Isaiah 34:8-10 – A Purifying Fire
Here is an image of purifying fire in verses 8-10. The first thing we see is that there is a reason for what God is doing. There is a reason that something needs purification. Jehovah has vengeance against the wickedness that offends His holy nature. But it’s not only that; He has retribution against the wicked for the persecution of the bride of Christ in particular.
The whole land is now burning, and black smoke is going up. If you’ve ever seen pitch or tar burning, you know that is what happens. And if you’ve ever seen sulfur or smelled sulfur burning, you know there’s quite a smell to it. This all signifies the unpleasant consequences of sin. But the flame itself, the pitch and the sulfur being burned up and consumed, is a picture of the purifying from sin going on here. That is what God’s judgment brings. This purification isn’t just for a little area. God is making this purification all over because the sin is all over, and the purification must go on forever. The consequences of sin go on forever and ever and ever and ever and ever. To sin against the infinitely good brings infinite guilt, and mere creatures cannot take on the consequences, the punishment for infinite evil. They can’t take it all at once. In fact, they never can finish it up because it keeps on going. And so they must undergo the purification, in a manner of speaking, on and on and on and on forever. The pollution of their sin in defying God’s Christ, their pollution in sinfully seeking to molest the bride of Christ, the pollution of it, the vileness of it, makes an indelible stain. As I say, sin against infinite good requires infinite purification and justice.
Questions
- What is this burning a picture of?
- Why do the consequences of sin last forever?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks for the salvation we have in Christ.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.