God’s Fire Is the Opposite of Strange Fire

We get a clear picture of this from these verses. Because the sons of Aaron brought strange fire before the Lord’s face, God sent down fire and consumed them.

What does this strange fire represent in the dispensation of the new covenant?

It represents our impassioned anger and the fire which is kindled by our burning desire to have our will carried out; it represents the powers of our soul when they are fired up in order to push our rights through, to impress others, to show off, and to dominate. Then we are seeking our own with a burning heart, fired up by a strange fire which is abominable in God’s eyes, instead of seeking God’s will in order to do it.

To be wise in one’s own eyes is also an abomination before God, a strange fire that does not lead to obedience to God’s laws; on the contrary, it leads to disobeying them. In actual fact, such a person thinks that he is wiser than God! No wonder it goes badly with such people!

In the old covenant, Israel was to bring animals and other things as a sacrifice, but they had to be without blemish. However, the people were tempted to sacrifice animals with a blemish, just as they also cheated with the tithes. They did not bring in the whole tithe.

In the new and perfect covenant, which applies to us now, we are to bring ourselves as a sacrifice—all that we are and possess, not the least of which is our own strength!

In the old covenant the fire of God consumed the sacrifices that were brought according to God’s will. In the new covenant we ourselves are to lie on God’s altar and be consumed by God’s fire.

It is particularly significant what we read in Acts 2:3: “Tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.” They were not only baptized by the Spirit, but also by fire. The fire—God’s fire—signified not only that they were to be men of fire as far as the preaching and the work of spreading the gospel was concerned, but also that all their self-life was to be consumed and that all kinds of strange fires were to be unspeakably far removed from them!!!

Woe unto those who try to substitute God’s fire with strange fire.

There are some fiery people in this world, but the majority of them, both religious and others, are, unfortunately, set on fire by a strange fire.

There are three choices: 1) God’s fire. 2) Lukewarmness, laziness, slackness, “death in the pot,” 3) Strange fire: “I, and I, and I again.”

There ought to be no doubt as to which we should choose.

Yours, for your best—