Stranger things: Forged in fire

1 Peter 4:12–13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

1 Peter 4:12–13 ESV

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

In the Bible, the east wind is often associated with destruction, particularly as a form of divine punishment against the wicked. It is described as a strong, violent, scorching, and dry wind from the desert that can wither vegetation, dry up springs, destroy houses and ships, and cause judgment:

Hosea 13:15: The east wind is called the "wind of the Lord" and symbolizes God's power and destructive forcePsalm 78:26: The east wind is said to be under God's complete controlJeremiah 4:11-12: The east wind is used to bring judgment against the forces of darknessGenesis 41:23: The east wind blasts and withers seven years of grain in the Pharaoh's dreamExodus 10 and 14: Moses summons the east wind to bring locusts that plague Egypt and to part the Red Sea so the Israelites can escape

EAST WIND

This wind brings correction and judgment against the forces of darkness. It is a strong, violent, scorching, dry wind from the desert, not to cleanse, not to winnow (Jeremiah 4:11-12), but to destroy.

14, 15. a tempestuous—“typhonic” wind—that is, like a typhon or tornado, causing a whirling of the clouds, owing to the meeting of opposite currents of air. called Euroclydon—The true reading appears to be Euro-aquilo, or east-northeast, which answers all the effects here ascribed to it.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 217.