The Grain Offering

“When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it” (2:10).

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom.12:1).

“Indeed, I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God” (Phil.4:18).

A clear distinction is made between blood sacrifices and those without blood (Dan.9:27; 1Sam.3:14; Ps.40:6). The Israelites offered meal (cereals) offerings in addition to animal sacrifices, they accompanied animal sacrifices. The blood sacrifice/burnt offering brought full acceptance to the offeror and now he comes to offer up his soul and all that he possesses to the Lord who has redeemed him. Flour, bread, or grain made with olive oil, salt, and no leaven. It was a voluntary offering and signifies thanksgiving for first fruits. The purpose of the meal offering was to create in the worshipper a life that is dedicated to generosity and giving. The blood offering must precede the meal offering – Cain brought an offering of first fruits which might have been acceptable as a meal offering but was unacceptable in the place of the blood sacrifice. Boaz the go-el redeemer purchased Ruth before he claimed the land and the inheritance.

The meal offering was presented daily with the morning and the evening sacrifice. Of course, it represents Jesus Christ in His continual obedience to Father and in His sufferings – soul and body in terms of His human nature. It also represents us also in a similar fashion (Rom.12:1). The meal offering was made of fine flour, the fine wheat of Palestine and cleansed by passing through the grinding mill and then the sieve, it would have been white as snow. This is man’s offering, pure having been cleansed in the blood of Christ’s sacrifice. Oil (representing the Holy Spirit) was poured on the fine flour to cause it to cohere and frankincense (the beauty of Christ’s nature) was added and the whole was brought to the altar and part (representing the whole) was burned upon the altar, it was the burning which brought out the rich fragrance,

“He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense. And the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord” (2:2).

“The rest of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is most holy of the offerings to the Lord made by fire” (v3).

We are able to bring to the Lord, an acceptable offering having been cleansed by Hs blood. It seems to me that this offering represents two vital truths, the first one follows logically from the first offering – Christ offered Himself on our behalf as an offering and benefitting from that we now bring ourselves as an offering to God. The second interpretation sees both offerings as applying to Christ’s death, the second one focusing on His humanity as part of Jesus’ suffering to gain salvation. Of course, leaven was forbidden (v11), because leaven speaks of corruption and is the very opposite of salt which removes corruption and also preserves from corruption (v13). Salt was used in every offering. The first fruits of the harvest (ears of corn) can be used as a meal offering. The best ears of corn are plucked while they are green instead of being left to ripen in the field and they are dried by the fire –“it an offering made by fire to the Lord” (v16). Jesus’ life was taken before it had time to ripen and dried out in the fire of the cross. The smoke and the fragrance ascend to heaven. In 1Sam.1:24; Hannah offers 3 bullocks, (one for each of them) followed by the ephah of flour – the meal offering, and the wine was for the drink offering which was not celebrated until Israel reached the Promised Land (Nu.15:9; Ps.116:13).