Ezekiel 22:17-22

The Holy Spirit takes the truth of the Cross and the salvation that it gives to mere humans and embeds them into our spiritual DNA....we become the Body Of Christ. He removes the dross and replaces it with the cleansing blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and He gives us a new, tender heart for others!

These verses are primarily about God’s chastisement of His sinful people through the burning of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Yet the verses also point to the fiery ordeals and trials that force all of us into a more perfect relationship with our Lord.

Ezekiel 22:17-22

¹⁷ The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁸ “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver. 

¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. ²⁰ As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. ²¹ Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst. ²² As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out My fury on you.’ ”

Proverbs 25:4-5 

New King James:Take away the dross from silver,

And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry.

New International:Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel;

New Living:Remove the impurities from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.

English Standard:Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel;

New American Standard:Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith;

King James:Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.