In our previous Note on the golden reed (Rev. 21:15) we stressed that only the Lord can bring us to appreciate our weakness in following Him, and that He does this by bringing us through many difficult experiences. (See “The Golden Reed” 11).

This should give us a greater appreciation of one of the characteristics of gold as a figure of the divine nature. That is, while gold is very weighty, it is, at the same time, very soft and pliable; in fact, a single ounce of gold, which is about the size of a quarter, can be beaten into a sheet of roughly 100 square feet! Gold is so malleable that it was woven into the ephod worn by the high priest (Exo. 28:4-5).

In our fallen humanity we are often so hard and inflexible, and this causes many problems, both for ourselves and others. However, when we put ourselves in the Lord’s hand and submit to the His dealings we will become, instead, like the gold, so soft and flexible.

This does not mean that we will be weak, but that we will be able to accommodate others more easily, rather than insisting on our way. Moreover, in a proper way we will be able to fit ourselves into others’ situations to meet their need.

Have you ever considered how the Lord accommodated us in order to save us? Just to become a human being in the first place required Him to lower Himself beyond anything we could ever imagine! But of course, He did not stop there:

Being in the form of God, [He] did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
— Philippians 2:6-8

In recalling this history the apostle tells us that we should let this very same mind, the mind that is willing to lower ourselves and accommodate others, be in us (Phil. 2:5). However, this does not come by our effort or self-improvement. Rather, it can only happen as we allow the Lord to deal with us and work His divine nature into our being.

May the Lord have such a way in all of us!

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— 2 April 2022 —