Burning coals are mentioned several times throughout the Bible, often carrying symbolic meanings related to purification, judgment, and repentance. Here is an overview of some of the key passages about burning coals in Scripture:
Burning Coals as Purification
In Isaiah 6:6-7, the prophet Isaiah has a vision of the throne room of God, where a seraphim angel takes a burning coal from the altar and touches it to Isaiah’s lips, saying “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” The burning coal purifies Isaiah by burning away his sin and making him worthy to stand before the holiness of God. This symbolizes how God’s purifying presence burns away impurity to make people holy.
Burning Coals of Judgment
The books of Psalms and Proverbs both speak of God raining down burning coals on the wicked as judgment for their sins (Psalm 140:10, Proverbs 25:22). The image conveys God’s righteous anger against evildoers and how their evil deeds will come back to burn them unless they repent. Burning coals are associated with God’s wrath and judgment.
Burning Coals Representing Anguish of Repentance
Proverbs 6:27-28 speaks of a thief having to carry burning coals against his chest as punishment for stealing. This symbolizes the anguish he feels over his sin after being caught. The burning coals represent his guilt and repentance. A similar image is found in Romans 12:20 which instructs feeding one’s enemy and giving them something to drink, for “in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” This points to making an enemy feel remorse and repentance through unexpected kindness. The burning coals depict the mental anguish of recognizing one’s own wrongdoing.
Altar of Burning Coals
God gave Moses instructions for constructing a bronze altar to burn offerings on, with a fire continually burning (Leviticus 6:12-13). This altar of perpetual fire represents God’s presence continuously ready to receive sacrifices and offerings. The burning coals on the altar were holy, set apart for God’s work. The altar ultimately points to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross extinguishing God’s fiery wrath against sin.
Censer Full of Burning Coals
In Revelation 8:5, at the opening of the seventh seal, an angel fills a golden censer with fire from the heavenly altar and hurls it to the earth, bringing thunder, lightning, and earthquakes. The censer of burning coals represents God’s power and judgment being poured out on the world. Throughout Scripture, burning coals often symbolize God’s holy presence, purity, judgment or the anguish of repentance depending on the context.
Key Points about Burning Coals
– They represent purification through God’s holy presence (Isaiah 6:6-7)
– They symbolize God’s judgment against sin (Psalm 140:10)
– They depict the anguish of repentance (Proverbs 6:27-28)
– They were part of the perpetual fire on the altar for offerings (Leviticus 6:12-13)
– They point to God’s power and judgment poured out (Revelation 8:5)
So in summary, burning coals in the Bible carry important symbolic meanings about standing in God’s presence, God’s attitude toward sin, the need for repentance, and God’s power to bring judgment or purification. Just as burning coals either consume or refine what they touch, biblical passages use the image to convey various spiritual truths about responding properly to God’s holiness and wrath.
Burning Coal Imagery in Isaiah 6
One of the most significant passages using the imagery of burning coals is Isaiah 6:1-7, Isaiah’s commissioning vision. Some key points:
– Isaiah sees the Lord seated on a throne, lofty and exalted (v. 1)
– Seraphim angels are above God, crying “Holy, holy, holy”, indicating God’s absolute holiness (v. 3)
– The thresholds and foundations shake at their voices, symbolizing God’s awesome might (v. 4)
– Isaiah is awestruck and laments that he is a man of unclean lips from a people of unclean lips (v. 5)
– A seraphim flies to Isaiah with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with tongs (v. 6)
– The seraphim touches the burning coal to Isaiah’s lips and says his guilt is departed and sin atoned for (v. 7)
– Then Isaiah hears the Lord saying “Whom shall I send?” and Isaiah volunteers: “Here am I! Send me.” (v. 8)
The main significance here is the burning coal from God’s altar purifies Isaiah’s lips/voice immediately before he goes forth as God’s prophet. Standing in God’s overwhelming presence made Isaiah aware of his sinfulness. The hot coal burned away his impurity so he could stand before the thrice-holy God and speak God’s words. The burning coal imagery represents God’s power to cleanse human impurity so we can draw near to Him. The firebrand both consecrated and equipped Isaiah for service.
Burning Coals as Judgment in Psalms and Proverbs
In contrast to the purifying effect of burning coals in Isaiah 6, some other passages use the imagery negatively in reference to God’s judgment on the wicked:
Psalm 140:10 – “Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into fire; into miry pits, from which they shall not rise.”
Proverbs 25:21-22 – “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”
Proverbs 6:27-28 – “Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?”
