In our early years of elementary school we learned our take-aways.

10 take-away 7 is 3. 9 take away 2 is 7. 5 take away 3 is 2.

In arithmetic take-aways result in something less.

But in these two take-away proverbs we learn that take-aways result in something more.

In man's economy take-aways result in less but in God's economy take-aways result in something more.

According to Webster's 1828 dictionary, economy means primarily, the management, regulation and government of a family or the concerns of a household.

We are talking about God's family, about God's household.

That is who these proverbs are for.

That is who this book is for, God's family.

God delights in take-away living because he only takes away from his children that which does not contribute to his work of conforming his children to his Son, Jesus Christ.

When man takes away, the result is always subtraction.

But when God takes away the result is always addition.

Take away and separation mean the same thing.

Take away means to remove one thing from another.

It means to separate one thing from another.

Our first proverb gives us the principle of separation in God's economy.

The first take away is take away the dross.

Dross, is waste matter.

Dross is refuse, worthless matter separated from the better part.

Dross is impure matter, dross is sometimes called scum.

It is not metal, it is not silver, it is not gold!

It has no value and in fact it is less than value.

The principle is that when dross is taken or separated from silver the result is a silver that the silversmith can work with.

The dross free silver is now fit for the finer's hand.

But if the dross is not taken away, if the dross is not separated from the silver, the silver is not fit to work with and therefore not fit for the finer to make a vessel unto honor.

The material is not fit because of the dross remaining in the silver.

The dross keeps the silver from fulfilling its full potential.

The dross gets in the way of the finer's perfecting work.

It is a weight to the silver which the silver by itself cannot overcome.

This is not the fault of the finer, it is the fault of the dross that is not taken away from the silver.

A separation has to take place in order for the finer to do his work.

And that separation must be done by an outside force applied to the silver.

The silver cannot do it by itself!

A "take away" process must take place for the silver to be useful to the finer!

And so it is true of God's children.

A take away process must happen if God, the true finer, is to realize in you and me a vessel unto honor.

Job knew this when he said in: Job 23:10,  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Malachi also spoke of this in Malachi 3:3,  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

God expects his children to be to him an offering in righteousness and he does this by a take away process, by a separation process.

And the same process must be used to establish a kingdom in righteousness as we see in verse 5 of chapter 25:

The wicked before the king are the dross of the kingdom.

And like the dross of silver must be removed in order to make a vessel unto honor

so must the wicked be removed from before the king if the king expects his throne to be established in righteousness.

David the king knew this clearly when in said in: Psalm 101:4-8,  A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person. Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.

There can be no establishment of a throne, of a government without the principles of the word of God as the foundation of that government or of that throne.

History itself teaches this and we see in our own country that as the wicked rise in power the establishment of the government is weakened and will eventually be destroyed.

Will not this principle be the rule of the day when the King of Kings establishes his kingdom?

He will not have a wicked person before his throne.

All who serve him will have to come before the throne through his blood.

There will be no self seekers, no flatterers, no persons with personal agendas, no wicked counselors.

All dross will have been removed by the purging fires of the tribulation.