While the implied truism from Shakespeare’s famous statement from “The Merchant of Venice”, “All that glitters isn’t gold” is generally recognized as alluding to, “Things aren’t always as they seem.”, there are also additional implications that can be derived from this famous statement made by “The Bard from Avon”.
One alternative meaning that one could make from this truism, when taken out of its original context, is that “Gold is of tremendous value.”; while a second alternative implication to the statement could be that, “Other precious metals such as silver, are also of tremendous value.”
Scripture does indeed indicate that both gold and silver are of great value. In Paul’s Second letter to Timothy, he implies that gold and silver are synonymous when it comes to representing items of great worth when he writes:
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth;
and some to honor, and some to dishonor.” II Timothy 2:20
In the Old Testament, the prophet Haggai also alluded to the fact that gold and silver were of tremendous value, and brought “Glory to God’s House”:
“And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with
glory, saith the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.” Haggai 2: 7,8
We are also told in God’s Word that God likens His refining of believers as being similar to the refinement of silver. The following is an excerpt from an “unknown source” that explains the refining process that is utilized by the LORD in His maturing of believers.
“There was once a group of women studying the Old Testament Book of Malachi. While they were studying the 3rd Chapter of Malachi, they came across a verse which reads as follows:
“And He shall sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver.” Malachi 3:3
This verse puzzled the women, and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were the hottest, to burn away all of the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot…, then she thought again about the verse, that “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver”. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered “Yes”, and explained that he not only had to sit holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time that it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be damaged.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is actually fully refined?”
He smiled at her and answered, “Oh that is easy. When I see my image in it.”