In these verses, burning coals represent God’s wrath and judgment against evil. Rather than purifying, they consume like fire. Psalm 140 depicts God’s fierce judgment whereby burning coals rain down from heaven, casting the wicked into an inescapable pit. Proverbs 6 uses burning coals rhetorically to warn against adultery – no one can embrace fire without being burned. Proverbs 25 describes heaping burning coals on an enemy’s head by repaying evil with good – a surprising tactic causing remorse. So burning coals also illustrate the consequences of unrepentant sin before a holy God.
Altar of Burning Coals and Sacrificial Offerings
Another set of passages reference the perpetual fire and burning coals on the altar of burnt offerings:
Leviticus 6:12-13 – “The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.”
Leviticus 16:12 – “And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil.”
2 Chronicles 4:20 – “the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn before the inner sanctuary, as prescribed”
These verses portray the perpetual fire on the temple altar, fueled by wood and coal, to allow for continual sacrifices and offerings. The hot coals purified offerings made to God. The altar fire represented God’s presence continuously available to accept offerings and atone for the people’s sins. The altar points forward to Christ’s final atoning sacrifice that takes away sin once for all (Hebrews 10:10-12).
Censer of Burning Coals in Revelation 8
Revelation 8 uses burning coal imagery eschatologically in describing end-time judgments:
Revelation 8:1-5 – “When he opened the seventh seal… Another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth.”
Here, burning coals from the heavenly altar are hurled to earth as God’s judgments unfold. The censer of fire symbolizes God’s power and wrath against sin being poured out on the world. Unbelievers are consumed while the prayers of the saints rise to God like sweet incense. The fire denotes God’s mighty presence and coming justice through the judgments.
Burning Coals as Anguish of Repentance
A couple passages use the metaphor of burning coals to depict the pain of recognizing and repenting from sin:
Proverbs 6:27-28 – “Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?”
Romans 12:20 – “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Proverbs warns that embracing burning coals (sin) brings inescapable anguish. Romans describes heaping burning coals on an enemy’s head by repaying evil with good – causing emotional pain leading to repentance. The burning coals picture the grief felt when shown undeserved mercy after acting hatefully. The metaphors brilliantly capture the anguish of a guilty conscience coming to terms with its own sin through conviction and repentance.
Key Themes of Burning Coal Imagery
In surveying the various biblical passages that utilize the image of burning coals, several key themes emerge:
– God’s holiness and power – Burning coals communicate the awe-inspiring holiness and might of God before whom even heavenly beings cry “Holy, holy, holy!” (Isaiah 6:3)
– Purification – Burning coals can symbolize God’s power to cleanse human sin and make people holy so they can draw near to Him. (Isaiah 6:6-7)
– Judgment – Burning coals often represent God’s wrath and justice against sin, picturing the inescapable punishment of unrepentant evil. (Psalm 140:10)
– Anguish of repentance – The searing pain of burning coals illustrates the grief over sin that leads to genuine repentance. (Proverbs 6:27-28)
– Perpetual altar fire – The constantly burning altar fire points to God’s presence available to receive offerings and atone for sins. (Leviticus 6:13)
– Equipping for service – Isaiah’s lips being purified by the coal prepared him to speak God’s message. (Isaiah 6:8)
– Transition to new covenant – Christ’s sacrifice replaces the need for perpetual sacrifices and altar fires. (Hebrews 10)
– God’s end-time judgment – The censer of burning coals signals God’s eschatological wrath poured out on the earth. (Revelation 8:5)
So in Scripture, burning coals variably represent purification, judgment, repentance, God’s presence, equipping for ministry, the discontinuation of old covenant practices, and the final judgment of God at the end of the age. Their flexibility as a metaphor derives from the dual nature of fire either consuming or refining what it touches, mirroring how people respond to the holy presence of God.
Conclusion
From Isaiah’s commissioning to Psalmist prayers for justice to Revelation’s apocalyptic prophecies, the image of burning coals provides a vivid biblical picture of standing in God’s presence. It conveys the necessity of holiness and purification, the pain of repentance over sin, and the inescapable judgment against evil. Burning coals on the sacrificial altar point towards the atoning work of Christ that makes a way for sinful people to be made clean. Through His sacrifice and gift of the Spirit, imperfect people can be purified by God’s refining fire to commune with Him and carry His message of hope to the world. The biblical theme of burning coals reminds that as humans, we must take care in how we approach the holy fire of God, who is a consuming fire against wickedness yet also the refiner and sanctifier of all who trust in Christ’s work and obey His call.