Monday, May 11, 2015

Leviticus 2: The Ingredients Of An Offering

Leviticus 2 discusses a second kind of offering - not an animal from the flock or herd, but agricultural produce from the field.  Just as Cain and Abel offered two different kinds of sacrifices in Genesis 4 (though one was accepted and one was not), so were these offerings still presented to the Lord in Aaron's day.  This chapter of Leviticus describes the ingredients of an acceptable offering of grain.

First, it is important to notice that the offering is supposed to be from among the best you have.  Choice flour (vs. 1).  First fruits (vs. 14).  (In Leviticus 1, the animal to be sacrificed was to be a male without blemish.)

The offering is to be consecrated with oil and frankincense (vs. 1) and, in the case of a baked offering, with salt (vs. 13).  But grain is not to be offered with leaven/yeast or honey (vs. 11), although that may be done when it is an offering of a baked choice product not to be offered on the altar (vs. 12)  Yeast is often a symbol for sin in the Bible, and the designated grain offerings are to be strictly unleavened.

In the case of the grain offerings, a portion is burnt before the Lord while the remainder may be eaten and enjoyed by the priests (vs. 3 and vs. 10).  This was part of their compensation as a minister before the Lord.

What would be the timeless principles that should still be at work in our offerings today?  Do we give God of our best?  Do we keep our gifts, and our giving, pure?  Do we give out of love and obedience to the Lord?


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