"When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning..." Isaiah 4:4
The fourth chapter of Isaiah describes a time where God creates and protects a remnant of His children. The above verse caught my eye because my Bible indicated that the phrase "spirit of burning" had a similar occurrence over in the book of Matthew. This time, John the Baptist is the one prophesying. He says of Jesus, "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (3:11).
Two different prophets. Two different testaments. Two different references. Or are they actually very similar? Think about it. In Isaiah 4:4, "purge" also means to "rinse away," which reminds me of what happens during a baptism. Our sin is washed away by Jesus' blood when we believe in His name, and that "rinsing away" is demonstrated further when we are baptized in His name. In a way, we're using water to symbolize how God's fire actually works.
In addition, if you read one verse further in Matthew, you'll see that John the Baptist elaborates on this fire idea; he prophesies that Jesus will "clear His threshing floor" and "burn off the chaff with unquenchable fire" (verse 12). This mirrors with what we read in Isaiah 4; the "filth" and "bloodshed" are basically the chaff that is burned away by God's fire to create His remnant.
Notice the dual result of God's fire: It destroys what is evil, but it also cleanses and refines what is good. It "burns off" our sin and then purifies us so we can be more like Him. The same fire He will use to create His remnant on Mount Zion is the same fire He uses now when He baptizes us with His Holy Spirit.
So what does it mean to be baptized with His fire? The first thing that comes to my mind is POWER. The moment we are baptized with God's fire, we become more powerful for His purposes than we ever thought possible. The same Holy Spirit that fell on the disciples in Acts is the same that dwells in us, and when you read about all that happened AFTER that day of Pentecost, that's pretty incredible. So be confident in the One who gave you this fire and causes it to burn in you still. He has great plans for all of us if we would just allow His fire to work in us and through us for the good of His kingdom. Let His fire burn off the chaff within you so nothing will hold you back from all that He has intended for you. And allow it to cleanse you so you'll become more like Him.
The fourth chapter of Isaiah describes a time where God creates and protects a remnant of His children. The above verse caught my eye because my Bible indicated that the phrase "spirit of burning" had a similar occurrence over in the book of Matthew. This time, John the Baptist is the one prophesying. He says of Jesus, "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (3:11).
Two different prophets. Two different testaments. Two different references. Or are they actually very similar? Think about it. In Isaiah 4:4, "purge" also means to "rinse away," which reminds me of what happens during a baptism. Our sin is washed away by Jesus' blood when we believe in His name, and that "rinsing away" is demonstrated further when we are baptized in His name. In a way, we're using water to symbolize how God's fire actually works.
In addition, if you read one verse further in Matthew, you'll see that John the Baptist elaborates on this fire idea; he prophesies that Jesus will "clear His threshing floor" and "burn off the chaff with unquenchable fire" (verse 12). This mirrors with what we read in Isaiah 4; the "filth" and "bloodshed" are basically the chaff that is burned away by God's fire to create His remnant.
Notice the dual result of God's fire: It destroys what is evil, but it also cleanses and refines what is good. It "burns off" our sin and then purifies us so we can be more like Him. The same fire He will use to create His remnant on Mount Zion is the same fire He uses now when He baptizes us with His Holy Spirit.
So what does it mean to be baptized with His fire? The first thing that comes to my mind is POWER. The moment we are baptized with God's fire, we become more powerful for His purposes than we ever thought possible. The same Holy Spirit that fell on the disciples in Acts is the same that dwells in us, and when you read about all that happened AFTER that day of Pentecost, that's pretty incredible. So be confident in the One who gave you this fire and causes it to burn in you still. He has great plans for all of us if we would just allow His fire to work in us and through us for the good of His kingdom. Let His fire burn off the chaff within you so nothing will hold you back from all that He has intended for you. And allow it to cleanse you so you'll become more like Him.
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