"The Grain Offering" Sermon: Leviticus 2:1-16

“The Grain Offering”
[Leviticus 2:1-16]
February 21, 2010 Second Reformed Church

Wednesday night we began the Lenten Season and our look at the offerings of the opening chapters of the book of Leviticus. Wednesday night we looked at the Burnt Offering and saw that God’s Law required blood to be shed and an animal to be devoted in its entirety to the fire to make atonement – reconciliation – between the person bringing the offering and God.

We saw that Jesus fulfilled the Burnt Offering by living a Perfect Life under God’s Law and giving Himself to be sacrificed on our behalf, taking on God’s Wrath and crediting us with His Perfect Life, so we could be right with God. The Burnt Offering was an offering for atonement and concerned the consecration of one’s life and living.

In this morning’s Scripture, we heard the laws of the Grain Offering. We immediately see a difference in this offering in that what is being offered is grain – the harvest of the ground – not an animal. In this offering, blood is not shed. So this offering does not have to do with the payment of the debt for sin in any way. This offering has to do with something else. The Grain Offering was an offering of thanksgiving and concerned the consecration of one’s labor and blessings – all of one’s material goods.

Yet, both of these offerings are said to be “a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” Again, let us understand that God does not eat; God is a Spirit. What we are being told is that God accepts the offering – God is pleased with the offering – not that God actually eats the offering.

We find three, or four, things necessary for this offering: flour, oil, frankincense, and salt, and one thing that was forbidden: leaven.

If one was offering up the grain as flour, it was to be the best flour, fine flour, well-milled flour, with no lumps or imperfections. The priest would take a handful of the flour and pour some of the oil the person had brought on it. Then the priest would take all of the frankincense the person brought and put it on the handful of flour with the oil, and that would be burned as the offering. The rest of the flour and oil would be kept by the priest as his food.

If one offered up baked bread, it was to be bread that was not made with leaven. It was to be made of fine flour and salted and brought to the priest, who would break a piece of it off and pour some of the oil that the person had brought on it. Then he would put all of the frankincense that the person had brought on it and burn it as the offering. The rest of the bread and the oil would be kept by the priest as his food.

If one offered up the grain itself, it was to be roasted and crushed. The priest would take some of it and pour some of the oil the person had brought on it. Then he would put all of the frankincense the person had brought on it and burn it. The rest of the grain and the oil would be kept by the priest for his food.

Let us notice that God was merciful in the requirements for this offering, just as He was in the Burnt Offering. At least initially, there are no quantities listed for the amount of the Grain Offering. The person bringing the offering would bring what the person was able to based on what one had and the thanks one wanted to express.

God was also merciful in allowing the grain to be brought in different forms, based upon one’s ability and income. The roasted grain would be brought by the poorer people – those who did not have access to the mill or baking equipment, whereas those who were able to refine the grain and/or bake it, would bring flour or bread, based upon their ability to do so.

Our God is merciful beyond our ability to understand: grain, flour, and bread symbolize our blessings – our sustenance – the goods that we have in this world. The oil symbolizes the setting apart of the offering for God. Frankincense symbolizes the prayers and offerings of God’s people – with God’s acceptance of them. Salt symbolizes being preserved – consecrated to holiness – especially through God’s working in and through us. And leaven symbolizes corruption – which is why it was not allowed in the offering.

The person binging the Grain Offering would be recognizing several things:

Everything we have is from God. James wrote, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17, ESV). Do we believe that?

Have you said – or have you ever heard someone say, “I don’t owe anybody anything; I worked hard for everything I have. Nobody every gave me a handout or a leg up. Everything I have I earned”?

In a sense it’s true – we are paid – or rewarded – for our work. But ultimately – that is what we are considering here – where does our work come from? Where does our ability to work come from? Where do our gifts and talents come from? The Bible is clear – God is clear – everything anyone has is – ultimately – from God. So God deserves to be thanked. Don’t you think? Everyone owes God thanks – even Job owed God thanks while he was suffering.

