Why a tongue of fire?
I had always wondered why the Holy Spirit manifested Himself in tongues of fire. What a weird way to show Himself! When Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit came on Him in the form of a dove. Why is it different here in Acts and with the apostles?
Looking at the representations of God throughout the Bible helped me to answer this question.
In the Old Testament God the Father appears as fire. He appeared to Abraham as a smoking oven and flaming torch in Genesis 15. He appeared to Moses in the burning bush in Exodus 3. He appeared to the Israelites during the Exodus and their wanderings as a pillar of fire during the day and a cloud of smoke at night, Exodus 13. In the New Testament we see pictures of the glorified Jesus with eyes that are flames of fire, Revelation 1 and 19. The Holy Spirit appearing as a flame of fire on the heads of the apostles is to demonstrate that just as God the Father and Jesus Christ, He, the Holy Spirit is God also. He shows Himself in similar form to show that He is equal and part of the Godhead.
If we take ourselves out of our modern-day context and think of the historical period when Scripture was written we see that fire was necessary and essential for life. Fire provided light, heat, a source of energy for food, and was a means of warning against enemies. It was necessary for every part of life. In Revelation 21 it says there will be no need for the sun because the glory of God will be the light in heaven and the Lamb will be its lamp. My boys and I are studying the sun in our science curriculum. We learned that solar flares are thousands of times bigger than the earth. These are just the bursts of fire that come out from the sun’s surface. The sun is 10,000 degrees on the surface. It is so hot and bright that even 93,000,000 miles away we can still feel its heat and see its light. I can barely begin to comprehend these numbers and the scale of the sun and yet, God’s glory is greater than it and will one day make the sun obsolete!
Why flames of fire? Because, fire is a picture of life-sustaining energy. Fire is the source of sustenance and comfort. Fire is the light both in the sky and on earth to direct man’s way and work. The Holy Spirit is our energy, our power, Acts 1:8, ‘you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…” He is our source of sustenance and nourishment in that He teaches us and helps us understand the Bible, John 17:13.. He is our light to convict us to lead us away from the wrong path, John 17:8. And He directs us to walk in God’s way and God’s work, Acts 13:2 and Romans 8:14.
Because Acts is a narrative, a story, it is essential to look at the three main elements of a narrative, the people, the places, and the events. The Holy Spirit is the main character in the story. It is His Acts in the life of the people that formed the first century church. He was power, life and light to those who received Him then and He is for now!
May you have Abundant Days for His glory and your good!
Kristin L Overman
