我熬煉你，卻不像熬煉銀子(賽48章)

我熬煉你、卻不像熬煉銀子．你在苦難的爐中、我揀選你。(賽 48：10)

我們常說：主熬煉我們，是要使我們像精金一樣。但此處卻說：「我熬煉你、卻不像熬煉銀子」，是甚麼意思？神不是要將我們的渣滓除掉嗎？原來此處神所表達的，是另有祂的其他涵義。

不純的銀礦，當然要從烈火的爐子將渣滓除掉，以便留下內涵其中的純銀，此時方有珍貴的價值。但是，煉銀礦才有意義，因為這銀子本來就存在銀礦中，只是沒有被提煉出來而已。若神火煉我們只是為了得到我們生命深處的「純銀」，那我們就要必須要經歷火煉過程，這是因為我們就是有價值的銀礦。但是主在這裡卻不是這個意思，原來在此經文前面，神說明了一個真相：

雅各家、稱為以色列名下、從猶大水源出來的、當聽我言．你們指着耶和華的名起誓、提說以色列的神、卻不憑誠實、不憑公義。(賽 48：1)

因為我素來知道你是頑梗的、你的頸項是鐵的、你的額是銅的、(賽 48：4)

你未曾聽見、未曾知道、你的耳朵從來未曾開通．我原知道你行事極其詭詐、你自從出胎以來、便稱為悖逆的。我為我的名、暫且忍怒、為我的頌讚、向你容忍、不將你剪除。(賽 48：8-9)

原來，我們不是有價值的銀礦，而是像當時頑梗、悖逆的以色列人一樣，是甚麼都不是的其他物質。因此，「在我裡面沒有良善」，真的一點善也沒有，好像一塊毫無價值的岩石，其中一點銀礦的成分也沒有，這樣如何煉出純銀？正如保羅說的：

我也知道、在我裏頭、就是我肉體之中、沒有良善．因為立志為善由得我、只是行出來由不得我。故此、我所願意的善、我反不作．我所不願意的惡、我倒去作。(羅 7：18-19)

所以以賽亞書48章這裡說：「你在苦難的爐中、我揀選你」。這裡的「我揀選你」原意是「我已經揀選你」，是現在完成式，是我們還不完全時，神就已經指名要我，不是因為我是否是銀。所以保羅在羅馬書中說：

因我們還軟弱的時候、基督就按所定的日期為罪人死。為義人死、是少有的、為仁人死、或者有敢作的。惟有基督在我們還作罪人的時候為我們死、神的愛就在此向我們顯明了。(羅 5：6-8)

原來主愛我，是沒有甚麼理由的，祂的原因就只是「我就是愛你」，不是因為我有多好，或是在我裡面有任何一點點值得期待的優點，可以如同銀礦中的純銀一樣。不好意思，一點純銀的成分都沒有。主若要將我放在煉銀的火爐中，想要煉到出現純銀，那我可能會灰飛煙滅。因為物質不能憑空產生，也不會憑空消失，這是「物質不滅定律」。

但是祂卻在我還在火爐中，還沒有煉到出現銀子時，祂就揀選了我。原來火煉之後不是將我裡面純銀般「屬天的我」火煉出來，因為這根本不存在，神也不會以煉銀的要求來煉我，祂只要我們轉眼不看虛假，只看見祂，完全依靠祂，不再做自己，願意人人作耶穌。正如約伯接受熬煉，最後不是煉出美麗的約伯，而是使約伯不再看自己，反而厭惡自己，眼裡只有看見神。約伯說：

我從前風聞有你、現在親眼看見你。因此我厭惡自己、〔自己或作我的言語〕在塵土和爐灰中懊悔。(伯 42：5-6)

這就是約伯通過火爐考驗的結果，然而，約伯在被神丟入火爐前，神已經揀選他。原來神不是要世人眼中的完美約伯，而是願意「捨棄約伯」，讓基督成形在裡面的約伯。

因此聖徒接受火煉，從來都不是為了成為更好的自己，反而是要煉到沒有了自己，只看見神，完全效法基督。因此，當我們願意惟主的命令是靠的時候，也就是「捨己」了，不再有自我的任何意見，完全被聖靈充滿時，神為我預備的火爐就已完成任務。

於是叫眾人和門徒來、對他們說：「若有人要跟從我、就當捨己、背起他的十字架來跟從我。」(可 8：34)

By Isaiah Kao

I Refined You, But Not Like Silver (Isaiah 48)

June 9, 2026

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. I have chosen you.”

(Isaiah 48:10)

We often say: the Lord refines us so that we may become like pure gold. Yet here it says, “I refined you, but not as silver.” What does this mean? Isn’t God removing our dross? In fact, this passage expresses another meaning.

Impure silver ore must be placed in the furnace so that the dross is removed, leaving behind the pure silver of true value. Refining silver ore makes sense, because silver already exists within the ore—it simply needs to be drawn out. If God’s refining of us were only to extract the “pure silver” hidden in our lives, then we would indeed undergo the fire, because we would be valuable ore. But here, that is not the meaning. Earlier in the chapter, God reveals the truth:

“Hear this, house of Jacob, who are named Israel and who came from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord and invoke the God of Israel, but not in truth nor in righteousness.”

(Isaiah 48:1)

“Because I know that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron tendon, and your forehead bronze.”

(Isaiah 48:4)

“You have not heard, you have not known. Even from long ago your ear has not been open, because I knew that you would deal very treacherously; and you have been called a rebel from birth. For the sake of My name I will delay My wrath, and for My praise I restrain it for you, so that you do not perish.”

(Isaiah 48:8‑9)

We are not valuable silver ore, but rather like stubborn, rebellious Israel—nothing of worth. Truly, “in me there is no good,” not even a trace, like a worthless rock with no silver content at all. How then could pure silver be refined? 

As Paul said:“For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.”

(Romans 7:18‑19)

Thus Isaiah 48 says: “I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.” The original sense is: “I have already chosen you.” It is perfect tense—God had already designated us even while we were still incomplete, not because we were silver. Paul explains:

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous person; though perhaps for the good person someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

(Romans 5:6‑8)

The Lord loves us without reason. His only reason is: “I love you.” Not because of our goodness, nor because of any hidden virtue like silver in ore. There is no silver at all. If God placed us in the furnace to refine silver, we would be consumed to nothing. Matter cannot appear or vanish from nothing—this is "Law of conservation of matter". 

Yet He chose us while we were still in the furnace, before silver appeared. Refining is not to draw out some nonexistent “heavenly silver” within us. God does not refine us as silver, but calls us to turn away from falsehood, to look only to Him, to rely wholly on Him, to cease living for ourselves, and to let Jesus be formed in us. Job’s trial shows this: the outcome was not a more polished Job, but Job who ceased to look at himself, who despised himself, and saw only God. Job said:

“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You. Therefore I retract, And I repent, sitting on dust and ashes.”

(Job 42:5‑6)

This was the result of Job’s furnace. Yet before Job entered the fire, God had already chosen him. God did not desire a perfect Job in human eyes, but a Job who surrendered himself, so that Christ might be formed within.

Therefore, the saints undergo refining not to become “better selves,” but to lose self entirely, to see only God, to fully imitate Christ. When we rely solely on His command, we deny ourselves. When self is gone and the Spirit fills us, the furnace has completed its work.

“And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, ‘If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.’”

(Mark 8:34)

By Isaiah Kao