Jeremiah 23:29 - Jehovah's Word is Like a Fire

“Is not My Word like fire,” declares Jehovah, “and like a hammer that shatters rock?” — Jeremiah 23:29, Green’s Literal.

Jeremiah speaks from lived experience. The authentic word from God ignites within a person; it cannot be silenced (Jeremiah 5:14; 20:9; Psalm 39:3). When spoken, it exposes what is evil and refines what is good. It consumes the empty claims of false prophets, just as fire devours chaff (1 Corinthians 3:12–13). And like a hammer striking stone, God’s Word breaks through human pride and stubbornness, pulling down strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4) and producing a humbled, contrite heart in those who truly hear it. What Jeremiah expresses in vivid imagery, Paul later describes in plain terms (1 Corinthians 14:24–25; Hebrews 4:12).

This same divine power is at the heart of the Gospel—the message that reveals life and incorruptibility (2 Timothy 1:10). It was this message that Paul was commissioned to proclaim on the unforgettable day when the Lord confronted him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3–15). Paul insists he has no cause for shame because the Gospel is nothing less than God’s power bringing salvation (Romans 1:16). In his understanding, humanity lies helpless at the bottom of a great chasm, and the Gospel is the mighty force from above that lifts them out. Though many dismiss it—Jews stumbling over it, Greeks calling it foolish (1 Corinthians 1:23)—Paul knows it to be God’s chosen instrument, continually upheld and blessed by His omnipotence.

Across history, the Word of God has repeatedly shown itself to be the fire that purifies and the hammer that breaks the hardest rock (Jeremiah 23:29). Hearts once unyielding have softened under its influence, and its work is far from finished. In the approaching day foretold in Scripture, the everlasting Gospel (Revelation 14:6) will continue transforming hearts of stone into hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19). In the end, the whole earth will be filled with Jehovah’s glory, and it will be unmistakably clear that what the world today calls “foolish”, the Gospel from God surpasses human wisdom, and what it calls “weak”, the fulfillment of God's promises will be seen to be far beyond human strength. --1 Corinthians 1:25, Weymouth.

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