Consuming fire

As a consuming fire, Yahweh “eats” the bread of His sacrifices  As a consuming fire, He also purges and smelts His people, burning away the dross so that the gold can become more pure and glorious.

These two processes are one.  In consuming His food on the altar, Yahweh is glorifying the worshiper’s substitute into smoke, and at the same time purging away the dross, left on the altar as ash.

And this is why the word of the Lord is pure, tried like silver: The Word who was with God and was God is eternally purified in the fire of His Father’s Spirit.