22
Jul

In Deuteronomy, Moses is recounting, rehearsing, remembering the Word of God in the midst of the people. He reminds them again and again that YHWH spoke directly to them out from the mountain, out of the midst of the fire.

“[Y]ou stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, ​so that they may learn to fear lme all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’ 11 And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom. 12 Then o​the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, ​but saw no form; ​there was only a voice. 13 And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, ​the Ten Commandments.” (Deut 4:10-13Deut 4:10-13
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV

10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. 11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. midst: Heb. heart 12 And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. only...: Heb. save a voice 13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.  

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…you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire… (vs 15)

Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? (vs 33)

Out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you. And on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. (vs 36)

The Lord spoke with you z​face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, 5 a​while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For ​you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. (Deut 5:4-5Deut 5:4-5
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV

4 The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, 5 saying,  

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In the Gospels, we encounter God speaking out from the person of Jesus. The mountain, the fire, the Holy Place comes down in the midst of the people. Jesus is this Word of God that speaks out of the midst of the fire. He is not any less holy, any less terrifying, any less fiery and all-consuming. He is the revelation of God in flesh-the complete revelation. He comes to bring judgment for sin, He comes to bear judgment for sin. In the mystery of His grace we are brought into Him by His Spirit. In other words, we are brought into the fire or baptized in the fire as John the Baptist says. The holy mountain is not an external location in the Middle East, it is in His people. Those same commands that are rooted in love still speak in our heart by the Spirit leading us into the fullness of His love, the fire of His holiness.

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Category : Commands / Word of God

One Response to “He Speaks Out of the Midst of the Fire”


Kristy July 22, 2009

Hey Doug it’s Kristy Howey from PA. Waving hello to you and your wife. Give Kelly a big hug for me.

Kristy~!

PS….Tell her I’m trying to catch up with her on facebook! God bless!