Intentional FaithKeep the Fire Burning
The Bible in a Year
“The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.”
Leviticus 6:13
As we continue our journey through Scripture, Leviticus may feel distant from our daily lives, yet it speaks with remarkable clarity to the inner life of faith. At the entrance of the Tabernacle stood the altar, the place where offerings were brought and sacrifices were made. Day and night, a fire burned there without interruption. God’s instruction was explicit: the fire was never to go out. This was not merely a ritual detail; it was a visible sermon preached to Israel every hour of every day. Long before words were spoken, the steady flame testified to who God is and how His people were to live before Him.
The continual fire on the altar first reveals the compassion of God. The altar was always ready, which meant God was always approachable. No Israelite had to wonder whether forgiveness was available or whether the moment had passed. The fire’s constancy proclaimed that God’s mercy was not sporadic or reluctant. The Psalmist captures this truth beautifully when he writes, “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee” (Psalm 86:5). Notice the word “ready.” God’s posture toward His people has always been one of availability, not avoidance. The unextinguished fire was a standing invitation to return, repent, and be restored.
This challenges a common misconception that still lingers in the hearts of believers today. Many assume God grows weary of forgiving, that repeated failures exhaust His patience. Leviticus quietly dismantles that fear. The fire burned whether the people came or not, reminding them that forgiveness depended not on God’s mood but on His covenant faithfulness. Matthew Henry once observed, “God never shuts the door of mercy till we shut the door of repentance.” The altar fire stood as evidence that God was often more ready to forgive than His people were to confess.
Yet the same fire that speaks of God’s compassion also calls His people to consecration. A fire that never goes out does not maintain itself. The priests were charged with tending it, feeding it, and guarding it. Wood had to be added regularly. Ashes had to be removed carefully. Attention and faithfulness were required. In this, we see a parallel to the spiritual life. While God provides grace, mercy, and forgiveness, He also calls His people to active participation in sustaining devotion. Consecration is not a one-time act; it is a daily posture.
The Hebrew word for consecration, qādash (קָדַשׁ), carries the idea of being set apart for sacred use. The altar fire symbolized a life continually offered to God. When the fire was strong, sacrifices were received readily. When neglected, the fire diminished. The same is true for us. When the disciplines of Scripture, prayer, and worship are neglected, spiritual zeal cools almost imperceptibly at first. Faith becomes routine. Service becomes mechanical. Over time, what once burned brightly fades into embers.
The New Testament echoes this Old Testament imagery. Paul exhorts believers, “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11). The word translated “fervent” comes from a Greek term meaning “to boil.” It evokes the image of sustained heat, not a brief spark. Similarly, Jesus warns the church in Ephesus that faithful labor without love eventually leads to spiritual decline (Revelation 2:1–5). The lesson is consistent across Scripture: devotion must be nourished if it is to endure.
What is striking is that God does not ask His people to create the fire; He asks them to tend it. God Himself initiated the covenant, established the altar, and commanded the fire. Our role is responsive, not inventive. We feed the flame by returning again and again to the means God has provided. The Word shapes our thinking. Prayer aligns our hearts. Worship reorients our affections. These are not religious obligations imposed to burden us; they are the fuel that keeps love for God alive and resilient.
This passage also invites us to examine the rhythms of our spiritual lives. Fires go out not only through rebellion, but through neglect. It is rarely a single decision that extinguishes devotion; it is the slow erosion of attention. In a world filled with constant distraction, the call to keep the fire burning is both urgent and gentle. God is not asking for perfection, but for faithfulness. He is inviting us to tend what He has already ignited within us.
As we read Leviticus in the context of the whole Bible, we cannot help but see its fulfillment in Christ. Jesus becomes both the perfect sacrifice and the living altar. Through Him, forgiveness is continually available, and through Him, we are called to lives wholly given to God. The fire that once burned in the Tabernacle now burns in the hearts of believers through the work of the Holy Spirit. Our calling remains the same: do not let it go out.
For further study on the meaning of sacrifice and devotion in Leviticus, see this helpful resource from BibleProject:
https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/leviticus/
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