For Indeed Our God Is a Consuming Fire
Hebrews 12:25-29 Lexham English Bible
25 Watch out that you do not refuse the one who is speaking! For if those did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, much less will we escape, if we reject the one who warns from heaven, 26 whose voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, saying,
“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven.”
27 Now the phrase “yet once more” indicates the removal of what is shaken, namely, things that have been created, in order that the things that are not shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be thankful, through which let us serve God acceptably, with awe and reverence. 29 For indeed our God is a consuming fire.
The purpose of Israel’s history found in the word of God is to warn us and to instruct us. Thought they lived under the Old Covenant and that covenant was based on the law, the character and nature of God did not change. When Moses came forth with the covenant of the Lord and proclaimed it to the people, in the beginning they declared to follow it and walk in obedience, but their actions did not match their words.
Watch out that you do not refuse the one who is speaking! For if those did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, much less will we escape, if we reject the one who warns from heaven. Who is the one who warns on earth? It is God’s prophet at the moment in Moses. Moses not only led the Israelites out of bondage, but he was also God’s mouthpiece to the people. Moses would often go to the tent of meeting, and it was hear that he would receive direction and words from the Lord. He would then go forth and lead the people. Sadly, the history of Israel is marked by complaining and disobedience. Because of their unbelief that generation died in the wilderness. What should have been an eleven-day journey, turned into forty years of wandering because of rebellion and disobedience.
Who is the one who warns from Heaven? Who is He who was sent by the Father to take our place and die upon the cross? It was none other than Jesus Christ. The word refused in the Greek is paraitĕŏmai and it means to beg off, deprecate, decline, shun:—avoid, (make) excuse, intreat, refuse, reject.[1] The people of God who should have been listening to the word of God failed to respond in obedience. Today God is very clear in His word. He has given us His truth in His word. If we reject the word of God, we reject God. There is no escape for those who reject the precious salvation that is found in Jesus Christ. Everything that God has done concerning salvation and the New Covenant is a gift. It is to be received. It is not to be worked for. All the work has been done by Jesus Christ.
, 26 Whose voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven.” This quote is from Haggai 2:6. God created all things by His word. His word will not return void. God spoke all things into existence out of nothing by His spoken word. It shows us the power of God’s voice and His word. God has promised that once more He will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. There will come a day when the earth and the heavens as we know it no longer remain. A time will come when God will create a new heaven and new earth. We must remember that our focus must never be upon this world and earth. Our focus must be on heaven alone. For our citizenship is in Heaven and it is only made possible through faith in Jesus Christ. Over and over the writer of Hebrews shows us the supremacy of Jesus Christ. When all is compared against the Old Covenant it shows how weak and frail that covenant was. But in Christ we have a greater and new covenant in which we find complete forgiveness for our sins.
27 Now the phrase “yet once more” indicates the removal of what is shaken, namely, things that have been created, in order that the things that are not shaken may remain. The word removal is the Greek word metathesis and it means transposition, i.e. transferral (to heaven), disestablishment (of a law):—change, removing, translation.[2] All that can be shaken is not eternal. God shakes things to reveal what is eternal and what is not. The word shaken means to move or cause to move back and forth. It is a literal sifting. There are those who have built their lives on a foundation that will be shaken and won’t remain. If a person is to reject Jesus Christ and instead return to the law, they are choosing to build their life on a foundation that will be shaken. But for those who build their lives upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, it is an unshakable foundation. Anyone who stands before Jesus Christ someday will find not only entrance into God’s kingdom but for those who faithfully followed Him, will find great reward.
The purpose of the shaking is to reveal what is not shaken. Those things that are not shaken will remain and will show themselves to be eternal. Regardless of what things look like on the outside or how religious a person seems; all will stand before Jesus Christ someday. Those who have built their lives on faith in Christ alone and have truly been born again will be revealed for who they are. There are many options and choices in this world, but only one is an unshakable foundation and His name is Jesus.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be thankful, through which let us serve God acceptably, with awe and reverence. We are called to be thankful. We are called to serve God acceptably, with awe and reverence. The words awe and reverence speak of the fear of the Lord. When we truly understand how awesome God is, that He is holy, righteous, and just. That what we deserve is His wrath, but in its place what we receive is His mercy, it truly shows us how awesome He is. The right understanding of Jesus Christ and what He has done at Calvary should lead all of us to truly live in the fear of the Lord. To desire to honor God in every decision and choice and to simply bring Him glory. We have done nothing to deserve the unshakable kingdom that we will receive because of all that Christ has done. But a right understanding of this will cause us to be guarded from turning away from Christ. Thankfully it is the grace of God that saves us, and it is the grace of God that keeps us. But a right understanding of all that we have in Christ is key in our relationship with Jesus.
29 For indeed our God is a consuming fire. What does it mean that God is a consuming fire. The word consuming means to destroy, conceived of as using up or consuming something utterly and completely. The word fire means a flame or the hot visible part of a fire; referred to collectively as a fire. Anything that is not of God and His kingdom will be burned up. He is holy, righteous, and just, nothing is hidden from Him. When we look at Isaiah’s account before the Lord, we see that Isaiah was captured by the holiness and awesomeness of God. To believe that we can deviate from Jesus Christ is a deception. To believe we can live however we want because we are under grace but not in alignment with God’s word is foolishness.
The writer of Hebrews is placing a microscope over the supremacy of Jesus Christ. It is impossible to spend time reading and studying this letter chapter by chapter and verse by verse and not come away with a greater and deeper revelation of Jesus. The more we come to know Christ, we see how utterly lost we are without Him. God being a consuming fire truly reveals how awesome and holy God is. He is set apart and as His sons and daughters, we are called to be set apart. May we rightly understand His word. May we apply it to our lives and live by it each day. Jesus Christ is an unshakable foundation. As all things on the earth and in creation are shaken, He is the one foundation that will not be shaken.
Prayer
Father thank you for the New Covenant in Jesus. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for the truth of your word. Help us each day to build our lives upon your word. Help us to be the sons and daughters you have called us to be. Jesus may you be glorified in all things. May you name be high and lifted up. May we rightly understand your grace and all that is available to us because of what was accomplished at Calvary. In the name of Jesus, Amen!
[1] James Strong, A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 54.
[2] James Strong, A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 47.
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