Fully Consumed

Deuteronomy 4:24 - For YHWH thy Elohim is a consuming fire, even a jealous El.

Recently, I had some things I had to burn, so I took them out to our burn container. I put some pine straw on the bottom to help it get started burning. I put the items I had to burn in, and then I put some more of the pine straw to help it keep burning. I then lit the fire. As I stood there, I watched the fire roar and consume what was in the container. I came back a little bit later on and looked in the container. There was nothing left of the items that I was burning. The fire had completely consumed them.

You might say, "Well, why is YHWH saying he's a consuming fire here?" Well, if you read the verse right before that, it says, "Take heed unto yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of YHWH, thy Elohim, which he hath made with you, and you make a graven image or the likeness of any thing which YHWH, thy Elohim, hath forbidden thee." The definition of that word, consuming, in scripture is Hebrew number H398. It's a primitive root and means to eat, literally or figuratively. That's what fire does: it eats, it consumes everything that is put into it. If you think about the Hebrew definition of the word consuming, it's a little bit scary to think YHWH is a consuming fire.

We see over and over again in the scriptures how YHWH condemns idolatry. It says in the very first commandment: “thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of any thing that is in the heaven above or in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow thyself to them nor serve them, for I, YHWH, thy Elohim, am a jealous Elohim, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” That's Exodus chapter 20, verses 3 through 5.

In Exodus chapter 32 when Moses went up to the mountain to get the Ten Commandments the second time, the children of Israel committed idolatry by building a golden calf. We see in the scriptures that YHWH was consumed with anger with the children of Israel because they had created an idol that he told them not to make.

In verse 10, YHWH says, "Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I might consume them, and I will make of thee a great nation."

Now at this point, you might say, "Well, I don't have no idols in my life. I don't make no idols." Please understand that anything that we put in our lives before YHWH is an idol. This could be your wife, your children, your job, money, friends, a vehicle, anything. If we set them higher in our life than YHWH, then it's an idol to us.

There is a second word in Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 24, that we need to look at, and that's the word "jealous". Yes, YHWH is a jealous Elohim.

Deuteronomy 4:24 - For YHWH thy Elohim is a consuming fire, even a jealous El.

Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for YHWH, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous El:

Deuteronomy 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I YHWH thy Elohim am a jealous El, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,

Deuteronomy 6:14-15 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;(For YHWH thy Elohim is a jealous El among you) lest the anger of YHWH thy Elohim be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

Here are two more scriptures about YHWH being a consuming fire.

Deuteronomy 9:3 Understand therefore this day, that YHWH thy Elohim is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as YHWH hath said unto thee.

Hebrews 12:29 For our Elohim is a consuming fire.

Let us decide today that we don't want idols in our life, remembering Deuteronomy 4 verse 24 that says YHWH is a consuming fire and a Jealous Elohim.

YHWH Bless!