Topical Bible: Fire: Spreading

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In the Bible, fire is often depicted as a powerful and consuming force, symbolizing both divine presence and judgment. The spreading of fire is a motif that illustrates the rapid and often uncontrollable nature of certain events or divine actions. This entry explores the concept of fire spreading in the biblical narrative, highlighting its symbolic and literal implications.

Divine Judgment and Purification

Fire as a tool of divine judgment is a recurring theme in Scripture. The spreading of fire often signifies God's wrath and the purification of His people. In the Old Testament, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a prime example of fire as divine retribution. Genesis 19:24 states, "Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens." The fire that consumed these cities spread rapidly, leaving nothing but desolation, symbolizing the totality of God's judgment against sin.

Similarly, in the prophetic literature, fire is used to describe the purifying judgment of God. Malachi 3:2-3 speaks of the Lord as a refiner's fire, purifying the sons of Levi: "But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap. And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver." Here, the spreading fire represents the thorough and purifying nature of God's judgment.

Symbol of God's Presence

Fire also symbolizes the presence of God, spreading to demonstrate His power and holiness. In Exodus 3:2 , Moses encounters the burning bush: "There the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed." The fire that does not consume the bush signifies God's holy presence, spreading His call to Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

The pillar of fire that guided the Israelites through the wilderness further illustrates this concept. Exodus 13:21 states, "And the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide their way by day and in a pillar of fire to give them light by night, so that they could travel by day or night." The spreading light of the fire provided guidance and protection, symbolizing God's continual presence with His people.

Metaphor for the Spread of God's Word

In the New Testament, fire is metaphorically used to describe the spread of the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles as tongues of fire. Acts 2:3-4 recounts, "They saw tongues like flames of a fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." The spreading fire of the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles to proclaim the Gospel, igniting the early church's growth.

James 3:5-6 uses the metaphor of fire to describe the power of the tongue: "Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze. The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." Here, the spreading fire illustrates the potential for both good and evil in the spoken word, emphasizing the responsibility of believers to use their words wisely.

Conclusion

The motif of fire spreading throughout the Bible serves as a powerful symbol of God's judgment, presence, and the transformative power of His Word. Whether as a literal force of destruction or a metaphor for spiritual realities, the spreading of fire underscores the dynamic and pervasive nature of God's interaction with the world.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

James 3:5
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindles!
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Twelfth Day. The Thrice Holy One.
... And there is the Spirit of Holiness, the flames of that mighty fire spreading on
every side, convicting and judging as the Spirit of Burning, and then ...
//christianbookshelf.org/murray/holy in christ/twelfth day the thrice holy.htm

Nestorius of Antioch Promoted to the See of Constantinople. His ...
... these people to desperation; for when they saw the work of destruction going forward
in their chapel, they threw fire into it, and the fire spreading on all ...
/.../chapter xxix nestorius of antioch promoted.htm

Letter ccxxii. To the People of Chalcis.
... I am not sure that the reference to a kind of prairie fire spreading from the East
does not rather imply a prevalence of heresy than what is commonly meant by ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/letter ccxxii to the people.htm

Unlawful Expulsion of John from his Bishopric. The Trouble which ...
... While the fire was spreading from late afternoon until the morning, and creeping
forward to the material which was still standing, the officers who held John ...
/.../chapter xxii unlawful expulsion of john.htm

In this King's Reign, the Blessed Archbishop Laurentius was Taken ...
... abode, when he, trusting in God, where human help failed, ordered himself to be
carried towards the raging masses of fire which were spreading on every side. ...
/.../bede/bedes ecclesiastical history of england/chap vii in this kings.htm

Columban.
... O that I had the fuel with which perpetually to feed that fire, that it ... Barbarism
was fast spreading at that time in France, in consequence of constant war ...
//christianbookshelf.org/neander/light in the dark places/columban.htm

How Titus Gave Orders to Demolish the Tower of Antonia and Then ...
... temple, even when it was in their power to have stopped the fire; nay, they lay
still while the temple was first set on fire, and deemed this spreading of the ...
/.../chapter 2 how titus gave.htm

Conflagration
... The spout of fire leaped up as high as the roof, and, spreading among beams and
rafters, presented the aspect of a colossal tree of red flame. ...
/.../chapter lii conflagration.htm

How Perfect Love is Gotten by Cleanness and Love: and of Imperfect ...
... In spreading, truly: for it spreads the beams of its goodness not only to friends ...
Wherefore the heart that truly receives the fire of the Holy Ghost is burned ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/rolle/the fire of love/chapter xvii how perfect love.htm

Letter ix. To Titus, Hierarch, Asking by Letter what is the House ...
... and transmitting the divinely wrought mysteries, through a typical spreading of
a ... the typical symbols, as the superessential God, spoken of as fire, and the ...
/.../dionysius/letters of dionysius the areopagite/letter ix to titus hierarch.htm