You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm. (Heb. 12:18)
Expanded Passage: Hebrews 12:18-20
My husband works for Samaritan’s Purse, and he gets the opportunity to travel and help people who have suffered through natural disasters. He has seen the aftermath of floods, hurricanes, and tornados, but the worst of all disasters are the fires. When a wildfire strikes, nothing is safe from it and it leaves nothing behind but ash and ruin. If the family affected by the fire can recover a gold ring or sentimental object of that type, they are truly blessed.
Hebrews 12 takes us back to the time when God made a covenant with Moses and the Israelites on Mount Sinai. God had already revealed himself in Egypt through the miraculous work of the plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, and manna from heaven. Now, as the people stood at the base of Sinai, God revealed himself through a lightning storm, and he descended upon the mountain in fire. The people were terrified.
Then Jesus came.
Jesus came to earth not in the form of fire and storm, but as a lamb chosen to save the lost souls of his own creation by allowing those same souls to hang him on the cross until breath left his chest. That’s a love and power unmatched by anything or anyone else. And through his resurrection, and through faith, you can experience his love and salvation.
Thank Jesus for choosing mercy over fire.
Tiffany Elliott is a Southern Wesleyan University (SC) graduate. She enjoys studying God’s Word, reading with her kids, and planning fellowship events at church.
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
