Psalm 12 - Pure Words

“The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.” Psalm 12:6-7

The hands of the refiner were steady in their work. He handled the metal with precision, care, and great purpose. He heated the silver in the hottest part of the flame, the blue tongue licked at the lump of matte metal until its body collapsed under the heat, slowly becoming a formless pool. But as the metal subsided to the heat, something happened, separation. The purest of the metal separated from the dross and the refiner, with great agility, removed the unwanted until all that was left was the purest silver. Silver with such quality that it reflected like a mirror. One trip through the fire tested the silver and it exuded a beauty that the world would treasure. But for the refiner, for this particular project, he needed not just good, not just great, but only the purest of the pure. And for this he would refine the silver no less than 7 times. The result would be silver that contained no impurities, no contamination, no flaws, nothing but the perfect purity for which it was created.

In Psalm 11, to no surprise, we see David finding more trouble in this world. His enemies are all around him but this time, they do not wield swords and arrows, but something much worse…fiery untamed tongues (James 3:1-12). God’s Word has much to say about the deadly poison that can be laced within our words, and it is just this poison that David is battling as he writes the 11th poetic song. But as David was reeling from evil gossip, vicious back-biting, and malicious slander, he had a shield. David had a shield against the lies and wickedness that the ungodly sought to wield against him. And that shield was the truth and purity that lies within the pages of God’s Holy Word. And David’s shield was not constructed of just any mere metal, it was a metal that had been tried, tested, and proven. It was a metal that was perfectly pure in its core element and as a result also brought beauty and value into the life that chose to store it up in their heart. David, as he held the power of God's Word in his hands, knew the value of what he held.

Today there is a guarantee in your life. Harsh words, slander, gossip, and even hateful speech intended to harm you, will reach your ears. But as they do, what will you do with them? Simply allowing them to strike home and do their full intended damage will do untold harm to emotions and spirit. Without a shield, your endeavor to endure will be perilous indeed. Take a note from Psalm 11 and take refuge in the purity and power of God’s Words. Words that have been tested by time yet sparkle today as pure polished silver. Words that have been criticized and condemned by countless scholars, atheists, doubters, and scoffers, yet they still stand as relevant today as they day they were breathed into existence by the Holy Spirit of God. And this pure and perfect truth lies well within your grasp today. It lies within the pages of the nearest Bible, Words refined 7 times and sparkling in their purity as the very illumination of God dances off the surface. Pick it up, invest your heart in it, and allow your existence to be rooted not in the countless lies and useless babble of this world, but in the perfect, holy, and pure Words of Almighty God.

Blessings as you abide in the perfect Word of God ~ Dan

“Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” Psalm 30:5

"If you abide in me, and my Words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." John 15:7

un camino que llama (a path that calls) Val'Quirico, Puebla, Mexico