Iron Sharpeneth Iron

“Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27:17 (Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition)
I’ve always enjoyed this scripture passage for several reasons. First, it drives home the point of being on guard and ready to debate and philosophize with our Christian brothers and sisters. Second, it’s an exhortation to keep close to our friends and support them when we know there are troubles brewing in their life. Last, it mentions iron. Yes, that may seem to be a shallow reason for inclusion, but most men are fascinated by metal, and by the end of this short musing you’ll see there is more to it than the first glance may expose.
Metal is my business. Understanding the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties on a daily basis is the currency that I deal in. That may seem miles away from scripture, but once again, one’s patience in setting up this line from scripture will certainly bear the fruit of a fresh perspective.
I would like to call your attention to one of the most obvious properties of iron that we can all, most likely, say we’ve seen: rust. Iron corrodes when exposed to the elements, and we’ve all seen the bright orange or red hues on our vehicles, on some sad piece of equipment rotting away in a field, or on a long-forgotten tool in our garage.
Do our souls bare the rust of abuse or neglect by being exposed to the elements of this world? Have we begun to corrode from the inside out? Do we maintain a shiny exterior only to know at the end of the day we allow the vitriol of sin to pit and crack our very conscience? We should ask ourselves all of these questions, and I pray that now we can begin to see