VOTW: Jesus, our grain offering (22 August 2021)

"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." Leviticus 2:1

It has been preached that Jesus is the Lamb of God, the picture of the Passover Lamb being a shvotw-jesus-our-grain-offering-22-august-2021adow of the true Passover Lamb who is Christ. Just as the Israelites partook of the Passover Lamb and the Angel of Destruction passed over them: so shall the sons and daughters of God, in the last days, partake of the True Lamb and judgement has passed over them, onto Christ.

This week let us meditate on the Levitical offerings which also are picture of the perfect work of Christ. There are five in total to speak of, to describe the perfect work of Christ, but there is much to be said and let us focus on one of them in order to savor and relish the blessedness of these truths.

The grain offering

Out of the five offerings mentioned in Leviticus 1-6, the grain offering is the only one that does not involve the killing of an animal. No blood is shed. What could this be about the work of Christ?

… his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it...

Jesus has mentioned in His ministry that He is the bread of Life, and that His body is to be remembered through the breaking of bread. It is a wonderful picture, that our Lord and Savior uses an item of sustenance to describe Himself. A most comforting reminder that He alone satisfies our desires and need for life and sustenance. In addition, the making of the Matzah bread which was what Jesus was referring to in His time and culture of the Jews, speaks wonderfully of His work on the cross. Having been beaten and kneaded, spread out and scourged, and finally burnt through to become the bread they ate.

But for the grain offering, the flour is offered before that process of the Matzah bread: it is fine flour. It is offered with oil and frankincense. In a sermon back in 2008, Pastor Joseph Prince preached about the grain offering being a picture of the Life of Jesus. A picture of the Jesus' earthly walk as fine flour: smooth and with no uneven-ness; purity that is as white as snow; excellent fineness with no coarseness within. The grain offering is a picture of the life of Jesus that so fully fulfills all the requirements of the Law, and further exemplifies that perfect Love and Mercy of God's character. No wonder, this offering is "a sweet aroma to the Lord". The Son of God is ever-pleasing, and ever enjoyed by the His Father.

We even see this picture at the birth of Christ in Matthew:

"And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Matthew 2:11

Jesus our Grain Offering

While the wise men were blessed with the privilege of witnessing the Lord as a baby, they were also blessed to be come eternal reminders of the savior of the world who came down to Man in the most unexpected way. And in their gifts and worship, I see a shadow that has come attached to the substance of the real things. Gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold which acknowledged His royalty and the sovereignty of His Lordship; frankincense and myrrh, expensive items of honor, and also the items that were offered together with the grain offering. That, I believe, marked the beginning of the true grain offering: that perfect fine flour that was poured out for all men. That was to be burnt with the Fire of God's judgement, and was made the Bread of Life.

And that grain offering went on to live a perfect life that fulfilled all the law and prophecies, and went on to give a sweet smelling aroma to our Father in Heaven.

Why does it matter to us?

Beloved, in Leviticus, the Israelite offered the grain offering for himself. When Jesus was offered up (He offered Himself), He offered Himself for us! And in Leviticus 6:14-18, there is an intriguing passage about the grain offering that catches my eye and makes me jump for joy.

Firstly, a portion of the grain offering is reserved by the Lord, for His priests. We as the king-priests of God are given the privilege and the power to enjoy and savor the life-giving qualities of the life of Jesus. I personally believe this is a portion that is special: not just the eternal life that we have received through Christ, but a portion of communion with God through the reading and understanding of how Jesus lived on earth. We have the privilege of enjoying the perfect life of Christ on earth, through the four gospels! May God open our eyes to see this blessedness and take of hold it tightly in our everyday lives!

Lastly, the blessed of word of God, mysterious and powerful in His higher ways says:

"All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations concerning the offerings of the Lord made by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy." Leviticus 6:18

The gospel is about a loving God who came to save His people. It is about perfect righteousness that is not earned, but given. Beloved, take courage this week, knowing that you have been set apart by the Lord!

Possess this position of Holiness by savoring and enjoying the life of Jesus that has been offered up as a sweet smelling grain offering to the Lord! Partake of your portion from Him!