Bruce Cockburn sings a song, “Wondering Where the Lions Are,” in which he says it may be a bad thing that it is so easy to be a Christian in North America. And I’m sure we all know people – are we people? – who would say, “Well, you don’t know how hard I have it.” I wonder if any of us would prefer to be Christians in China, where the secret police would put us in jail without trail for years on end and try to “re-educate us.” I wonder if any of us would prefer to be Christians in India, where they are locked in churches and set on fire. Or would any of us prefer to be Christians in Iran, where they are decapitated?

The person bringing the Grain Offering would also understand that those who believe in God and His Salvation have been set apart. Peter put it this way to the early Christians: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (I Peter 2:9-10, ESV).

We in this church, and Christians in general, do pretty well in asking for things from God, but do we proclaim His Excellencies? Do we bring our grain offering in giving thanks to God and telling others of Who He is and why that is so wonderful? We don’t need to be obnoxious or “hit people over the heads,” but we should let them know why we are who we are and why we do what we do. Even if they curse us – or God – when we say it – it has happened to me.

The person offering the Grain Offering would understand that just as the grain was received by God, so our prayers are received by God – like incense: “And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel” (Revelation 8:3-4, ESV).

For those of us with allergies, this may not being an appealing image – but try picturing your favorite smell. Imagine that smell being all around you, filling up the room – whatever that smell is – for many of us, it would be a food, and our mouths would be watering – we would be happy and longing for what was behind the smell. Symbolically, that is what is going on with the frankincense – God rejoices in the prayers of His people and receives them like receiving a favorite smell. Don’t we want God to be delighted with what He smells from us?

And the person bringing the Grain Offering would understand that God has set His people aside as holy to Him. Again, as Peter explains, “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (I Peter 2:4-5, ESV).

I said Wednesday night that all of these ceremonial laws – these offerings – have been fulfilled in Jesus. Listen to God’s Word as recorded by John:

“On the next day [after Jesus fed the five thousand] the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with the disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

“When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat”’ Jesus then said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I say to you that you have seen me and do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.’

“So the Jews grumbled about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, “And they will be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me – not that anyone has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and died. This is the bread that comes from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’

“The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever’” (John 6:1-58, ESV).

Jesus fulfilled the Grain Offering by offering Himself as the True Heavenly Bread. He is made of Perfect Flour. And all those who believe and “eat” of Him will live forever. He sets us apart and makes us holy through the oil through which He has called us to be His and through the salt of the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit.

We no longer have to offer up the Grain Offering because Jesus has fulfilled it in setting us apart and making us holy according to His Work. So, may we disregard it altogether? May we forget about it, or is there something yet for us as we live this life waiting for Jesus’ Return?

Do we not understand, as Christians, to a greater degree than the fathers, that everything we have is from God? And should that – especially the Gift of Jesus – cause us to be all the more thankful to God? Don’t we, of all people, have reason to give God thanks without ceasing?

Do we not recognize – as the Scripture so plainly teaches – that our blessings and gifts and talents aren’t to be hoarded away for ourselves, but they are to be shared with others in and out of the Church that Jesus Christ and His Salvation would be know?

And should not our thanks first be seen in the support of the Church through the sharing of our gifts and talents and offerings?

We are to give thanks. Jesus gave thanks by offering up Himself for us and to His Father. How much was that worth? In that moment on the cross when God turned His Face from Jesus and Jesus cried out, My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” Jesus suffered the Wrath of God – an eternity of suffering in Hell – times the number of everyone who will believe – in a moment. Do we understand that? Jesus suffered the Wrath of God – an eternity of suffering in Hell – times the number of everyone who will believe – in a moment. How much was that worth?

Through Jesus, the Grain Offering is fulfilled, and we have reason to give thanks, and we have God the Holy Spirit within us, Who is making us Holy – into the Image of the Son.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for loving the world so much that You sent Your Only Son to be offered up as the Greatest and Final Grain Offering. Help us to show thanks that is worthy of You, and cause us to live lives that are set apart and moving towards holiness as You work within us. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.