This tenth installment concludes our study of the Grain Offering, focusing on the “Salt of the Covenant” and the power of a prepared heart. We explore how spiritual salt brings peace to our relationships, why God delights in a heart that humbly seeks His reward, and the practical discipline of preparing offerings with the same excellence as the first fruits.
5) Season all your grain offerings with salt
Leviticus 2:13 says, “Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.”
When we offer the grain offering, we must offer it with salt. You now know that grain offering is symbolized by the thanks-offering of today. So, how are we supposed to offer it in obedience to these words? Do you have to put salt on your offerings? Not at all! We must put salt in the offerings. But, that does not mean we should put salt physically on the offering, but that spiritual salt must be added. Then, we must know what the spiritual meaning of salt is.
Salt is dissolved into the food and seasons it. If we don’t use salt in the foods we eat, there would be very few dishes that would taste as good. Even if the food is very nutritious and expensive, we can eat it with full flavor only when it is seasoned properly. In the same way, spiritually seasoning our offerings with salt refers to being at peace.
When salt seasons foods, it is dissolved. To play the role of salt that seasons food, there must be a sacrifice to humble ourselves. So “seasoning the grain offering with salt” means that we have to make offerings to God after gaining peace through sacrifice.
In order for us to give offerings to God with peace, first of all, we have to give to God having peace with God. If a person, who continues in the sins that God considers detestable, gives offerings without repenting of his sin, God cannot pleasingly receive that offering. It is because the peace with God has already been broken. Psalm 66:18 NIV says, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the LORD would not have listened” It is not even a sin committed with action, but just by having sin in our heart, the LORD our God will not hear our prayer. Then, how much more would it be if we commit sins in action!
Not only when you pray, but also when you give offerings to God, you have to keep away from sins and be at peace with God. Only then will God receive your offerings pleasingly. To be at peace with God, we have to sacrifice our selves first.
To do so we must first accept Jesus Christ as the Lord. Then, throw away our old self that was living in sins. We have to throw away sins, the lust of the world and the former way of life up to the point of shedding blood. As the apostle Paul confessed, “I die everyday,” we can be at peace with God when we deny ourselves and die everyday. Only after that can God receive our offerings truly with joy.
Secondly, to give our offerings in peace, we have to be in peace with our brothers in Christ. Matthew 5:23-24 says, “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” If you give offering to God saying, “I love you. Thank you,” while you are hurting your brother by acting evil to him, God cannot receive that offering pleasingly.
There are people borrow money from other brothers or convince them to put up security or co-sign a note for them. They then cause them suffer by not paying the debt. If such a person gives offerings to God without repentance when God told us not to borrow or lend money or put up security for one another, what is God to do? I have explained this so many times during my sermons.
If you borrowed money or asked others for security and cause them to complain and have difficulty by not paying the debt, it should be such a shameful thing to then make any offerings to God. If you give an offering to God while you are not acting in truth but disobeying the word of God, this offering cannot be a true offering of faith. That is why I have always told you at least a couple of times a year, not to borrow or lend money between brothers. Actually it is the word of God.
Both the lender and borrower suffer. We always have victims because you disobey although you have been told. It is because you disobey. If you just obey the word preached from the altar, you will be blessed, but you suffer due to your disobedience. You should be cautious. We have fellowship with brothers in faith to lead a better Christian life, for the kingdom and righteousness of God. The time of fellowship is not to earn more money or do business. Brothers in faith should have fellowship only for the kingdom and the righteousness of God. Otherwise, you will receive the works of Satan.
Therefore, if you gave any burdens to any other brother in Christ, please repent before God and turn away from your acts in the relationship with that brother, then you should be able to give offerings to God with a clear conscience or without complaint.
If there is another brother who acts with evil against you, you should not have any hatred or complaints toward him. For God to receive your offerings, you must have peace from your heart by forgiving him. Not only over financial matters, but for any reason, we must not be in dispute or complaining. We must not trouble others or hurt others’ feelings. In this way, when you give your offering to God it will be with happy and thankful hearts at peace with God, in peace between brothers, and being full of the Holy Spirit. This is the salt that seasons the grain offering.
Salt never loses its salty taste. Its salty taste never changes even if it is dissolved in water or burnt in fire. Leviticus2:13 mentions the “Salt of the covenant of your God” as the salt that is put in the grain offering. “Salt of the covenant” refers to the unchanging faith that relies upon God’s truthful word.
Salt comes mainly from the sea, namely, water. Water spiritually refers to God’s word. God’s word and His promise are faithful and never change. Therefore, putting salt on the grain offering means that we have to give offerings with proper faith believing in God’s faithful promise. When we give thanks offerings, we should believe that God will reward us with His blessings pressed down, shaken together, and running over at thirty, sixty, or a hundred times more.
