglect the pure truth of the Bible. They substitute the Word of God with the ideas of mere mortals. Chicken noodle soup for the soul may feel good, but it cannot cleanse us from our sins and give us everlasting life. Forgiveness and indestructible life come through Jesus alone. John 3:16-17, Acts 4:12.
- Memorize the text in your favourite Bible translation and think about it often.
- If you are going to buy silver, buy it in a form that can be easily resold such as a one ounce Canadian Maple Leaf or American Eagle. Beware of fake silver.
- Beware of fake silver. Buy silver from a reputable dealer who is supplied by reputable mints.
- Record your purchase carefully since you may need to pay capital gains tax if you resell it.
- Silver prices can fluctuate widely. Buy it on the dips.
- Never trust in it. When the scripture says “The love of money is a root of all types of evil” the Greek word for the love of money is “philargyria” which literally translates into the love of silver. Trusting in your storehouse of silver will lead to all types of evil. (1 Timothy 6:10)
Related Illustration