The various sacrifices described in Leviticus have both differences and similarities to each other. The grain offering, which is described in Leviticus chapter 2, shows some of those differences clearly, in that there is no animal involved, nor is there any blood shed.
These distinctions certainly make the grain offering unique, but don’t imagine that that the lack of blood makes it of lesser importance than the others. Three things show the grain offering to be a very important sacrifice: (1) these offerings were brought to God on a nearly daily basis, (2) they were the basis for one of Israel’s major holidays, and (3) they were so holy that they had to be consumed on the tabernacle or temple grounds. No leftovers were to be taken home to share with the wife and kids. So undoubtedly the grain offerings were important, and they had great significance in the worship system of Israel.
What these sacrifices like?
1 ‘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 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.
3 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.
These are the general instructions, and describe the grain offering as it was to be brought by those who were relatively well-to-do. A quantity of flour was taken, oil poured over it, and frankincense put on it. It was brought to the priests, and some of the flour and oil, along with all of the frankincense, was burnt on the altar, with the rest belonging to the priests.
There were variations on this, probably for the less well-to-do:
4 ‘And if you bring as an offering a grain offering baked in the oven, [let's call this a cookie] it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
5 But if your offering is a grain offering baked in a pan [actually a griddle, so let's call this a pancake], it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil.
6 You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.
7 ‘If your offering is a grain offering baked in a covered pan [I'm calling this one a cake], it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
These variations included no frankincense, which was somewhat expensive, and were either baked in an oven (with the oil added either before or after the baking), or fried on a griddle, or baked in a covered pan. The scriptures don’t say if other ingredients are allowed, although the common understanding and practice among Jews has been that they are. The cooking was done ahead of time, and the resulting cookie, pancake, or cake was brought to the priests, who burned part of it and ate the rest. As far as we know, the type of grain offering (whether it was a cookie, a pancake, or a cake) to be given was left up to the person bringing it.
So what did those who brought this offering think and feel as they brought it? I think 1 Kings 17:11 and 12 will helps us to know:
11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
12 So she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
This scripture tells us where flour and oil stood on the food chain in ancient times. As today, they were staples. A poor widow, fallen upon hard times, stocked her cupboard with flour and oil. These things weren’t exotic or fancy, or even particularly tasty. But they were plenteous, affordable and nourishing. When one was starving, flour and oil were the last things you ran out of.
How does this help us understand this sacrifice? To a poor person, it hurt to give up food that could sustain them, even when one was giving it up to God. And that may be why the rather costly frankincense was added to some of the grain offerings – so it hurt the rich people, too. Nothing is truly a sacrifice if it’s painless, you know.
The simplicity of this offering is also significant. Because it was simple to prepare, it was possible for anyone to bring it. Poor folks could bring it easily, and because it was cooked ahead of time, they could make it fancy by forming it creatively. Rich folks couldn’t bake it, but they could make it fancy by putting frankincense on it. Rich or poor, fancy or not, anyone could bring this offering to God, because it was simple to prepare.
One of the times the grain offering was brought to God was to celebrate the harvest or “firstfruits.” The firstfruits offering could be brought either by an individual or by many people at once during the holiday that went by that name. In this case, there are some other things to think about, too:
The firstfruit offerings were brought to God to acknowledge that He had provided harvest for another year. This leads us to consider two more important components of these offerings: thankfulness and faith. Thankfulness because God had provided. Faith because giving away what has been harvested today, even when giving it to God, does not guarantee a harvest tomorrow. To give away one’s food at the beginning of the harvest, when one did not know if it would be plenteous or not, required faith that God would provide in the days to come.
So the grain offerings were brought by God’s people with simplicity, with some hurt, with thanksgiving, and with faith. Of course, this is the Old Testament. We don’t do things this way in the church. So what might this all mean for us? James 1 helps:
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Whenever one receives a gift, it is right to be thankful and it is common courtesy to express that thankfulness to the giver. Good gifts and perfect gifts come from God, and it is right to thank Him for what He gives. We may not be farmers, but we all benefit from the harvest, and although God does not require us to give to Him a part of our breakfast or bring Him cookies, pancakes, or cakes, it is still right and good for us to thank Him for our food. And not just our food, but every good thing He gives. God’s people, of all people, should be thankful people, for we recognize that every good thing we receive comes from our unchanging, perfect Father in heaven.
And then there is the most perfect gift, the gift of salvation. Look at verse 18:
18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
God has provided salvation through His Son’s death and resurrection, so that all who believe will be saved. And there’s no better gift than that. He has made believers a kind of firstfruits, a kind of harvest, from among His creatures. And so believers come to God, rich and poor, prepared in many different ways, but all of us thankful for the great gift of His grace.
How do we show this thankfulness? Not with cookies or pancakes or cakes, but by presenting our lives to Him and pleasing Him with our lifestyles. Verses 19 and 20:
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Based on the good and perfect gift we have received when He saved us, believers are compelled to thank Him by living well, with listening ears, and cautious speech, and long tempers, working out our salvation in our relationships to each other and to the world. This is true thankfulness – a simple life offered back to God as a response to the greatness of His gifts.
Irv Cobb
