The grain offering was the second offering mentioned in Leviticus (Lv 2:1-26). It was made and presented in one of three ways: (1) fine flour with olive oil and frankincense presented uncooked (Lv 2:1). This was symbolic of the Holy Spirit and prayer. It had to be fine flour because it represented the very best—the most work required to produce this quality of flour; (2) baked in the oven (Lv 2:4); or (3) baked on a griddle (Lv 2:5).

The one making the offering would take a handful (called the memorial portion) and the priest would burn it on the altar (Lv 2:2). The remainder (called the most holy part) was then given to the priests to use for their own consumption (Lv 2:3). Yeast and honey were prohibited (typically representing sin and pride) as this type of sacrifice was to be offered with humility. Salt was a requirement (substance that helped to give it flavor) to represent one’s usefulness when yielded to God.

Israel was dependent upon God for their food supply: they received manna for food when in the wilderness and rain for growth of crops when in Promised Land. Christ’s body represented the true bread from heaven. Christ said about himself: “Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51). His words demonstrate to us that Christ was the “memorial part” because he offered himself to die on the cross for us. He was also the “most holy part” because we partake of him symbolically as we follow him and his words. Paul said, “. . . Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ep 4:15). We mature into even thinking like Christ (1Co 2:16) and having his perspective of the world and those around us.

So, by identifying with Christ and becoming more like him, we mature in the faith and operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul put it this way in Colossians 2:14-15: “Having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross, and having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” With our maturity comes power that the Holy Spirit gives us to overcome our spiritual enemy, Satan.

The grain offering therefore represents our growth in Christ, or our sanctification.

What other heart transformations are needed? Join me next time as we discuss this train of thought.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In this post, we’ll look at applications to the grain offering which was discussed in my previous post. It certainly had meaning for the Israelites in their day and has meaning for us today as well.

Once Israel reached Canaan, God’s promised land to them, they would go from being a nomadic people traveling from place to place and never settling down to actually becoming settlers with houses and land. Rather than having to always buy grain, they would now grow it. They would be dependent upon God for their grain. In the past, the Nile watered their fields. Now it would be rain which was controlled by God. We, too, are dependent upon God for our day-to-day provisions (Mt 6:11; Ja 4:13-16).

Israel would be dependent upon God’s spiritual necessities as well. “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Dt 8:3). Their blessings were now dependent upon their obedience to God (Dt 28:1-6).

For us today, Christ is a type of Grain Offering. He stated he was the true bread from heaven which gives life to the entire world (Jn 6:32-33), he is the “bread of life” (Jn 6:35), and he was the bread which came from heaven (Jn 6:42). He stated, “Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51).

In my previous post, we talked about the grain offering having a “memorial part” which was placed on the altar, and a “most holy part” which was given to the priest. Christ was both the “memorial part” by offering himself to die on the cross for us, as well as the “most holy part” by us partaking of him—by identifying with him through receiving His Holy Spirit and becoming like him as we mature in the faith, a process of sanctification.

The grain offering was one of the types of offerings to sustain the priests. Likewise, our financial offerings sustain our pastors. Paul told us, “Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1Co 9:13-14).

The grain offering also demonstrates the principle of sequence. The burnt offering was first: to atone for an individual’s sinful state and to symbolize that the one making the offering was offering themselves to God. That applies to us today also. Second, the grain offering was an act of worship. We can add nothing to our atonement sacrifice because it is not based upon what we do; yet, we can add to our worship and have more freedom in how we do it. We come to God as we are; there is nothing we can do to make ourselves presentable to Him. Only after we come can the Holy Spirit make improvements in our lives. He promises that we, too, can have the mind of Christ (1Co 2:16). Pretty neat promise, isn’t it? What about you? Want to be more like Him. Will you offering your grain offering to Him today and begin a remarkable journey of growth with mind changing potential?

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The second type of sacrifice mentioned in Leviticus is the grain offering. It was made and presented in one of three ways: fine flour with olive oil and frankincense presented uncooked (Lv 2:1); baked in the oven (Lv 2:4); or baked on a griddle (Lv 2:5). Since grain itself was in short supply in the desert, this grain was likely that reserved for seed; therefore, it was considered very precious, and the one making the offering was really depending upon God for their future provision. When baked, the fine flour mixed with olive oil was made into loaves or as unleavened wafers smeared with oil. When made on a griddle, the unleavened cakes made from fine flour and olive oil were broken into pieces with more olive oil poured over them.

The flour was stated to be “fine flour.” This means one had to spend a lot of time to make the flour fine, as it would typically be course due to the amount of work it took to grind the grain by hand. Extra special effort was made for this type of sacrifice to God. Again, they were offering their very best.

The one making the offering would take a handful (called the memorial portion) and the priest would burn it on the altar (Lv 2:2). The remainder (called the most holy part) was then given to the priests to use for their own consumption (Lv 2:3).

There were elements which were prohibited in this type of sacrifice (Lv 2:11): leaven and honey. Yeast (leaven) and honey symbolically represented corruption: leaven typically represented sin, and honey likely equated to self-gratification or pleasure. Sometimes, unleavened bread was symbolic of God’s deliverance (Dt 16:4). While such a gift with yeast and honey could be presented to the priest (separate from offering) during firstfruits, it could not be used as an offering placed upon the altar.

There was a special element required for this type of sacrifice (Lv 2:13): salt. Salt was used since it sealed the covenant (Lv 2:13; Nu 18:19; 2Ch 13:5) as it likely represented the preservation and longevity of the covenant, two major characteristics of salt. It was also used as a flavoring agent (perhaps as a benefit to the priests). Salt symbolically represented the longevity of the Mosaic Covenant, which was dependent upon their obedience to God (Dt 28).

In some ways, the grain offering was similar to the burnt offering. It had to be of the highest quality (Lv 2:1): fine flour was difficult to produce and took a lot of time, olive oil in the desert was in short supply, and frankincense was very expensive. The grain offering was also offered by fire, and both produced a soothing aroma to the Lord (Lv 2:2). Often these two sacrifices were carried out together, as the grain offering was to follow the burnt offering (Nu 28:4-5; Jd 13:19).

Yet, the grain offering was also very different from the burnt offering. The burnt offering was an animal sacrifice, while the grain offering was a vegetable sacrifice composed of either wheat or barley. Because this offering had no blood, it was not for atonement. It was a form of worship as the one making the offering had some say in the offering: the one making the offering could choose the type of grain and how it was presented. It was a way of thanking God for sustaining them – giving them “their daily bread,” and grain was likely scarcer than animals as it would have to be taken from their seed reserves. In addition, in this sacrifice only a portion of it was offered on the altar whereas in the burnt offering, the entire animal was sacrificed with none of it going to the one making the offering or to the priest, except for the hide (Lv 7:8). Here, in this offering, the majority of the grain offering was used to sustain the priests (Nu 18:9).

In our next post, we will look at the application of this type of sacrifice. I hope you join us.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens