Holy Fire

“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.”

-          Exodus 13:21

    When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He went before them as a cloud by day and a fire by night, protecting them from enemies and leading them on the way to the promised land. They were leaving the only thing they had ever known, going somewhere they had no idea about. But God did. God knew exactly where he was taking them.

    One of the reasons God led them like this was to light the way in the darkness (duh). This Christian life is very similar to following God as a pillar of fire. We don’t know what lies ahead. All we see ahead is darkness. We don’t know the future. No amount of planning or control will ever truly give us the life we think we want. The only way we can go forward the right way is with light. And God provides that light. And He only lit up right in front of them, not the whole path through the wilderness. If you’ve seen a bonfire at night, you know it only lights up a few feet around it. You can’t see very far from it. The Israelites couldn’t see far ahead of them either. Just like how we can only see a short distance ahead of us in life with Christ. He doesn’t show us the whole path He has for us. Why? Because otherwise we would trust the path and not Him.

    Another reason God led them as a pillar of fire was to protect them. By staying behind Him, the Israelites were kept safe from the Egyptians trying to chase after them. I mean, a giant pillar of fire is a pretty good defense against anything if you ask me. Just like that, God goes before us to protect us. Psalms 97:3 shows us how God destroys His enemies with fire: “Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.” Any spiritual enemy of a child of God is God’s enemy, whether it’s sin, our flesh, or evil spirits. You and I have no idea how much God keeps us safe from, even during the day to day mundane. God is constantly working, keeping his children protected from the spiritual evils and even the worldly evils around us.

    This isn’t the only time God presented Himself as fire. He appeared as the burning bush to Moses to let tell him to let His people go. In Hebrews 12:29 and Deuteronomy 4:24, God is said to be a “consuming fire.” I think this is such a fitting description. Fire is all consuming. God is all consuming, He is everywhere at all times. Fire can’t be controlled. Neither can we control God. Fire lights the way, and so does God. But, fire also destroys anything impure, and so does God. Isaiah 66:15 tells us how his fire is a weapon: “For behold, the Lord will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.” The book of Amos shows us constantly how God used fire as judgment towards Israel. Fire has many purposes, just as God has many different facets. 

    But ultimately, I think God shows up as fire to show us how powerful He is. That He is more powerful than we can ever understand. He can't be controlled by us, but He can protect us and guide us. And that power can light our way and protect us, as long as we follow behind Him.