SPECIAL TOPIC: FIRE (imagery)

Fire has both positive and negative connotations in Scripture.

  1. Positive
    1. warms (cf. Isa. 44:15; Mark 14:54,67; Luke 22:55; John 18:18; Acts 28:2)
    2. lights (cf. Isa. 50:11; Matt. 25:1-13)
    3. cooks (cf. Exod. 12:8; Isa. 44:15-16; John 21:9)
    4. purifies (cf. Num. 31:22-23; Prov. 17:3; Isa. 1:25; 6:6-8; Jer. 6:29; Mal. 3:2-3)
    5. God's holiness (cf. Gen. 15:17; Exod. 3:2; 19:18; Isa. 10:17; Ezek. 1:27; Heb. 12:29)
    6. God's leadership (cf. Exod. 13:21; Num. 14:14; 1 Kgs. 18:24)
    7. God's sign of acceptance (cf. Jdg. 6:21; 1 Kgs. 18:38; 2 Chr. 7:1)
    8. God's protection (cf. Zech. 2:5)
    9. God's angels (cf. Heb. 1:7)
    10. God's empowering (cf. Matt. 3:10-11; Acts 2:3)

  2. Negative
    1. burns (cf. Josh. 6:24; 8:8; 11:11; Jdg. 15:5-6; Matt. 22:7; John 15:6)
    2. destroys (cf. Gen. 19:24 [Luke 17:2a]; Lev. 10:1-2; 1 Sam. 30:1-3,14; 2 Kgs. 1:10,12; Heb. 10:27; James 3:5)
    3. anger (cf. Num. 11:1-3; 21:28; Isa. 10:16; 27:4; 33:12; Jer. 23:29; Lam. 2:3-4; Zech. 12:6)
    4. punishment (cf. Gen. 38:24; Lev. 20:14; 21:9; Josh. 7:15; Micah 1:7)
    5. false eschatological sign (cf. Rev. 13:13)

  3. God's anger against sin is often expressed in fire imagery
    1. His anger burns (cf. Hosea 8:5; Zeph. 3:8)
    2. He pours out fire (cf. Nah. 1:6; Luke 12:49)
    3. God's testing of leadership (cf. 1 Cor. 3:13-15)
    4. eternal fire (cf. Jer. 15:14; 17:4; Matt. 25:41; Jude v. 7; Rev. 14:10; 19:20)
    5. eschatological judgment (cf. Matt. 3:12; 5:22; 13:40,42,50; 18:8-9; Mark 9:43,48; John 15:6; 2 Thess. 1:7; James 5:3; 2 Pet. 3:7-10; Rev. 8:7; 16:8; 19:20; 20:9-10,14-15; 21:8)

  4. Fire often appears in theophanies. The NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 534, has a good list of how God revealed Himself and His will using "fire" imagery.
    1. God as a flaming torch ‒ Gen. 15:17
    2. God appeared in a burning bush ‒ Exod. 3:2 (Acts 7:30)
    3. pillar of fire ‒ Exod. 13:21,22; 14:24; Num. 9:15; 14:14; Ps. 78:14; 105:39 (see SPECIAL TOPIC: Shekinah)
    4. spoke revelation from the midst of the fire ‒ Deut. 4:12,15,33,36; 5:4,22,24,26; 9:10; 10:4
    5. connected to His descent on Mt Sinai ‒ Exod. 19:18; 24:17
    6. in lightning ‒ Isa. 29:6; 30:27,30; Ps. 50:3
    7. cleaning fire of judgment (cf. Heb. 12:29)
    8. personal presence comes in fire ‒ Isa. 66:15-16; Dan. 3:25

  5. Like so much imagery in the Bible (i.e., leaven, lion) fire can be a blessing or a curse depending on the context.

 

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