After offering these sacrifices, Aaron blessed the people (v. 22). He "stepped down"perhaps from a platform near the altar of burnt offerings on which he may have been standing to address the people. Probably Moses took Aaron into the holy place to present him to the Lord and to pray for God's blessing with him (v. 23).
"The appearance of the glory of Jehovah is probably to be regarded in this instance, and also in Num. 16:19; 17:7; and 20:6, as the sudden flash of a miraculous light, which proceeded from the cloud that covered the tabernacle, probably also from the cloud in the most holy place, or as a sudden though very momentary change of the cloud, which enveloped the glory of the Lord, into a bright light, from which the fire proceeded in this instance in the form of lightening, and consumed the sacrifices on the altar [cf. Judg. 13:15-23; 1 Kings 18:38-39; 2 Chron. 7:1-3]."85
The miracle that caused the strong reaction of the people (v. 24) was not that fire fell on the sacrifices and ignited them. They were already burning. It was that the fire that fell consumed the sacrifices suddenly. In this way God manifested His satisfaction with this first sacrifice that the newly consecrated priests offered. The Hebrew word ranan, translated "shouted,"means to shout for joy. This is the first occurrence of the word "joy"in the Bible.
"This chapter brings out very clearly the purpose and character of OT worship. All the pomp and ceremony served one end: the appearance of the glory of God."86
"The pattern was hereby established: by means of the priests' proper entry into the tabernacle, the nation was blessed. The next chapter (Lev 10) gives a negative lesson of the same truth in the example of Nadab and Abihu: the blessing of God's people will come only through obedience to the divine pattern."87
