Lev 9:24    Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown

 

We have commented before that although these verses are chosen randomly, there is often a link between subsequent days. Yesterday we observed how obedience brought the blessing of the Lord and joy followed. Here, today, we find exactly the same thing.

 

The Lord had given Israel the ceremonial or sacrificial law and as they performed it, fire came from heaven and consumed the offering and the people responded with a mixture of joy and worship. Worship wasn't a dimension we noted yesterday, but it is true that so often when we serve the Lord and see His hand of blessing come on what we do, we have this mixed sense of joy in being able to move fruitfully in the Lord's service, but also a sense of worship, this bowing down in adoration, that is blended with thankfulness, that God is so great and so good.

 

This is a very different worship from that which we associate with Sunday mornings or big conferences where it is ‘generated' by music. Here it is generated by the power and presence of the Lord which is so wonderful that all we can, or even want to do, is bow down in adoration at His wonder. It is an interesting order: obedience, blessing, fruitfulness, joy and then worship. The obedience has to be an act of will. The worship is an automatic end response.