When any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour (Leviticus 2:1).
The varied offerings are to show us different aspects of the Saviour’s sacrifice in figure. Each offering is to illustrate the redemption which our Lord purchased for us. These ancient Scriptures are a mine of wealth. They show more of Christ than what most believers ever discern.
The meat offering is the second of the five. God’s wisdom has termed it “the meat offering.” There are those who try to find strange explanations for the title, since there is none of what we call meat in it. But it is rightly so called, since the term for meat simply means food, and not some kind of flesh. This particular offering was to supply food for the priest.
The Substance of the Offering
The chief material was fine flour (Leviticus 2:1). It is the infinite mind of God which selected the substance, so the thought is deep. And, may we ask, by what process is flour formed? It is formed from earthgrown grain which is threshed from the husk and ground in a mill to a powder. Faith so easily discerns in this the story of our Lord’s life on earth. He was born into this arena. No blow was spared Him. He was buffeted with all the fury of men and devils, and even the justice of His own holy law crushed Him.
The flour was fine flour. There were no lumps, no vestiges of unevenness. This sets forth the Saviour’s sinless character and the perfect evenness of His temperament. He is the perfect Man and, therefore, the perfect offering.
Oil was added (2:1)—the blessed emblem in Scripture of the Holy Spirit’s anointing. The Lord, we read, is given the Spirit “not by measure” (John 3:34). The Holy Spirit formed His body (Luke 1:35), descended upon Him in baptism (Luke 3:22), aided Him in His temptations (Luke 4:1), upheld Him on Calvary’s cross (Hebrews 9:14), and aided Him in breaking the bands of death (1 Peter 3:18). The Lord Jesus was rich in the Spirit’s anointing.
Frankincense was then sprinkled (Leviticus 2:1). This was to give the offering a sweet fragrance and to fill man’s senses with sweet joy. It gave perfume to the people’s hearts. It spoke of Him whose name was “as ointment poured forth” (Song of Solomon 1:3).
No leaven and no honey could be brought (Leviticus 2:11). Leaven changes the meal and is an emblem of evil. Leaven spreads its influence throughout, and so is forbidden. Honey is sweet, but ferments, and in this it expresses the tempting power of sin, which at the end proves to be wormwood and gall.
But salt was added (2:13). Salt repels corruption and arrests decay. It brought freshness and taste to the offering, and in this, too, we see blessed features of our Lord. He is all that to the believing offerer. His love is an everlasting covenant of salt.
Thus, in every part of the substance of the meat offering we see Jesus our Lord portrayed in the precious character that He is. There is nothing more gladdening to the soul than the intrinsic perfection of His holy life. The meat offering is a mirror in which we see the absolute perfection of every virtue.
The Use of the Offering
The use is very clearly set forth. In the first place, it satisfied God. We see this, in that part of the offering was to be burned on the altar “to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD” (2:2). This part was consumed by fire to show God’s wrath against sin which fell upon His beloved Son, and the burning meal sets forth the Lord in His anguish. “O ’tis a wondrous sight!” Thomas Kelly wrote in a hymn. Sin must have torment. It is a high offense to the honor of God. It cannot escape His wrath. So the Lord Jesus must bear it. The fire of vengeance does not spare. God “spared not His own Son.” But our Lord so exhausted that wrath that there is none left for His believing people to bear.
Then, a second use of the offering was that it provided food. The remaining part “shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire” (2:3). It shows Christ as the Provider for His people— the true Bread of life for hungry souls—the substantial and satisfying food for all who believe. “My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed” (John 6:55).
“Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved,” says Song of Solomon 5:1. And faith brings the hungry to the banqueting table. Faith partakes of Christ and feasts upon Him. There is no other way to gain strength for the journey heavenwards. The soul must feed on Christ if it would endure all the way.
All must offer. As we saw in the burnt offering, so here in the meat offering there are diverse ways of preparing the offering. With some—“baken” in an oven; with others— “baken” in a pan; with still others—“baken” in a frying pan. All such things have infinite and profound meaning. But let it suffice for now that these different utensils, one or another, may be used by all—the rich with their grand ovens down to the poor with their humble hearths. But all must offer. There is no other Christ to offer, whether the offerer be rich or poor. Bring this offering of Christ to God and, no matter what your station in life, you will be accepted of Him, and you will be fully fed and satisfied.
What food luxurious loads the board
When, at His table, sits the Lord!
The wine how rich, the bread how sweet,
When Jesus deigns His guests to meet!
If now, with eyes defiled and dim,
We see the signs, but see not Him;
O, may His love the scales displace,
And bid us see Him face to face!
Thou glorious Bridegroom of our hearts,
Thy present smile a heav’n imparts!
O, lift the veil, if veil there be,
Let ev’ry saint Thy glory see!