Yesterday at the preschool we had a fireman come and visit with the kids. He asked them, "Is fire good or bad?" Some children said good and some said it was bad. His answer was that it is both. Fire gives us heat to cook our food and and warm us up . It can also provide us with light and protect us from wild animals. But if a fire is burning our clothes or our house, it's bad. Fire is dangerous and must be handled with respect and care.
Scripture contains numerous references connecting God and fire. The first one that pops into my mind is the verse from Hebrews 12: 29--"Our God is a consuming fire" My bible had a cross reference from Hebrews to Exodus 24:17 where it talked about the glory of the Lord resting upon Mt Sinai ."The glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel." I also think about how the Children of Israel were commanded to keep a lamp burning continually in the temple. These and other verses give me confidence that fire is important symbolically and / or metaphorically to God, as well as a physical gift He has given us.
As i explore and try to describe what I have learned from and about fires I know that God has a lot more to reveal to me in the process of writing them down. Thanks for joining me on this journey.
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