Lev. 2
If we have learned the meaning of, or God’s thoughts revealed to us in, the burnt-offering—that all through this dark night, until the break of day, we are identified continually with Christ in all the sweet savor of His offering, once offered; forever perfected—it will then be truly blessed to see what is the next thing presented to us as believers, for our food along the journey This is the meat-offering. We desire to write simply for the least babe in Christ. For it is the law of the meat-offering, that so “shall all the sons of Aaron have one as much as another.” The sons of Aaron have thus, again, a privilege which the people do not enjoy—carrying out the figure of the sons of Aaron being a type of the church as the brethren of Christ. They have the privilege of feeding in enjoyment on Christ that the people of Israel will not have, even in millennial days. It is the will of our God and Father, then, that all the redeemed brethren of Christ shall feed on Him, in blest enjoyment, “one as much as another.”
The sons of Aaron were redeemed from Egypt. We have redemption through His blood. They were the recognized priests of Jehovah. “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood; and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father.” The sons of Aaron had not to eat the meat-offering in order to get to be priests, or to get salvation and deliverance from Egypt. Neither have we to take the so-called holy communion to get to be saved, or to obtain redemption. If we have redemption, how can we have to do anything to get it? We feel more and more the importance of bearing in mind, that all these offerings are for those who have redemption. Truly all point to Christ, and reveal the rich provision of our God and Father. Perhaps you say, ‘But must I not take the Lord’s supper?’ Certainly, if you can truly give thanks because you have redemption, but not without this certainty; it is mere mockery and unbelief to do so.
If, then, we can say we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins, and that we are perfected, in unchanging continuity, by His one sacrifice—identified with Him, taken into favor in the Beloved, in all the sweet savor of what He is to God, as seen in the burnt-offering—we may now look at the next thing, the meat-offering. Here, mark, there is no death, no atonement. “His offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon.” (Lev. 2:11And when any will offer a meat offering unto the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon: (Leviticus 2:1).) This is evidently Christ in His incarnation, the spotless humanity of Christ; what He was in His life down here below; the bread that came down from heaven. In verse 2 we have what Christ was to God, and in verse 3 what He is to us. The handful of flour and oil, with all the frankincense, was burnt at the altar by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord.
In His birth He was begotten of the Holy Ghost in sinless purity. As a child, He was “filled with wisdom, and the grace [favor] of God was upon him.” (Luke 2:4040And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40).) Yes, from the moment He was born of the Virgin, He was this sweet savor unto the Lord.
Fine flour, mingled with oil, and anointed with oil. And when He, in grace, identified Himself with the remnant of Israel, in the baptism of John, “Lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and, lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:16, 1716And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:16‑17).)
He knew no sin; there was no stain of inward corruption in Him, to hinder the Spirit of God descending on Him, the beloved Son of God the Father, in whom was all His delight—the meat offering that satisfied the whole heart of God. He could say,” in whom I am well pleased.” Oh, how the Father delighted to say, in a voice out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son.” And not only was He the food, the delight of God the Father, but surely, as all the sons of Aaron had their portion of the meat-offering, one as much as another, so have we our portion, our food, in Christ.
“And the Word was made flesh, And dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.... And of his fullness have we all received, and grace for grace” [or, favor upon favor].
There was a striking illustration of this on the day of the dedication of the altar. (Numb. 7) It is shown in that chapter that the offerings of the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel were exactly alike, pointing to Him who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Now, as to the meat-offering, take the first, the offering of Nahshon, the son of Aminadab. “And his offering was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl, of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them were full of fine flour, mingled with oil, for a meat-offering.” Yes, in the meat-offering God had His portion, and all the sons of Aaron their portion. And both the large and small silver vessels were full of the meat-offering. Thus Jesus, as Man, anointed with the Holy Ghost, fills the infinite heart of God: “and of his fullness have all we received.”
Yes, surely that which satisfies the infinite, must satisfy the finite.
Fine flour; yes, there was no unevenness in Him. See Him crushed and bruised by the sorrows that oppressed Him during His life. But ail infinite loveliness, divine perfection—ever presented unto God for a sweet savor; and the nearer He came to the cross, the sweeter the savor. It was when Judas went out, He said, “Now is the Son of man glorified.” He was betrayed by His own disciple. The Pharisees and priests consulting to put Him to death, the powers of hell seeking to crush Him; and the more He is crushed and bruised, the sweeter the savor ascending up to His Father. Oh, precious Jesus, food of my soul! Oh, to be more like Thee!
Verse 11. “No meat-offering which ye shall bring unto the Lord shall be made with leaven, for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the Lord made with fire.” Leaven, in scripture, is the well-known type of evil; leaven of Herod, of malice, and wickedness, &c. In Jesus was no evil, no root of sin. In Himself He was ever the perfect, sinless offering to God—sinless humanity—and, as such, anointed with the Holy Ghost.
The hand was never laid on the meat-offering—no, sinful humanity could not be identified with the holy, sinless, perfect One: He must die, or remain forever alone. There is no hand of identification laid on in the offerings, unless there be death. God must be glorified by His death, before man can be brought into identification with Him. The two goats, on the day of atonement, show this. The hand is not laid on the meat-offering, but opened, to receive of His blessed fullness. Salt must not be lacking from any of the offerings made by fire; it must not be lacking from the meat-offering. All that is acceptable to God is, according to His own eternal purpose, the salt of the covenant of thy God. Jesus came to do that will of God in all the four aspects of His offering. When we read and meditate on His history in humanity here below, let us remember that He is our food, according to the eternal purpose of God.
Honey was not to be burned to the Lord; that which ferments, and becomes corrupt, may not be offered to God. There was nothing in our adorable Lord that could become corrupt. His very body was purity itself, and could see no corruption, even in death. He was truly man, capable of suffering and death; but as there was not, and could not be, personal taint or corruption in Him, His death must be perfectly voluntary for us.
Will you notice, then, how carefully leaven is forbidden, in verse 11, in that which typifies Christ. Then verse 12 seems to state a contrast “As for the oblation of the first-fruits, ye shall offer them unto the Lord; but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savor.” And yet, In verses 14-16, there are firstfruits, green ears of corn, dried by the fire, &c. “And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat-offering. And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord.”
Here, then, we have two very different kinds of firstfruits. Both are offered unto the Lord. But in one case they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savor. Neither is there any frankincense. In the other case oil is put upon it, and frankincense is laid thereon, and this may be burnt unto the Lord, “with all the frankincense thereof.” And in this there must be no leaven or honey. For no leaven or honey must be burnt for a sweet savor unto the Lord.
No doubt practical questions will here be suggested to the reader. All this is instruction to those who have redemption through the blood of Christ. Yes, and you say, True, I have redemption. My sins are forgiven. But can I say there is no leaven of evil in me? Is there no corruption in me? Do I know any Christian whose kindness, or honey, may never ferment into corruption, and even enmity? And when I am tried by fiery trial, is the savor more sweet to God? Sadly, I must confess, it is the opposite. And if there is no frankincense, no sweet savor, in me, how can I be offered up to God at all? How can I be accepted of Him? I see all this—most blessedly of Christ, even in His sinless humanity down here; but, seeing there is still leaven in me, and in all believers on earth, how can we be sustained in accepted favor with God?
These are thoughts that many a reader who really enjoys Christ as the meat-offering will want explaining. Is not this so? We will turn, then, to another scripture in Leviticus which will explain in detail more fully these very points.