LEVITICUS CHAPTER 2

THE MEAT (MEAL) OFFERING

 

      This is an offering of thanksgiving.  There is nothing said about the amount of offering, just like there is nothing said about the limit of our thanksgiving.

 

I.   The division of the chapter.

A.     This chapter is divided into the two ways the sacrifice of meal can be offered:

1.       v. 1-11 - The meal offering of fine flour.

a.      Verse 1-3 - the worshipper brings the meal offering uncooked, with oil, frankincense, and salt, the priest will offer a part of it and prepare the rest for his own consumption.

b.      Verse 4-11 - the worshipper cooks the meal offering with oil, frankincense, and salt, then brings it to the priests.

2.       v. 12-16 - The offering of fresh grain (the firstfruits).

B.     We will discuss the meal offering because the requirements are the same for both the meal offering and the offering of the firstfruits.

 

II.   The Uncooked Meal Offering:  Verse 1-3 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon: {2} And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD:  {3} And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.

A.     "when any will" - The thanksgiving offering is a free will offering.  When a person gives a burnt offering in the proper manner, for any purpose, they are in a position to give a thanksgiving offering.

B.     The meat offering is actually an offering of meal:

1.       The grain is either wheat, barley, oats, or rye.

2.       Sometimes corn is mentioned.  This is the same as meal: wheat, barley, oats, or rye.  Not "maze" as we have learned to grow from the Indians.

3.       From other scriptures, I believe wheat is the type of grain used.

C.     This is the only sacrifice that contains no blood.  This doesn't mean that it is possible to approach God without blood.  This sacrifice is normally offered in conjunction with one of the other four sacrifices.

D.     The ingredients.

1.       fine flour - This typifies the suffering of Christ.  The grain of wheat must be beaten until it becomes a very fine flour.  Satan desired Peter that he might sift him as wheat, but Christ had prayed for him that his faith fail not.  Christ actually paid for Peter's ability to stand by being beaten in Peter's place.  He does this for all of us.

2.       Oil - A type of the Holy Spirit.  All of the meal offerings contain oil. See verses 1,2,4,5,6,7,15,16.

3.       Frankincense - a sweet smell, typifying the life of Christ.  This ought also to typify our life as Christ lives in us.

E.      The thanksgiving offering is given away.  This can be compared to the burnt offering, which is only for the one giving the sacrifice.

1.       The only way to keep being thankful is to give it away.  The Sea of Galilee remains fruitful even though water continually flows out of it.  The Dead Sea is lifeless even though no water flows out of it.

2.       Bring it to Aaron (the priesthood) - It does no good to be thankful, if we are afraid or ashamed to confess before God, or the people of God.

3.       As the worshipper was thankful to God and brought the offering to the priest, other people would see him.  As we are thankful to God, other people will see this and also glorify God and desire to be thankful also.

4.       It is impossible to be thankful to God and keep it to yourself.  You've got to tell somebody.

F.      The priests burns a handful (a memorial) - This part belongs to the Lord, the rest belongs to the priests.  It is impossible to be thankful to the Lord and give Him His part without giving to those who minister the Word.

G.     Chapter 6:14-18 - The remainder of it shall be eaten by the priests in the holy place (after it is cooked in one of the three mentioned ways).

1.       The priests family eats many of the sacrifices, for that is their living, but only the priest eat the thanksgiving offering.

2.       This is because they are representative of the eternal priesthood of Christ, who is the cause of their thankfulness.

H.     "...it is a thing most holy..." - There is no blood in this offering, but it is not less than other offerings.

1.       The one giving the burnt offering would be sad because his sinfulness caused an innocent animal to be slain.  He would have joy when he gave the thanksgiving offering.

2.       Our feelings during a particular worship service may not reflect its importance to Christ, or to others.

 

III.   The Cooked Meal Offering.  Verse 4-10  And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. {5} And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil. {6} Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meat offering. {7} And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in the fryingpan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. {8} And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the LORD: and when it is presented unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar. {9} And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. {10} And that which is left of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.

A.     There are three ways for the worshipper to prepare the meal.

1.       v. 4 - bake it in the oven.

2.       v. 5,6 - bake it in a pan (part in pieces, because Christ was separated for us).

3.       v. 7 - cooked in a frying pan.

B.     This shows there are many different ways to be thankful.

1.       Some people shout, some people are quiet, some people weep.

2.       We are not to look at outward actions, but at inward worship.

C.     For an explanation of verse 8-10 refer to part II, the uncooked meal offering.

 

IV.   Verse 11 - Keep sin out of thankfulness.  Verse 11, No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.

A.     Do not use leaven - a type of sin.  Christ didn't have any sin, and our thankfulness cannot contain sin.

B.     Use no honey - Honey is natural sweetness, (human sweetness).  None of our natural "goodness" can be included.  Only an internal, spirit-filled sweetness wrought by the Spirit of God is accepted.

 

V.   The Oblation (offering) of Firstfruits. Verse 12-16.  As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour. {13} And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. {14} And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears. {15} And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering. {16} And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

A.     The Thanksgiving offering is discussed more thoroughly in chapter 23:9-14.

B.     Verse 12 does not contradict verse 13-18.  It simply means that all of the firstfruit offering will not be burnt on the altar.

C.     With all the meal offerings, salt will be included.  Salt is not for seasoning, but for preservation.  Matt. 5:13 - We are the salt of the earth, if we quit preserving the earth, we are good for nothing, but to be cast out and be trodden under foot of men.

D.     The difference between the firstfruits and the other two meal offerings.

1.       Use green grain, freshly thrashed from the stalk, and dried by a fire.

a.      This pictures the deliberate action of the giver as he remembers the reasons to be thankful.

b.      The fire pictures the judgment of God, which takes away the moisture which would destroy the grain.

2.       The oil, frankincense, and salt is placed on the meal offering, not mixed with it.

a.      The Holy Spirit, life of Christ and preservation are all separate, yet intermingled.

b.      It takes all three to make one.

3.       The priest burns a part of the meal offering, a part of the oil, and all of the frankincense.

a.      Oil is a type of the Holy Spirit.  Being thankful does not cause the Holy Spirit to depart from us.

b.      Frankincense is a type of the life of Christ, not our life.  Christ gave His entire life that we might be his.