Bread, Pancake, Cookie, or Cake

O. T. #268  "Bread, Pancake, Cookie, or Cake"
April 15, 2014
Leviticus 2-Part 1
When someone brings a grain offering to the LORD, his offering is to be of fine flour.  He is to pour oil on it, put incense on it and take it top Aaron's sons the priests.  Leviticus 2:1-2a NIV 

LET IT GLOW

I am a bread eater. I must have it with my meal or as dessert. Of course, I can make the flour into all sorts of things-biscuits, pancakes, a cookie or cake (crackers, too). It doesn't matter to me the form of it. I just enjoy eating it, plain or with jelly, honey, or icing. Whatever I have available. Baked, fried, or boiled as dumplings. All is good to me. Hum.Which shall I have for lunch?
Did you know that one of the offerings which pleased the Lord Jesus was made of flour? Pour you some coffee or tea and sit with me while I explain. I'll even get some cookies out of the freezer for us.

The five offerings or sacrifices mentioned in the early chapters of Leviticus included the burnt, meal, peace, sin, and trespass offerings. Chapter 1 told us about the requirements for the burnt offering. Chapter 2 tells us about the meal offering. The word meat is used in reference to meal.

How was the meal offering to be prepared so it pleased God?

• It was brought voluntarily.
• It was a valuable food, vital to life.
• It was a grain offering ground into fine flour, made into unleavened cakes/wafers.
• It was mixed with oil and frankincense.
• It was offered by fire.
• It could be cooked three ways: in an oven (verse 4), in a pan (verse 5), or in a frying pan, which was a large cooking pot with a lid on it (verse 7).
• The amount of flour used was between 2 and 3 quarts.
• A handful of flour was used when offered as a memorial of a sweet savor to the Lord. (verse 2)
• It could not contain any leavening nor any honey. (Both yeast and honey induced fermentation, which symbolized sin.)
• The abundant amount left over became property of Aaron and his sons, priests.
• This was the most holy of the offerings.
• It was to be seasoned with salt. It symbolized permanence or loyalty to the covenant.
• It was from the first fruits of their harvest, which were just barely ripe and would not burn easily. So it could be waved before the Lord (23:10-12) or dried by the fire (verse 14) before the offering. (Referring to green ears of corn)

The word oblation is found 78 times in Leviticus and Numbers and occurs only twice elsewhere in the Old Testament and once as "gift" in Mark 7:11. It is the regular word used for offering, but is sometimes translated "oblation" simply for variety.

Three types of the grain offerings consisted of fine flour, cakes, and green heads of roasted grain, all of which were mixed with oil, and/or frankincense. It signified one's homage and thanksgiving to God.

[Reference: Liberty Bible Commentary, MacArthur Bible Commentary]


LET IT GROW

The meal offering pictured the finely ground humanity of our Lord in all He perfections. It was offered with a blood sacrifice, even though it is presented separately here (see Numbers 15:1-16), even as Christ's perfect life is not to be isolated from His sacrificial death. The oil most naturally symbolizes the Holy Spirit's ministry in the life of Christ (Zech. 4:3-6), and the frankincense typifies our Lord's prayer life (Rev. 8:3-4).
No leaven nor honey were allowed to be mixed with the cereal offering. Leaven no doubt would picture sin, and Christ is without sin. (Falwell)

Wiersbe explains more of the symbolism:

• The fine flour speaks of Christ's perfect character and life-nothing rough or uneven in Him.
• The oil symbolizes the Spirit of God.
• Frankincense added a wonderful fragrance to the offering, illustrating the beauty and fragrance of Christ's perfect life here on earth.
• The offering had to go through the fire, just as Christ had to endure the fire of Calvary.
• Salt symbolizes purity and absence of decay, for there was no corruption of any kind in Christ.
• Leaven symbolizes sin, for there was no sin in Christ.
• No honey, the sweetest thing nature has to offer, was used. There was nothing of "human natural sweetness" in Christ; He was divine love in the flesh.

May the Spirit of God so work in us that we might become more like the perfect Christ-balanced, even, fragrant, pure.

The five special sacrifices illustrate to us the various aspects of the Person and work of our Savior. (Wiersbe)

Does life have to grind us down before we come to Jesus?
Do we have to go through the fire of troubles or persecution so we fall at the Lord's feet?
Are we seasoned with salt?
Are we a sweet smelling fragrance to the Lord?
Have you trusted Jesus as your Savior?


LET IT GO