Well, my dear friend, the verse to which you refer is found in Proverbs 27:17 where we read: “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Willism MacDonald in his commentary on the Bible for this verse stated: “It used to be common to see the host at a table sharpening the carving knife by drawing each side of the cutting edge against a hardened steel rod with fine ridges. Just as the action of iron against iron sharpens, so the interchange of ideas among people makes them more acute in their thinking. Sharing each other’s opinions gives a helpful breadth of view. Asking questions sharpens wits. Friendly intercommunication hones the personality.”

I think that in order to better understand the Book of Proverbs, we must understand its purpose, and I suggest reading Proverbs 1:1-7 to get a statement of the purpose of the Holy Spirit inspiring these words through Solomon. A proverb is a brief, but very meaningful statement of some truth or bit of advice stated in a way which is easy to remember. In the case of the Book of Proverbs in the Bible, the various proverbs are statements of godly wisdom or advice, intended to give understanding to the young as to how best to conduct oneself in this world.

So, in the case of Proverbs 27:17, the metaphor of iron sharpening iron is given as a commonly known fact, but is taken as an example as to how conversation, in this case among the godly, adds clarity and good reasoning to our understanding. I often think of this concept as to assembly meetings. When believers are in the company of other believers, we can help one another to a better understanding of the Bible as we share our ideas.  We can teach, correct or admonish one another (2 Timothy 3:16,17). In this way, Christians can help one another not to be too polarized to our own particular ideas, which might have errors, and thus we can better understand and apply the Scriptures appropriately in our lives. To my mind, this is why it is so important to be at each meeting of the assembly so that we can encourage one another. Only by gathering together can we benefit from the godly wisdom and interpretations of others and receive instruction or correction in our understanding of the Scriptures (Hebrews 10:25).  (SF)  (685.2)