Of course, blessings do not only refer to financial blessing but also blessings of our soul being prosperous, everything going well with us, and being healthy.
Some say that they just give without wanting anything back, but God is more pleased with the heart that asks for God’s blessings humbly before Him. In Hebrews Chapter 11, it says that Moses left Egypt giving up the throne of a prince, and he left it looking for God’s reward. Hebrews 11:26 says, “[Moses] [considered] the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.” What should we do if we are persecuted for the name of Jesus? What does Matthew chapter 5 say? It tells us to rejoice! Rejoice although we are persecuted and people say bad things about us. Also, Hebrews 12:2 says, “[Let us fix] our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Our Lord made the blind see, the mute speak, the deaf hear, and revived the dead. But He was beaten and slapped by the servants of high priests. He was kicked, spit on, and mocked. He was scourged and hung on the cursed wooden cross, where He was mocked by those under the cross.
But He endured the scorning shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Even Jesus suffered all the hardships and the crucifixion looking for the fruit of human salvation and the glory that God the Father would give.
Of course, the heart seeking the reward and the heart that calculates what we can get back for what is given are completely different. We should have the heart to give even our lives even if there is no reward, just because we love God. But when we ask for God’s blessings humbly believing in His power and knowing His heart, it pleases God. God has promised us that He would see that we reap what we sow and He would give to those who ask Him. Therefore, it is pleasing to God for a person to have the faith to ask with faith for God’s blessings for what has been given as offerings to Him according to His promises.
Therefore, putting salt in all kinds of grain offering means, first of all, that we have to sacrifice ourselves to be in peace and give offerings to God. Secondly, we have to give with unchanging faith and trust in God’s unchanging promises.
6) You shall bring fresh heads of grain roasted in the fire, grits of new growth. . .
In verse 14 it says, “Also if you bring a grain offering of early ripened things to the LORD, you shall bring fresh heads of grain roasted in the fire, grits of new growth, for the grain offering of your early ripened things.” This is a supplementary explanation to verse 12, “As an offering of first fruits you shall bring them to the LORD.” When we bring first fruits of grain to offer to God, we cannot just burn it on the fire.
First we have to grind it into fine flour by crushing the heads roasted in the fire, and then offer it. I already explained the meaning of verse 12 that says, “They shall not ascend for a soothing aroma on the altar.” Burning the offering as a pleasing aroma itself is not the true meaning of the grain offering, but instead we have to offer it as a pleasing aroma in the sight of God.
If we have this kind of heart, we will obey and make offerings as God tells us to. Even when we offer the first fruits, we don’t offer the grain itself but offer it as fine flour. This is a pleasing aroma to God.
In verses 15 and 16, it say, “You shall then put oil on it and lay incense on it; it is a grain offering. ‘The priest shall offer up in smoke its memorial portion, part of its grits and its oil with all its incense as an offering by fire to the LORD.’” In verse 14, as I already explained, the spiritual meaning of offering the first fruits as fine flour is that we have to give with our whole heart.
Putting the oil symbolizes giving with all our energy and whole heart, namely with all our life. Putting incense is giving to God with our heart full of pleasing aroma in the sight of God and that we have to live giving out the aroma of Christ in the world.
I always gave to God with all my mind, heart, and soul even when I didn’t know about the spiritual meanings of giving the grain offering as fine flour, putting the oil, incense, or salt. For example, when I get the monthly income in my hand, I first pray on it.
“Father, God, thank you for blessing me this way. Please be glorified where this money is spent, and let all of this money be spent for God.” Then I take the tithe from it. I always take more than the tithe. It is because I have other incomes such as gifts or being treated to meals.
Also, I give more because I believe that God would give me more than what I give when I give without being stingy to Him. After taking the tithe and putting it in a cover, I take the thanks offerings and offering for church construction for the whole month.
If my birthday is near, or when there is a Feast, I prepare the offerings for them beforehand. Why? It’s a big amount, so I have to prepare. But I am not saying I prepare for the whole month’s offerings now. I used to do it. That’s when I was a new-believer. Now, I prepare for two or three months’ offerings beforehand. Once I separate new notes, I never touch them. There are some offerings that are already fixed, and I prepare for those offerings beforehand and put them in separate envelopes. Other than these offerings, I always looked for the conditions to be thankful, and I always prepare more than enough offerings in another cover because I might need them any time. No matter how much I need to spend money at some point, I never spend those offerings that I prepared separately for my own convenience.
