Did you notice a couple times in this text the grain offering is identified as a “special gift.” The LORD was very clear in his directions to Moses about how the grain offering should be prepared and handled. This wasn’t a “blood sacrifice” for the atonement of sin but as a gift of thanksgiving to God for his faithfulness.
When I imagine a sacrifice, I usually picture animals. It was helpful to read about this and be able to picture how grain offerings would have been given. “This offering will be considered a most holy part of the special gifts presented to the LORD.” Did the reference, “a most holy part” surprise you, too? It simply speaks to how precious our gratitude is to God.
What else did you notice from these instructions? The fact that only “choice” flour will meet the requirements doesn’t surprise me. Don’t we always want to bring our best before God?
Clearly, yeast and honey should not be part of the grain offering. Would these elements ruin the offering? Yeast, or leaven, has been referred to elsewhere in Scripture as representing sin and corruption. Any offering to God should be free of sin and come from a thankful heart. Honey would add sweetness, but I understand honey was often used in pagan rituals and practices. God would certainly not desire to be worshiped liked that.
A portion of these “special gift” offerings would be given to the priests. We know from other Biblical texts that the priests were servants of God who had no portion of land to use for their own sustenance. The priests relied on the offerings of the people for their provision.
Finally, we learn that salt is a required seasoning for this offering. I can’t help but think about what Jesus said about salt in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” Salt is a known preservative as well as a seasoning. Just as salt preserves meat from rotting, as followers of Jesus we do what we can to help preserve humanity from being stuck in sin when they don’t know Jesus as their Savior.
While we don’t bring grain offerings to priests at the altar anymore, we do bring our thanksgiving before God. Take some time today to think about all the things you are thankful for and offer a prayer of thanks to God.
Let’s pray. Father God, I thank you for my life and how you are working in my heart. Thank you for guiding me and helping me understand you more each day. I love spending time with you and living my life to honor you. I marvel at all you have done for me and everyone on this planet. If only everyone would give you the thanks you are due. Accept my grateful heart as my special gift. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
