Fire Came Down
“As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house.” ESV 2 Chronicles 7:1-2
How would we react today if we were to truly behold the glory of God? The Bible tells us that no man can see the actual face of God and live to tell about it. But there are several biblical accounts of the glory of God being seen.
Moses desired and asked to see God, but God cautioned him otherwise and instead instructed Moses to hide his face in the cleft of a rock as He passed by. Moses did and looked only to behold the glory of God from behind. Other biblical accounts described Moses’ face shining after coming out of the presence of God; so much so that he often wore a veil until it subsided.
Isaiah recounts his calling to ministry in Isaiah chapter six. On beholding the glory of God, Isaiah could only utter a cry of utter despair on his own behalf. He cried “Woe is me! For I am lost…for my eyes have seen the King, the lord of hosts.” In Isaiah’s vision, the hem of God’s robe alone filled the entire temple. And in the presence of the glory of God, Isaiah, perhaps one of the greatest prophets ever, could only view himself as doomed. I’m convinced that we should view God with the same sense of awe and wonder.
In our text today, King Solomon has just finished praying a prayer of dedication for the temple he has constructed for God. As soon as he’s finished, fire rains down from heaven and consumes the offerings and sacrifices that have been presented. Picture that in your mind—fire raining down from heaven. In my mind, it was a magnificent display of the greatness, majesty, and glory of God to the people.
How would we react to such a display? How would we react if fire rained down from heaven and consumed the parking lot at church Sunday? I can picture news crews convening on the scene (assuming nothing more spectacular occurred that day) to document the event. In a society that demands logical and immediate explanations for everything, speculation would begin almost immediately as to the cause. And if my intuition is correct, very little speculation would lean towards a miraculous faith-based answer. No, I suspect we’d try to explain it as an unusual, yet natural event.
How did the people present at the time react? “…they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.’”
How would you react after witnessing the glory of God? Food for thought.
Ken Askew
How would we react today if we were to truly behold the glory of God? The Bible tells us that no man can see the actual face of God and live to tell about it. But there are several biblical accounts of the glory of God being seen.
Moses desired and asked to see God, but God cautioned him otherwise and instead instructed Moses to hide his face in the cleft of a rock as He passed by. Moses did and looked only to behold the glory of God from behind. Other biblical accounts described Moses’ face shining after coming out of the presence of God; so much so that he often wore a veil until it subsided.
Isaiah recounts his calling to ministry in Isaiah chapter six. On beholding the glory of God, Isaiah could only utter a cry of utter despair on his own behalf. He cried “Woe is me! For I am lost…for my eyes have seen the King, the lord of hosts.” In Isaiah’s vision, the hem of God’s robe alone filled the entire temple. And in the presence of the glory of God, Isaiah, perhaps one of the greatest prophets ever, could only view himself as doomed. I’m convinced that we should view God with the same sense of awe and wonder.
In our text today, King Solomon has just finished praying a prayer of dedication for the temple he has constructed for God. As soon as he’s finished, fire rains down from heaven and consumes the offerings and sacrifices that have been presented. Picture that in your mind—fire raining down from heaven. In my mind, it was a magnificent display of the greatness, majesty, and glory of God to the people.
How would we react to such a display? How would we react if fire rained down from heaven and consumed the parking lot at church Sunday? I can picture news crews convening on the scene (assuming nothing more spectacular occurred that day) to document the event. In a society that demands logical and immediate explanations for everything, speculation would begin almost immediately as to the cause. And if my intuition is correct, very little speculation would lean towards a miraculous faith-based answer. No, I suspect we’d try to explain it as an unusual, yet natural event.
How did the people present at the time react? “…they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.’”
How would you react after witnessing the glory of God? Food for thought.
Ken Askew
posted by TBC at
12/11/2008 11:19:00 PM
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