I have a special envelop for the offerings. It’s a big one. I made it myself. If I fill it with small envelops, the drawer will be full. I prepare Easter or Christmas offerings beforehand, and I never spend them for any other purpose. I could never spend it. I never spend it in any emergency because it is already separated to be given to God. Because I prepared offerings beforehand, there was no single chance that I could not give even during the time I was not financially well-off.
When I was in my heart to give a special offering but did not have anything to give, I sometimes made vows to give later. But for the basic things that we have to give to God, I was always wholeheartedly prepared offerings for God.
Also, when I give to God, I always give Him with brand-new, clean bank notes. When I could not prepare new notes, I selected the cleanest notes and ironed them to make them neat before giving to God. Even when I put the notes in envelopes, I did not just put them in haphazardly, but made all the notes face the same way.
Of course, nowadays, I would not iron the notes because there are many new notes. It was when I was a new-believer. Most of the notes I had were old notes and so I ironed them to make them neat. Also, I did not just put the notes in the envelopes but ordered them neatly.
Of course, there is no rule that we have to do it this way, but I always did my best from my side because it is the offering for God. You know how much God blessed me after receiving my offerings that I gave with all my heart and mind and faith.
When I was first healed of my diseases by the grace of God, I had so much debt that we could pay only the interest with both my wife’s and my incomes. But when God blessed me, we were so blessed that it did not take many years for us to pay off all the interest and even the principal.
I explained through the sermons on the grain offering that we have to give to God in the way He wants when we give thanks offerings. When we give offerings to God, we have to give with faith, being at peace with God and with brothers just like putting salt on the fine flour offering.
Also, we have to give the fine flour along with incense and oil, which symbolizes that we have to give with all our hearts, minds, and lives so that it will be a pleasing aroma before God. If you are not financially blessed, please check yourselves again asking such questions as:
“Did I not give with my stinginess to God who gave me all my life and possessions?” “Did I give with a pleasing aroma to God with all my faith and heart and not out of habit or even given involuntarily?” “Am I giving to God at peace with God? Am I walking and staying in the light and at peace with other brothers?” I urge you to check about these things so that you can give offerings that are pleasing aroma to God. When we give offerings to God in the way He wants and the way that pleases Him, He will receive it and return it as blessings to us pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
7) The meaning in giving grain offering along with burnt offering
In summary, the Burnt Offering today is the Sunday worship service where God’s children communicate with God. The Grain Offering is the Thanks Offering to God thanking Him for saving us and giving us daily bread. Usually, a grain offering is given along with a burnt offering. Namely, when you attend Sunday worship service, you should give offerings of thanksgiving with your thankful heart for the love of God who saved you from sins.
This spiritual meaning is also written in the book of Exodus. About 3,500 years ago, the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt. God sent Moses and commanded the Pharaoh to set free the people of Israel. But the pharaoh rejected, and it brought about the Ten Plagues all over Egypt. By the last plague, all the firstborn sons and first born animals in Egypt were killed.
At that time God commanded the people of Israel to slaughter a one-year-old young male lamb without defect at each home and put its blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the house where they partook of the lamb. The messenger of death passed over the house with the sign of its blood when he struck all the firstborns of Egypt. In that way, the Israelites who obeyed the command of God were saved from the plague of death. God commanded them to celebrate the day as a festival every year from that day on. God commanded, “Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.”
In that way the people of Israel could avoid the plague of death by eating a young lamb and putting its blood on the door. It symbolizes that we are forgiven and saved through the blood of Jesus Christ. God also commanded them to keep the ordinance of the feast of Unleavened Bread together with the Feast of Passover.
Exodus 12:8 says, “They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.” God told them to eat the unleavened bread when they ate a Passover lamb.
Since then, God commanded the Feast of the Unleavened Bread to be kept as a lasting ordinance along with the Feast of Passover. Keeping the ordinance of Unleavened Bread with Passover has the same spiritual meaning as giving grain offering with the burnt offering. This lets us know the spiritual law that the Sunday service and the thanks offerings must be given together.
I think all of you give thanks offerings at Sunday services, but I ask you to keep this spiritual meaning in your mind and give the whole burnt offering along with grain offering. Only then will your worship be a perfect spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God.
In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus watched the people putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
Later, calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
The widow gave the offering with more truthfulness than any other person there. She wanted to give more offerings to God with overflowing thanks and love even if she might have to starve. That is why Jesus praised this woman.
Her offering was not worth very much in this world, but Jesus praised her wholehearted offering in the face of many people not because He saw the amount of her offering but He her heart. I hope you may give pleasing offerings to God.
I pray in the name of the Lord that all of you will give offerings that are pleasing to God so that God’s blessings will be born as fruit in your life and that God will say, “What shall I do for you? Ask me!” and bless your soul and the ground of life with abundant fruits of blessing more day by day.