Have you ever wondered what is meant by "fiery law?"

In Deuteronomy 33 I read these words:

"And this is the blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints; FROM HIS RIGHT HAND WENT A FIERY LAW FOR THEM. Yea, He loved the people." verses 1-3.

"From His right hand went a fiery law for them."

Why? Because He loved the people. Yea, He loved the people! This law of ten commandments is of the greatest love ever presented to man. It is the voice of God speaking to the soul in promise. There is not a negative in that law though it may appear thus. The law of God's mouth is a quickening Spirit! Ps.119:25,50,93.

The Psalmist says: "All thy commandments are righteousness." Ps.119:172. The righteousness of the commandment is like as a fire to consume sin:

"But His word was in mine heart as A BURNING FIRE shut up in my bones." Jer.20:9.

"Is not My word like as A FIRE? saith the Lord." Jer.23:29.

God's righteousness issuing out of the law of His mouth is very pure: "Thy word is very pure." Ps.119:140. "All the words of My mouth are with righteousness." Prov.8:8. It is such holiness that sin cannot bear the presence of it. God's righteousness is of such transcendent glory, purity, and power, as to be a consuming fire to sin.

Its consuming power upon sin is because of its wondrous purity; and, therefore, because of the wondrous purity and the power of that wondrous purity of the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ, He longs to come in contact with those who are laden with sins, in order that this righteousness, finding an entrance, shall consume the sin, and save the soul. "The entrance of Thy word giveth light." Ps.119:130. That is Christ's righteousness. It is one of the most blessed truths in the Bible that our God is a consuming fire because of His righteousness. For, then, in Christ Jesus we meet Him whose righteousness is a consuming fire to sin; and that is the pledge of our salvation from every stain of sin. The brightness, the glory, the all consuming purity of the words of His holy law will take every vestige of sin and sinfulness out of the man who will meet God in Jesus Christ!

The burning bush was a beautiful representation of this truth. The bush represents our humanity and the fire represents the righteousness of Christ issuing from His fiery law. The burning bush is not consumed. The fire of God's law consumes the sin and saves the soul!

"Every truly converted soul will carry the unmistakable marks that the carnal mind is subdued." 1 T 163; 2 T 479.

Any comments?

[ April 16, 2002: Message edited by: adventbeliever ]

Spot on, AB!

Dear AB,
Was wonderful! Exciting! thank you for bringing those texts and those thoughts to our attention!
I love posts like that, where I can get my mind around the text and it really sink deep into my heart! I had never read that text in the way the Holy spirit impressed you to present it!

It made me think of another in Isa.33:14-16 that might be considered similar, because it speaks of the devouring fire and everlasting burnings. See what you think:

"The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure."

These texts caused me to think of 2Thess.2:8. "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming."

It seems that what is a consuming fire to sin, and therefore those who hold onto sin, is a dwelling place for those of us who put our trust in God. When we let His purity, His righteousness burn out the sin in our lives, and purify us for the Day of His appearing, we can dwell in the everlasting burnings of the brightness of God's Presence. Is this something of what you are saying?

Right on Zyph and Dora!

posted by Dora:

It seems that what is a consuming fire to sin, and therefore those who hold onto sin, is a dwelling place for those of us who put our trust in God. When we let His purity, His righteousness burn out the sin in our lives, and purify us for the Day of His appearing, we can dwell in the everlasting burnings of the brightness of God's Presence. Is this something of what you are saying?

___________________

Excellent!

Isaiah 4:4! "When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the Spirit of judgment, and by the Spirit of burning."

The words proceeding out of His mouth are with righteousness which is like a fire, the Spirit of burning!

"All the words of My mouth are with righteousness." Prov.8:8. "All Thy commandments are righteousness." Ps.119:172. The righteousness of His Word is as a fire to consume sin!

The tongues of fire hovering above the heads of the disciples at Pentecost were a symbol of the Spirit of burning with which they were filled. "He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." Luke 3:16.

The fire of God's righteousness also gives a holy zeal to the believer!

[ March 26, 2002: Message edited by: adventbeliever ]

AB, thank you so much for this study! Let's do more of this, we can learn from each other, for just someone asking questions can trigger a thought, and help the Holy spirit to inspire and impress us.

There is so much I need and desire to know! True, real Bible study! And, don't get me wrong, I respect and use the SOP every day. It is just that my mind won't function in the midst of a multitude of quotes, unless there is an explanation somewhere in there of where we are going with them. Does that make sense? I would be the same with Bible texts. But, I really did like the way you presented this study. Please keep it up! I know you are an intelligent Bible scholar, and that I can learn from what you know. I thank you for this.

Thanks Dora for your encouragement. Your excitement is rubbing off on me! I don't know that I deserve to be thought of as an intelligent Bible scholar! But the Psalmist said: "You, O Lord, through Your commandments, have made me wiser than my enemies. For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients for I keep Your precepts." Ps.119:98,100. "Through Your commandments I get understanding." "The entrance of Your word gives light. It gives understanding to the simple." Ps.119:104,130. To the simple!

"And it came to pass, when He was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy, who, seeing Jesus, fell on his face, and besought Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him." Luke 5:12,13.

Man is full of the leprosy of sin and he cannot of himself love God with all his heart and his neighbor as himself. He has no righteousness (fire) with which to satisfy the demands of the law of God. Seeing Jesus, he falls on his face, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, thou canst make me to love You with all my heart and my neighbor as myself. And the Lord puts forth His hand, touches him, and says, I will! ("By the which will we are sanctified." Heb.10:10)

I will! This is what the Lord is saying to us through the words of His holy law: I will! And the fire of God's love burns brightly into the soul of the penitent believer to shine forth in good works!

The will of God is expressed in the precepts of His holy law!

Lord, if thou wilt, Thou canst make me keep the Sabbath holy! And the Lord says, I will! And it is the same for every commandment proceeding out of His mouth!

We know this because His will for us is expressed in His commandments! right?

[ March 27, 2002: Message edited by: adventbeliever ]

Amen! AB! And the law is to be written in our hearts, rather than a checklist on tables of stone. Those are only a mirror, a reminder, if you will. Is that how you see it?

As to the purifying fires, what do you think of these quotes in MH p471? Do you think these fires are a part of the purifying process? The trials we must go through?

"..Often He permits the fires of affliction to assail them that they may be purified.

The fact that we are called upon to endure trial shows that the Lord Jesus sees in us something precious which He desires to develop. If He saw in us nothing whereby He might glorify His name, He would not spend time in refining us. he does not cast worthless stones into His furnace. It is valuable ore that He refines...."

Those quotes have given me hope when I have been in trials I thought I could not live through. Those quotes cause me to think that one day I may can meet all here under that Tree of Life.

I want to look up and mark some of the above texts you gave. It is strange how one can overlook something in the Bible, then, someone can bring it out so clear. Thank you again, AB.
Yes! Studying the bible in Christ's love, without argument and dissention is the most exciting thing on earth!!!

You can also bring in the fire of the Shekinah presence in the heart and the glory of God revealed through Moses. The wicked ran from Moses but Moses did not run from God but desired to get closer to Him even though He is the everlasting burning.

Even the fire which consumes the unsaved in the lake of fire at the end of time comes down from heaven and is an expression of God's love - for the wrath of God is love. Thank you Jesus! Good study, AB.

By the way, it seems as though Paul contrasts "righteousness which is of the law" and "righteousness which is of faith." What is the difference?

Romans
10:4-6 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith...

[ March 27, 2002: Message edited by: Mike Lowe ]