What is the meaning of dross in the Bible?

maas. God's ancient people in their condition of moral debasement are compared to 'reprobate silver,' or 'refuse silver' as in the margin, Jer. 6:30; or, as is read in Isa. 1:22, 'thy silver is become dross,' rejected.

God is the refiner of His people, as the precious metals have to be separated from the dross that clings to them. Prov. 25:4 (where the A.V. has 'finer'); Isa. 48:10; Zech. 13:9; Mal. 3:2-3. So God tests the believer's heart (1 Thess. 2:4), and his faith, which leads to endurance. James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:7.

"Hold me up," he prays, "and I shall be safe." Being dependent on the hand of God to uphold him, he will be safe and enabled to observe God's statutes continually (v. 117). On the other hand, those who willingly stray from His statutes may expect to be rejected, for their deceit is not only a manipulation of the truth, but deliberate falsehood. God discerns the inward motives. He puts away all the wicked of the earth like dross. It is not merely that He purges the dross from the silver, but rather that there is no silver in them whatever: they are all dross (v. 119).

But the very fact that God disposes of the dross is an added reason for the believer to love His testimonies. The judgment of the wicked thus serves to strengthen the faith of the godly. It produces such a healthy fear of God in a saint that he trembles at the contemplation of so great a Creator, and his soul is subdued by the holy fear of His judgments.

From his shelter he looks out to see the judgment fall upon all that go astray from the path: for their laxity — "letting fall," like the string of a deceitful bow — is falsehood: not failure where the heart may yet be right. Thus God treats them; not as silver which may yet have to be purified from dross, but as dross itself and nothing else. The psalmist sees and approves this judgment, and so clings the more to those testimonies which deliver from the way of destruction; while his flesh trembles with awe at the holiness of God, and he is afraid as he realizes His righteous judgments.

193 But this desire is more precise; that is, he looks to the Lord to hold him up in the way; and he will be safe. He needs not only to be guarded, but kept morally upright - God's strength and grace to sustain him: otherwise the enemy would have the advantage over him; but thus kept he would constantly heed God's commandments. But he sees God's judgments on those that went away from them. That by which they sought to beguile men turned out to be emptiness and vanity. Deceit is, as regards men, falsehood - what was vain and false in itself. God rejected them, and treated them as nought, as dross. This encouraged the heart in God's testimonies, whose way the heart had kept, in spite of the wicked who puffed at them. But there was fear, and just fear, in the prospect of these judgments. We indeed shall be above them, taken out of the hour of temptation which shall come on all the earth, but encouraged by the word, and even by the judgment, in looking up in Him from whom it came. And such is ever the case in this psalm.

The saddest thing for the heart of God is, not that the world is wicked, but that the city which bears His name, on which His eyes rest continually, should be so evil. "How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them," v. 21-23. His judgment begins with His house. We see in Ezekiel 9 that, when the remnant are marked, He causes all the city to be smited, beginning at His sanctuary. He points out afterward the iniquities in detail. We have here a great present principle: if Christendom has deserved the judgment of God, His judgment begins with His house to purify it. In this sense we are with difficulty saved. It was over Jerusalem that Jesus wept.

The universal corruption of Jerusalem, and of its rulers especially, is then laid bare. "How is the faithful city become a harlot! she that was full of judgement, righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water. Thy princes [are] rebellious, and companions of thieves; every one loves gifts, and follows after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come to them" (vv. 21-23). Finally Jehovah shows He must deal with His adversaries, as well as Himself restore Zion, when idols and their makers perish together under His mighty hand. Their present state of ruin is contrasted with what it was and what it is to be. "Therefore says the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies. And I will turn my hand on thee and thoroughly purge away thy dross, and take away all thine alloy. And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: after that shalt thou be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful town. Zion shall be redeemed with judgement, and her converts with righteousness. But the destruction of the transgressors and the sinners [shall be] together; and those that forsake Jehovah shall be consumed. For they shall be ashamed of the terebinths which ye desired, and ye shall blush for the gardens that ye have chosen. For ye shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades, and as a garden that has no water. And the strong shall be as tow and his work as a spark; and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench [them]" (vv. 24-31).

In the next section of the chapter is a denunciation, if possible, more tremendous. If the chapter before was the prophecy of the sword, this is no less of the furnace. "And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus says the Lord Jehovah; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. Its silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I Jehovah have poured out my fury upon you." (Ver. 17-22) Whatever may be the bloody horrors associated with the sword, the fire of divine indignation cannot but portend yet worse even for this world; and the prophecy of course goes no farther. But it was Jehovah's doing because of Jerusalem's sins, not the Gentiles' merely because of their power. Faith seizes this and bows before Him.

Instead of 'the bellows are burned,' some prefer to translate 'the bellows puff, or blow, and the lead is consumed in the fire,' lead being formerly used to purify silver. Jer. 6:29. The allusion is that Israel had not been refined by means of judgement: "reprobate silver shall men call them." Jer. 6:30. Bellows are seen on the monuments of Egypt, having two bags on which a man stands; by lifting up each foot alternately, and pulling a string, each bag is inflated, and the wind is forced to the fire as the foot descends.

All the more important, if there be precious metal, that the base alloy be taken away. Then only comes forth a thing of beauty and for use.

So is it that the wicked should not enjoy court favours. Righteous repudiation of evil ones establishes a throne in men's consciences.