SPECIAL TOPIC: FIRE

SPECIAL TOPIC: FIRE (BDB 77, KB 92)

Fire has both positive and negative connotations in Scripture.

Positive
1. warms (cf. Isa. 44:15; John 18:18)
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; Ezek. 1:27; Heb. 12:29)
6. God’s leadership (cf. Exod. 13:21; Num. 14:14; 1 Kgs. 18:24)
7. God’s empowering (cf. Acts 2:3)
8. God’s protection (cf. Zech. 2:5)
Negative
1. burns (cf. Josh. 6:24; 8:8; 11:11; Matt. 22:7)
2. destroys (cf. Gen. 19:24; Lev. 10:1-2)
3. anger (cf. Num. 21:28; Isa. 10:16; Zech. 12:6)
4. punishment (cf. Gen. 38:24; Lev. 20:14; 21:9; Josh. 7:15)
5. false eschatological sign (cf. Rev. 13:13)
God’s anger against sin is often expressed in fire imagery
1. His anger burns (cf. Hos. 8:5; Zeph. 3:8)
2. He pours out fire (cf. Nah. 1:6)
3. eternal fire (cf. Jer. 15:14; 17:4; Matt. 25:41; Jude v. 7)
4. eschatological judgment (cf. Matt. 3:10; 5:22; 13:40; John 15:6; 2 Thess. 1:7;
  2 Pet. 3:7-10; Rev. 8:7; 16:8; 20:14-15)
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
3. pillar of fire ‒ Exod. 13:21,22; 14:24; Num. 9:15; 14:14; Ps. 78:14; 105:39
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
8. personal presence comes in fire ‒ Isa. 66:15-16
Like so much imagery in the Bible (i.e., leaven, lion) fire can be a blessing or a curse depending on the context.