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Psalm 97:3
A fire goes before him, and burns up his adversaries on every side.
1The LORD reigns! Let the earth rejoice! Let the multitude of islands be glad!
2Clouds and darkness are around him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3A fire goes before him, and burns up his adversaries on every side.
4His lightning lights up the world. The earth sees, and trembles.
5The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
Notice
Fire burns up God's adversaries in this song of his reign, a fierce picture that can make rejoicing at his rule feel sobering.
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Write on thisHow does the description of God's throne in verse 2 shape your reading of this fire?
Write on thisWhat distinction do you see between God's adversaries here and people you find hard to love?
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Where else Scripture says this
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This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Hebrews 12:29for our God is a consuming fire.Both texts associate God with consuming fire, presenting his power as something to regard with awe.
Psalm 50:3Our God comes, and does not keep silent. A fire devours before him. It is very stormy around him.Both psalms describe fire going before God and devouring, with clouds or storm surrounding his presence.
Psalm 18:8Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.Consuming fire marks God's presence in both psalms; one describes it going before him, the other coming from his mouth.
Malachi 4:1“For behold, the day comes, burning like a furnace, when all the proud and all who work wickedness will be stubble. The day that comes will burn them up,” says …Both describe destruction by fire, with Malachi naming the proud and those who work wickedness as those who will burn.
2 Thessalonians 1:8punishing those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus,Both texts portray divine punishment, with Thessalonians naming those who do not know God or obey the Good News.
Daniel 7:10A fiery stream issued and came out from before him. Thousands of thousands ministered to him. Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The judgment …Fire proceeds from before God in both scenes, with Daniel also describing a court of judgment and opened books.
Isaiah 66:15For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and his chariots will be like the whirlwind; to give his anger with fierceness, and his rebuke with flames of fire.Both portray the LORD coming with fire, and Isaiah names anger and rebuke as part of that coming.
Psalm 21:8–9Your hand will find out all of your enemies. Your right hand will find out those who hate you.Both passages describe enemies being reached without escape, though the supplied verse from Psalm 21 does not mention fire.
Revelation 20:9They went up over the width of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven from God and devoured them.Both describe fire from God devouring opponents; Revelation identifies them as those surrounding the saints and the beloved city.
Deuteronomy 32:22For a fire is kindled in my anger, that burns to the lowest Sheol, devours the earth with its increase, and sets the foundations of the mountains on fire.Both describe destructive fire associated with God, while Deuteronomy connects that fire with his anger and its reach into the earth.
Nahum 1:5–6The mountains quake before him, and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, yes, the world, and all who dwell in it.Both portray God's overwhelming presence, though Nahum's supplied verse describes trembling earth and melting hills rather than burning adversaries.
2 Peter 3:10–12But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with …Both describe destructive burning associated with the Lord, though Peter describes the heavens and earth rather than adversaries on every side.
Where this verse fits
Injustice and anger. praise and worship. sermon or Bible study notes.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
The fire belongs to YHWH who reigns in righteousness and justice. His adversaries face judgment from the ruler of the whole earth.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).