Consumption of Offerings by Fire from Heaven

 •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 11
 
The first of four instances where offerings were consumed by fire from heaven is found in Lev. 9:22-2422And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings. 23And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. 24And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces. (Leviticus 9:22‑24). The occasion was the institution of the Levitical order of things at the commencement of the wilderness journey under Moses and the law. The second instance occurs in 1 Chron. 21:25-30,25So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. 26And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering. 27And the Lord commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof. 28At that time when David saw that the Lord had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there. 29For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon. 30But David could not go before it to inquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the Lord. (1 Chronicles 21:25‑30) where David has numbered the people and the judgment of God is visited upon them. He buys Oman's threshing floor and builds an altar there. He offers a burnt offering and peace offerings on that altar, and the Lord answers with fire from heaven, commanding the angel to sheath his sword. Upon this display of God's mercy and grace, David becomes afraid to approach the Lord any more on legal ground at the tabernacle which Moses had made in the wilderness. He continues, therefore, to present himself and his sacrifices at the altar which is located at Oman's threshing floor.
The third instance is found in 2 Chron. 7:1, 31Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house. (2 Chronicles 7:1)
3And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. (2 Chronicles 7:3). The temple has been built and is being dedicated by King Solomon. When he is finished with his prayer, fire comes down from heaven and consumes the burnt offering, and the temple is filled with the glory of the Lord. The final instance is in 1 Kings 18:36-3936And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God. (1 Kings 18:36‑39). Elijah has built an altar of twelve stones and saturated the altar, the wood, and the sacrifice with water. Then, he calls on the Lord to show that He is God and to turn the heart of the people again to Himself.
Each of these four instances seems to mark the beginning of something new. The passage in Lev. 9 seems to mark the beginning of the legal dispensation, while the passage in 1 Chronicles seems to mark the end of that order of things and the commencement of the present dispensation typically. Then, the passage in 2 Chronicles would seem to represent the beginning of the earthly kingdom with Christ as the King of Peace. Finally, the passage in 1 Kings speaks of the restoration of hearts to the Lord and, therefore, the commencement of renewed communion when it has been broken by other objects coming in. It is an individual kind of thing and might be our experience again and again. All these beginnings look forward to that work of Christ on the cross, which would constitute the foundation of all beginnings with God. D. Graham