Scripture gets our attention by repeating certain themes and motifs. There’s a purpose and meaning to everything the Bible says, so we’re going to examine Isaiah’s repetitious use of fire imagery—what it means in the context of the book and what it means for the character of God.
The Old and New Jerusalem
God chooses Isaiah to be his messenger and to warn Israel about the impending judgment. If they don’t repent of their idolatry, God is going to send Assyria to wipe them off the map.
I treasure one key component of Isaiah—the hope. It’s a pretty devastating book, overall, and though it speaks of destruction and calamity boldly throughout—as far as you can find those calamities, you can find hope. For instance, take these verses from chapter one:
“I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy. And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.” Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness. (Isaiah 1:25-27 ESV)
God tells them he’s going to burn the trash off of them, and then restore them to something even better than they were before. Did you see that transition? This is a contrast of the Old Jerusalem and the New Jerusalem, and it’s the stage on which the entire book acts out. The last time I read this book, I noted whenever it switched focus from the old or new Jerusalem. The margin of my Bible is littered with “o.j.” and “n.j.” noting where these transitions take place (pictured below). Try that next time you make your way through the book.
One of the things the Lord’s purifying fire does is burn away the garbage that can’t coexist with his Kingdom. Not unlike the security line outside a music venue—if you want in, you’ll be leaving your drugs and knives behind. Don’t expect to take them in with you. That New Jerusalem is coming—but the old one has to be burned away first. It’s going to hurt, but it will be worth it.
The Temple Vision
If you’re not familiar with Isaiah’s temple vision in Isaiah 6, take a break and read it. I’ll wait…
What was Isaiah’s initial reaction to being in the holy presence of God?
“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5 ESV)
Isaiah is kind of a spaz, right? That’s a natural reaction, but not a fair one. Imagine for a moment that you’re in the presence of ultimate holiness. Not something THAT IS holy; Holiness itself. Ultimate truth and goodness. Every unholy thing you’ve ever done—every lie told, every bad thing you are by nature, and every bad thing you’ve ever done as a result of it—utterly exposed. Nowhere to run; nowhere to hide. You’re probably thinking about those bad things you openly joke about, not the things nobody else knows. Does God know the wickedness that only exists inside your skull? Yes, God knows those too, and they are lying naked, for everyone to see, on the temple floor. Now we can understand why Isaiah reacted so extremely to being in God’s presence.
How does God respond to Isaiah’s cry? The angel takes a burning coal and puts it to Isaiah’s lips. The only way for Isaiah to dwell with a holy God was to be cleansed. God uses fire to accomplish this, and it’s a foreshadowing of what’s going to take place with Israel. The fire is going to purify the unholy, the unclean, and the sinful, making way for God’s Kingdom.
The Stump
At the end of chapter six, God compares the remnant of Israel (those who repent and are faithful) to a tree stump:
“And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump. (Isa 6:13 ESV)
Assyria cuts down the tree, and the stump is burned, removing all impurities. Who or what is the holy seed, though? We read later,
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. (Isa 11:1 ESV)
Any guess as to who that is? Jesus. Jesus is the branch coming from the stump; the Messianic King will come out of the faithful remnant of Israel. Before any of that happens, though, the tree has to be burned so something new and better can grow and flourish.
No End to His Government
Although fire doesn’t play prominently into any other events for the rest of the book, its presence in the narrative is far from over. Isaiah uses fire throughout the rest of the book to describe sin and wickedness being cleansed. In chapter nine, right before that famous Christmas verse (a child is born), it says this:
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. (Isaiah 9:5 ESV)
This year, I’m putting that verse on my Christmas card. It goes on to say:
For wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke. Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no one spares another. (Isaiah 9:18-19 ESV)
This is all in the same chapter that makes this promise:
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end… (Isaiah 9:7 ESV)
Now, that’s a government I can get behind. This is yet another example of contrasting the old and new Jerusalem. Before the perfect government with endless peace comes, the old government must be burned away along with its wickedness.
We desire sanctification, but most of the time we hate how it comes about. We may want the Kingdom, but we don’t take into consideration that our kingdom may have to be leveled first. That’s not meant to scare you into not wanting sanctification. It’s actually glorious that God is so transcendently holy that he can’t accommodate any relics from other kingdoms.
The Character of God
The rest of the book tells us: God’s glory burns like a fire as it devours thorns and briers and other undesirable impurities (10:16-17). God’s tongue and voice (his words) are compared to fire (30:27, 30). He has a fiery place prepared for the Assyrian king after he defeats him—make way for his government, king (30:33). Zion has fire accompanying God’s dwelling (31:9, 33:14), as well as fire accompanying the Lord’s visit to Ariel (29:6). Worthless idols and sorcerers are disposed of in the fire (37:19, 47:14). He promises his remnant they won’t be burned by the fire (43:2) he uses to judge Israel and other nations (1:7, 5:24, 33:12, 42:45, 64:2, 11, 65:5, 66:16, 24).
My amazement is renewed after gathering all of these verses. Not just in the glory of God, but also that people would sing songs in church asking for this fire to “come down on them” (whatever that means). It’s more than clear in Scripture that’s not something you want.
Go Read
Like everything we do here at Death of Death, this article hasn’t been exhaustive. This is really just scratching the surface. If you don’t have a specific Bible reading plan, start reading Isaiah. Mark the contrasts between Old Jerusalem and New Jerusalem, pay attention to the development of the stump and branch imagery throughout, and note the different ways fire, burning, and heat are used. It’s a daunting book at first, but it doesn’t have to be. Start by reading it.
I’ve embedded some videos from the Bible Project to help your study of the book.
