A Wall of Fire

Reading comprehension never was my strong point—I remember struggling with it in school, and it’s still not my forte. 

Don’t get me wrong. I love to read, but I can go for paragraphs—maybe even pages— before realizing I have no clue what I just read (or, I confess, re-read).  

So it only slightly surprised me that I came across something in Scripture recently that I don’t recall ever reading (or re-reading, or re-re-reading for that matter as, yes, apparently I’ve read it multiple times).

Actually, “came across” is way too proactive for what really happened.  

So I was praying not too long ago and had this thought as if there were fire all around me—not in a threatening way but rather a protective way, serving as a barrier. 

Nice, comforting thought, no?

Well several days later, I was on a prayer call with my church, and someone who was praying mentioned a “wall of fire”.

That struck me. Hmm… wall of fire. This got me thinking, “I wonder if this is in Scripture?” Now, mind you, I probably wouldn’t have had this thought if I hadn’t just a few days before had that mental image.  

We’ve heard of a pillar of fire as that’s how God went before the Israelites by night to lead them through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21-22). But a wall? 

Indeed, lo and behold, there it is. Zechariah 2:5: “’For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’” 

The Hebrew word translate “wall” here is chowmah. It’s from a root word meaning “to join.” Chowmah’s meaning includes “a wall of protection.” And “round about” means exactly what it sounds like it means—from every side. 

We think of the Holy Spirit’s presence as flames of fire, based on Acts 2. 

But God is also a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24, Deut. 9:3, Heb. 12:29). 

And He is a holy fire. In Exodus 19, we see that God descended on Mt. Sinai in fire (v. 18), and the mountain was set apart as holy (v. 23) because of God’s presence. 

This same God whose presence as fire covered the mountain is the same God who calls himself a “wall of fire.”

Just as the Shepherd protects His sheep (Ps. 23), and the Almighty shelters His people under His wings (Psalm 91). 

So, too, is God a wall of fire surrounding those who trust in Him.