Nine Pieces of Silver + One
The Sapphire Review Vol. 3 | No. 7 • February 20, 2026
Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
Luke 15:8–9, KJV
INTRO
In Luke 15:8-10, Jesus gives a parable of a woman who has lost one of her ten pieces of silver. She searches diligently until she finds it. Once found, she rejoices and shares the news with others. Jesus likens this to the rejoicing that takes place in heaven when one sinner repents.
This surface level reading is certainly encouraging as it stands. However, as with many things in the Bible, there are often layers of meaning and gems of truth which are buried beneath the “surface.” With diligent prayer and study, deeper truths can be found.1
Has Jesus left us with any gems of truth to be dug out from beneath the surface level understanding? As we consider this, let us start with defining a few terms from scripture.
BIBLE DEFINITIONS
Woman
Representative of God’s people, or the church.
“I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.” (Jeremiah 6:2, KJV)
“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:2, KJV)
See also Ephesians 5:23-27
Pieces of Silver
The words of Jehovah,2 God , are pure words, as silver that has been tried in a furnace, though possessing a value that is far greater.
“The words of the LORD [Jehovah] are pure words: As silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6, KJV)
“The law of thy mouth is better unto me Than thousands of gold and silver.” (Psalm 119:72, KJV)
Seeking Diligently
In connection with silver, represents the process of seeking after wisdom and understanding regarding God’s words and commandments.
“My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, And liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, And searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD [Jehovah], And find the knowledge of God. For the LORD [Jehovah] giveth wisdom: Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:1–6, KJV)
In verses 2-6 we have a chiasmus with verse 4 being the focal point of “seeking her has silver.” (the very thing the woman in the parable was doing)
Darkness
The woman would only need a candle if it were dark. With Jehovah being the one that lights our candles to enlighten our darkness,3 and with the word of God being a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths,4 the darkness may represent a period of time when light on a particular truth of God’s word had been lost.
“O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; Let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.” (Psalm 43:3, KJV)
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:5, KJV)
Candle
May represent a particular church era when something was realized as being lost and searched for until it was found. We see the seven eras of the church being likened to a candlestick in Revelation 1:20, and the removal of a candlestick as being the end of a church era in Revelation 2:5.
Also noteworthy, is that Jesus is described to the first church era (Ephesus) as walking in the midst of the candlesticks.5 Ephesus, being the first era of the church, certainly experienced great levels of light as it pertains to the truth.
“The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:20, KJV)
Light from Candle
Representative of God’s giving of understanding on something which was previously unknown/lost/hid/misunderstood to those who are willing to hear and consider.6
“And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.” (Mark 4:21–25, KJV)
“He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.” (Matthew 13:11–12, KJV)
We see from these passages that when light/understanding is given and followed, then more light is given. However, when it is not followed, even past light is lost (thus darkness ensues, eyes grow dim, and ears grow dull).
House
May represent the hearing of God’s word, or of some particular truth. The foundation on which the house is built is either rock or sand, obedience or disobedience.
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24–27, KJV)
Sweeping
In being associated with the removal of lies, may represent the process of the church removing false doctrines and traditions of men in order to embrace that which is true.
“Judgment also will I lay to the line, And righteousness to the plummet: And the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters shall overflow the hiding place.” (Isaiah 28:17, KJV)
If sweeping was required to find the lost piece of silver, this shows how lies and deceptions can be piled up to obscure the way of seeing that which is true. All must “run to and fro,”7 in the Bible, to acquire knowledge of truth and to sweep away every belief, practice, and tradition which does not align with its teachings.
Sharing
Representative of how when truth is found, it is then proclaimed to others with great joy.
“What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.” (Matthew 10:27, KJV)
One Sinner that Repents
Sin, as defined by the Bible, is a transgression of the law. More specifically, we can understand this as a breaking of any one of the ten commandments.
“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” (1 John 3:4, KJV)
“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.” (James 2:10–11, KJV)
The examples that James uses for the “transgression of the law” are from the ten commandments. Thus, a sinner is a transgressor/breaker/violator of any one of the ten commandments. It then follows that a repentant sinner is one that has turned away from willfully continuing to break any of the ten commandments.
CLIMAX
With all these terms behind us, and defined Biblically, we have now reached our climactic point. We will continue now with a series of questions.
Questions
Question: How many pieces of silver did the woman have in total?
Answer: Ten
Question: How many commandments were spoken audibly by God’s mouth,8 were written by His own finger,9 and reside under the mercy seat in the heavenly ark today?10
Answer: Ten
Question: How many pieces of silver did the woman have when something of the ten was lost?
Answer: Nine
Question: How many of the ten commandments do most Christians consider as valid today?
Answer: Nine (#1 - No other Gods, #2 - Idolatry, #3 - Name in Vain, #5 - Honoring Parents, #6 - Killing, #7 - Adultery, #8 - Stealing, #9 - Lying, #10 - Coveting)
1. Question: How many pieces of silver were lost?
Answer: One
Question: How many of the ten commandments have been lost, forgotten, neglected, or rejected by most of Christianity today?
Answer: One (#4 - Sabbath)
It is also no coincidence that this is the one and only commandment that begins with and includes a call to “Remember.”
Parable Revisited
So here, in this parable, we have a picture of the church (God’s people) that were given ten precious commandments from Him, all having a value far greater than silver or gold. The church (Ephesus era) started with light, acceptance, and obedience to all ten.
Over time, the church compromised, mingled with the world, and backslid. Darkness crept in, and one of the ten commandments (the 7th day Sabbath) was lost by Christianity and no longer revered or remembered. The dust of men’s traditions and the deceptions of a counterfeit have, over the centuries, covered up and buried this lost piece of truth.
In the 1800s, God lit a candle and the church era of Philadelphia came forth.11 During this time, the dust and debris of false doctrines and men’s traditions began to be swept away. The lost piece of “silver,” the 7th day Sabbath, was found through earnest and prayerful study of the Bible.
There was great rejoicing and this truth was shared and spread across the world.
CLOSING
This same process has been repeating ever since that time by every person that discovers the precious, beautiful truth and blessing of revering and remembering to keep 7th day Sabbath holy, as it was spoken, written, and commanded by the only true God of the Bible.
What will you do when a heavenly ray of candlelight shines upon the faint glimmer of this gem in your heart? Will you sweep your heart clean of all traditions and teachings of error in order to fully discover that which is buried beneath their dust? Or will you turn aside, being content with, and preferring the worthless dust, justifying, excusing, and hoping not to be bothered by beams of light into that area again?
PRAYER
May God help us now and always to respond to truth with willful and joyful obedience, whatever the cost, when He shines a light of truth into our hearts and lives.
God Bless,
Charles
SCRIPTURE INDEX