Fire has both positive and negative connotations in Scripture.
A. 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; Pro. 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)
B. Negative
1. burns (cf. Jos. 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; Jos. 7:15)
5. false eschatological sign (cf. Rev. 13:13)
C. 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)
D. Fire often appears in theophanies
1. Gen. 15:17
2. Exod. 3:2
3. Exod. 19:18
4. Ps. 18:7-15; 29:7
5. Ezek. 1:4,27; 10:2
6. Heb. 1:7; 12:29
E. Like so many metaphors in the Bible
(i.e., leaven, lion) fire can be a blessing or a curse depending on the context.
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