Idea: God saves hypocrites. God rebuked the Jews for their hypocrisy, while at the same time promising to refine them.
We learn that God saves hypocrites. I've put this in the strongest language because of the history and because of the analogy God uses to teach it. In this passage, God says that he will test and try His own people, but He would not “try them as silver.” That's an important phrase. Elsewhere in Scripture, God uses the idea of purifying precious metals as a way of describing how He deals with us. Gold or silver has impurities in it. Those who work with metals get those impurities out by melting the metal in very hot fire. The metal melts and the impurities burn up. Analogy, God uses trials to purify His people, burning out impurities. So why would He not try them as silver? “Because God knew that there was nothing pure in the Jews. If He sent His full wrath upon them, they would never survive. Instead, He would refine them enough to turn their hearts and to make them see that He alone was their Savior.” (Motyer)
1. Hypocrites – Say one thing but believe something different 2. Hypocrites – Stubbornly go on in unbelief 3. God's grace to hypocrites
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