This eighth installment of the Lectures on Leviticus focuses on the preparation of the Grain Offering. We explore the spiritual significance of the refining process, the role of oil and incense, and why God considers the portion given to the priests as “most holy.”
2. How to Make the Grain Offering
1) The offering shall be of fine flour, with oil and frankincense
Let’s see how to give grain offerings to give thanks to the Father. Again, Leviticus 2:1 says, “Now when anyone presents a grain offering as an offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it.” Grain offerings must be given with fine flour.
Fine flour is prepared through the process of grinding and threshing and winnowing. The color and softness of bread varies according to the fineness of the flour. Flour made by being ground several times in the refining process makes bread that looks delicious when it is baked. When we serve important visitors, it is natural that we should make clean and soft bread of fine flour, not course bread made of roughly ground flour. Then, what kind of offerings should we give to God? We should give grain offerings made of fine flour without defect or impurity.
God does not tell you to give offerings to Him because He lacks in something. He is the Creator, Maker, and Master of all things, so He can give everything to you or take away all you have if He wishes. God tells us to give offerings to Him because He wants to bless us more greatly through offerings given with our love and sincere hearts.
In 2 Corinthians 9:6 it reads, “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” And 2 Corinthians 9:10 says, “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
It is spiritual law that we reap what we sow, so God tells us we should give offerings to receive greater blessing. If we believe this fact, we should give offerings like when they gave offerings made with fine flour. It is natural that we should prepare offerings with the most precious of what we have without defect or spot.
Oil was poured on the prepared fine flour and incense was put on it. Fine flour could be kneaded with oil and incense made the offering smell more pleasing to God. Then what does “oil” mean spiritually?
Like the fat of animals, oil of the plants is the origin of their life and the core of their energy. Just as oil was mixed with fine flour, we should give offerings with sincerity and all of our heart.
Jesus, who became an atoning sacrifice like a lamb, poured out all His energy for us. That is, He shed all His blood and water, and gave up His life for us on the cross. God accepted Jesus’ perfect sacrifice joyfully and sent the Holy Spirit to us. In 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 it says, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”
As said, God anoints us with the Holy Spirit when we accept and believe in Jesus Christ, and leads us to follow the work of the Holy Spirit. In this way, we are guided to the way of life and salvation. When we give offerings to God with our full sincerity and love, God is pleased and gives us the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and leads us to live in fellowship with God. Likewise, when we give something to God, we should give it with all our life. This represents the pouring of oil in the Old Testament days.
Next, we put incense on the fine flour mixed with oil. If we put oil on fine flour and also put incense on it, it becomes more aromatic and precious as offering pleasing to God. Jesus gave Himself as a fragrant sacrifice and as an offering like an animal given as offering with incense. Jesus obeyed only the will of God the Father while living on the earth and revealed the love of God through his crucifixion. Ephesians 5:2 says, “And walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” God’s children who are loved by God should offer their lives as fragrant offering like Jesus. Our lives should truly be fragrant, pleasing, and living sacrifices to God. 2 Corinthians 2:15 says, “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”
We are to give out the aroma of Christ by acknowledging God in all our ways by living according to the will of God. When we give out the aroma of Christ and give thanks to God, our life can be a grain offering acceptable to God.
2) Burn this as a memorial portion on the altar
“The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy, of the offerings to the LORD by fire. Now when you bring an offering of a grain offering baked in an oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil.” (Leviticus 2: 3-4)
After pouring oil on the fine flour and putting incense on it, it is taken to the priests. Then the priest burns it on the altar, but he does not burn everything. He burns all the incense, but he burns only a handful of fine flour, and the rest is given to the priests.
Even though the priests burn only a portion and the remainder is for the priests, the grain offerings are all considered to be given to God. In that way all of it is the most holy part of the offerings made to the LORD by fire.
Today ministers receive a wage from the offerings that church members give to God. Galatians 6:6 says, “The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.” As said, when members who received grace give thank offerings, ministers, who teach the word of God, share those good things.
Following verses from 4 to 7 mentions various types of grain offerings. Sometimes they give grain offerings as fine flour, but more often they give grain offerings baked in an oven or roasted on a griddle. They may also be cooked in a pan, which indicates steaming it. At this time, regardless of the way of preparing the offering, the grain offering must be fine flour, and pouring oil and putting incense on it are same for all the preparation methods.
There are various ways to give grain offerings. It means that there are many ways for each person to earn a living, and there are many kinds of things to be thankful for. As there are many kinds of life styles which for one is like passing through fire and another passing through water, thanks conditions vary from person to person as well.
People give regular thanks on Sundays. Sometimes, they also give special thanks for God’s blessings and answering to the desires of their heart. Sometimes we give thanks to God for enabling us to overcome trials or hardships by faith. We thank God in many various ways.
Whatever kind of life we may live, it is important to give thanks in all circumstances as God tells us, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” When we give thanks to God, He will receive the aroma of our heart joyfully and fill our lives with more thanks and joy. It is also important that our attitude and heart of giving thanks is persistent although our conditions of thanks vary according to the situation. We should give thanks with all our heart and sincerity.
God told them that they had to give unleavened bread as grain offering when they baked it in an oven. God said that they should not put yeast into the fine flour when they roast it in a griddle. Generally speaking, flour ferments, swells up and becomes soft when yeast is put into flour. In that case it tastes different from the original flour.