Pure silver, refined to it's fullest, is a beautiful thing, not to mention valuable, and really the idea behind the process is quite basic: take silver and remove all the impurities. However, sometimes the silver refuses to "let go" of these impurities, no matter how hot the fire, so it becomes labeled as rejected silver and is tossed aside. We, as Christians are to be purified by God's refining process (I Peter 1:7), but all too often, we refuse to let go of the impurities.
Jeremiah 6:16-21 describes people in this wholly undesirable state, telling us that they rejected the direction of the Lord, refused to hearken to the watchmen placed in their lives, and turned away from God's Word and laws. So, later in the chapter, the prophet states, "They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them." (Jer 6:31, NIV).
Even though these people still offered "sacrifices" to God, they were not what God truly wanted. He doesn't desire sacrifice more than obedience to His Word (I Sam 15:22), and too often we want to give Him what we want to sacrifice rather than what He wants us to sacrifice, and that's exactly what they were doing.
Oh, what a tragedy for those who've allowed themselves to get to the place where God can't speak to them through His Word...But it doesn't have to be that way; He has given us hope:
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (I Chr 7:14)
Humbling ourselves in the sight of God (I Peter 5:6), and obeying His Word (John 14:5), will set us on the right track, on our way to being blessed by Him once again!!! I don't want to be rejected silver, I want to be a vessel of honor (2 Tim 2:21), useful for His service!!!
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