Verse 22
"And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people, and blessed them; and he came down from offering the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and the peace-offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and came out and blessed the people: and the glory of Jehovah appeared unto all the people. And there came forth fire from before Jehovah, and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and the fat; and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces."
"Aaron ... blessed them ..." (Leviticus 9:22). Most commentators mention the famous Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:22ff in connection with this, and such a proposition seems reasonable enough, despite the fact of the blessing's not being given in detail just here. Certainly, the passage in the Book of Numbers does identify the blessing there as with Aaron:
"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel: ye shall say to them,
Jehovah bless thee and keep thee:
Jehovah make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
Jehovah lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."
"And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting ..." This was a very significant event. The "tent of meeting" here means the Holy of Holies, where were located the candlestick, the altar of sweet incense, the table of showbread, etc. It seems to be here (Leviticus 9:23) that Moses formally placed Aaron in charge of everything pertaining to the tabernacle, thus investing him with the full dignity as High Priest of Israel. There is no indication whatever of how long this entry into the Holy Place lasted. For Moses, it was his last time to enter, and for Aaron his first time to enter.
"And Moses and Aaron ... blessed the people ..." (Leviticus 9:23). This was in addition to the blessing already given by Aaron, and it emphasized "the harmony between them."[7]
"The glory of Jehovah appeared unto all the people ..." This was surely something like the divine glory that appeared unto Israel in the ratification of the Covenant. It may have been something resembling the holy manifestations of God's presence as seen in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night which accompanied them in their wilderness journeys. No description of it is given in the Bible.
"And there came forth fire from before Jehovah ..." The words "from before Jehovah" here seem to indicate that the fire emanated from the Holy of Holies which enshrined the presence of God, but this is not absolutely certain, since the Bible does not say.
"Consumed the offering ..." that is, consumed instantly all of the offering that yet remained unburned upon the bronze altar of sacrifice. Keil appears to be correct in the observation that:
"The miracle recorded in this verse (Leviticus 9:24) did not consist in the fact that the sacrificial victims placed upon the altar were burned by fire which proceeded from Jehovah, but in the fact that the sacrifices, which were already on fire, were SUDDENLY consumed by it."[8]
Goldberg compared the supernatural events here with those that attended special occasions in the life of Christ.[9] There was the voice from heaven at his baptism (Matthew 3). And, there were the six Calvary miracles that attended the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ (Matthew 27). It was necessary that all Israel should understand and appreciate the awesome authority and glory of the office of the High Priest, and this "answer by fire" served perfectly to impress this. The people shouted for joy, but they also fell upon their faces.
God's "answering by fire" (Leviticus 9:24) suggests other occasions when something similar occurred:
(1) When the birth of Samson was announced to Manoah and his wife (Judges 13:15ff);
(2) when Solomon dedicated the temple (2 Chronicles 7:1ff); and
(3) when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:38ff).
As Wenham noted, "Each time, confronted with the awe-inspiring reality of God, the worshippers fell to the ground and praised God."[10]
The fire on that altar, after this marvelous occasion, "was always kept alive until the reign of Manasseh, when it became extinguished."[11]
Up to this point, that glorious day had been nothing but an unending succession of joyful and happy events for the children of Israel. However, as is often the case with fallen humanity, the greatest joy is followed by the most poignant sorrow and humiliation, and so it proved to be here.
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