Resting on the Anvil

True it is - hammers can pound things into other things and ensure other things are pounded in such a way that they no longer represent their former form. It also shapes that which it hits. It is that shaping process that God may be after in our lives, not just the work of penetrating our souls, but of really changing them. God's word is a tool used to "shape" us - it is designed to "adapt" us to the character traits that most closely resemble those of Christ's. I daresay, these are the character traits we most often lack apart from a little 'shaping' on his part!

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?"
(Jeremiah 23:29)

As the hammer is wielded, the shaping process begins.  As the object being shaped is placed on top of that which acts as a backdrop to all the shaping process, the hammer comes down on the object upon which it rests, conforming it to the image of that which it rests upon. We might say that the process is one of modifying the object to take on the form of that which it is being molded against. A blacksmith has an anvil, allowing him to fashion the heated metal into a new form by the repeated blows of his hammer. The anvil serves no other purpose but to help the object being fashioned to rest upon it while it receives the work of the hammer.

If we are close enough to Jesus in the shaping process, resting firmly upon him, the image of Jesus will begin to take form within us! When God uses his Word to shape us, it is always aimed at us taking on a mature form - a character that is "modified" so that it displays that which it has been in contact with - that which it has rested upon! The sculptor or the blacksmith works with metal, shaping it until it takes on the form he desires to see. The same is true with the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives - as we are repeatedly struck with the hammer of the Word, we also find it is a secure place to rest.

We are in the process of transitioning from one shape into another - until the finished work of art or usefulness of our character is ready (the object reflects that which it has been in contact with). At first, the sculptor or blacksmith sees only metal that is gouged and pocked with the evidence of the hammer having repeatedly striking it as it rested upon the solid surface it was in contact with the entire time. As time passes, the appearance of the metal changes - as it is being stretched by the hammer and that which it rests upon, it takes on a new image and is stretched to a new capacity.

We want to resist both the hammer and the continued contact with the "anvil" of his Word. Why? Simply because the Word of God is stretching us in ways we did not know we needed to be stretched and this can be a little disconcerting to us. It is molding our character - and that process is sometimes painful. The process is repeated until that which is absolutely perfect and purposeful is produced. As a metal worker pounds the metal, shaping it gradually by the continued pounding, then plunges it into water to cool it down a little - it is hardened to a new strength it did not possess before.

We may resist the pounding of the hammer of his Word - but when we are plunged into the refreshing coolness of his Word - we become stronger! We take on a new strength. That strength would not be possible without the strike of the hammer! The resilience of character produced by the striking of the Word over and over again is a direct result of the image Christ has of us in his mind - he is the sculptor and the blacksmith, forming that which will bring him enjoyment, glory, and purpose. Don't resist the strike of the hammer - the closeness of the Word. It is the hammer combined with the anvil that creates the most useful and enjoyable of creations! Just sayin!

Hammered?

Do you have those days where the 'pounding' you took just leaves you feeling a little defeated and like you just cannot go on any further? I think we all do, but did you realize there might just be a little benefit from being 'pounded' a little? A hammer has a job to do - it is to pound! It could just be your day had a job to do - to bring about a change within you that was absolutely necessary and required the use of some 'strategies' designed to change you!

Does not my word burn like fire?” says the Lord. “Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?" (Jeremiah 23:29)

You know me well enough to realize that I would look up "hammer" in the dictionary. In doing so, I discovered some meaningful uses (purposes) for the hammer. Over the next couple of days, don't be surprised if we explore those and see just how they make an impact our lives. The first use of a hammer is to strike a blow, or repeated blows, so as to pound an object. My Dad would give me some nails and a hammer with a piece of scrap wood - not because he didn't like the scrap wood, or he didn't appreciate the straightness of those nails. He wanted me to learn the proper use of the hammer and to avoid driving the nails in crooked, or worse yet, bending them so they couldn't do their job. I'd start out well, "pounding" them for a while, but with very 'timid' taps on the heads of those nails.

Those 'timid taps' didn't do much to drive the nails into the wood. They advanced them a little, but basically never got them very deeply into the wood. Dad would have to remind me to not choke up so much on the hammer handle, and then take bigger swings, all while keeping my tender fingers clear of that impending impact. The bigger the swing, the deeper the nail was driven. It took me a bit to actually make consistent contact with the nail's head, though. The swings would leave dings in the wood from the impact of the hammer's head. In time, I got more accurate with those swings and the nails went in like butter.

When something is "pounded" it is reduced might be reduced to powder - it no longer bears the image of what it had formerly been. Being "reduced" seldom occurs on the first blow of the hammer - it requires repeated blows. The nails were "reduced" into the wood. The stone is "reduced" into gravel and then into dust if the blows continue. There are lots of forms of hammers, but one that I always liked the best was the sledge hammer. It was about five pounds and took both hands for me to wield the thing...but the pounding yielded quicker results! Yet, that hammer was absolutely no good for wood and nails. It was too "over-weighted" for the job. The nails couldn't stand the impact and would bend right away. Instead of penetrating the wood, they'd bend away and be wasted.

If I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a piece of scrap metal, I'd work on that for a while. I was always intrigued by how a round piece of copper wire could be "mashed" into a long thread of thin, shiny copper. The wire was malleable, but the pounded wire was mold-able - it could take on a new form! The more I applied the hammer to it, the more it took on new form, and then that new form could be molded into something even more beautiful. Sometimes God's Word is like a hammer in our souls - coming in repeated measures until what it was after no longer bears the image of what was formerly there! God is persistent - he doesn't just use his Word once and then move on. He uses it long enough, and frequently enough, that it begins to affect us deeply. The goal is that we'd no longer bear the image of sin and compromise in our lives, but would be re-formed into the image of his son.

Sometimes God uses his Word to make us into a "new form" and at other times he needs to use it to drive home something that needs to become more deeply set into our lives. God is all about turning what has had one purpose in our lives into something with a fresh and vital purpose. He is also as concerned for us to 'take in' what is being worked in. The blows may be repeated - feeling like we are taking a pounding from time to time - but they are calculated blows with a specific purpose behind each one.  We'd do well to consider the frequency of the "blows" we receive from the Word and ask God what it is that he might be changing by those blows! Just sayin!