Fire and Air by Andrew Nash

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver …

Malachi 3:3

Malachi prophesied that the arrival of the Messiah would lead to the refining of the priesthood. That, in turn, would restore the righteousness of the offerings for both Judea and Jerusalem.

But the metaphor he chose, that of refining silver, has been lost to modern society. And that process is notable.

Silver usually does not appear in nature on its own. Rather, it is often found mixed with lead–not a useless metal, but not as valuable. This mixture would be smelted to create a lead-silver alloy.

In Jesus’ day, the process of refining this lead-silver alloy was a technique called cupellation. The cupellation process needs two primary things for success: fire and air.

First, it must get hot. Not just hot, but very hot. The fire necessary for refining silver must reach at least 800 degrees Celsius (about 1,450 degrees Fahrenheit). Fire serves as a separator. Silver melts at a higher temperature than anything else with which it could be found. Simply put, silver stands up to the heat better.

Second, oxygen is necessary. Simply melting the lead-silver alloy isn’t enough. You have to pump oxygen in during the process because it sticks to the molten lead and not the silver. Air tells you what is worth keeping.

We must also undergo refining. We must stand through the heat where others might melt. We must not stick to that which would keep us from being pure in the eyes of the Lord. Further, Malachi notes that we do not refine ourselves. Rather, the Messiah leads the purification in us so that our offerings are righteous in the eyes of the Lord.

ANDREW NASH