Leviticus 2: All the offerings in Leviticus speak of Messiah Yeshua and our relationship with the Father. This offering is called the “meat offering” in the King James Version because all food was referred to as meat in that day. But this is the only offering that involved no meat whatsoever. It reads very much like a bread recipe. Most modern translations refer to this as the grain offering or meal offering.
The grain offering could be given baked or unbaked. Aaron, the high priest, and his sons will eat a portion of it.
This offering shows us the perfect humanity of Yeshua Messiah. Yeshua is Elohim’s original plan for mankind in that man is to be perfect in his humanness. This is Elohim’s goal for man (1 John 3:2).
Elohim’s plan for man is perfection and He showed us that in Messiah Yeshua. He was pleasing to Elohim. “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased,” is mentioned several times in Scripture in reference to Yeshua. We still fall way short when it comes to pleasing Him with our own attitudes and works. But Yeshua didn’t fall short. He was Elohim’s intention for mankind.
(Lev 2:1 NASB) ‘Now when anyone presents a grain offering as an offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it.
Lev 2:1: This offering consisted of fine flour. How was flour made in that day? They ground it all by hand in a rock bowl. It was very difficult to make the flour without it being coarse and uneven. It took a lot of work to make the flour very fine.
Yeshua was never swayed by His emotions nor was He self-willed. He was only interested in doing His Father’s will (John 6:38).
“And he shall pour oil on it.” Oil does not speak of the Holy Spirit. That is another ancient Christian myth. There is not one place in Scripture that states oil as a representative of the Spirit of Elohim. Symbolically, oil refers to reproof from Scripture (Psalm 141:5). Prov 6:23 mentions that the commandments as being a lamp and reproof as a way of life. Reproof from Scripture is essentially righteousness in our lives (Psalm 45:7). This does fit other Scriptures which state that Scriptural reproof is for the wise, but is hated by the foolish (Prov. 9:8-10, 13:18, 15:5, 19:25, 25:12, Rev. 3:19, Job 5:17, Psalm 94:12). Just as we are consecrated (set-apart) by the reproof of the Father, it is with oil that priests were consecrated (set apart) in service to Elohim (Lev. 8:12, Ex. 28:41, 30:30). Yeshua suffered the reproof and chastening that we deserve (Isa. 53:6).
In this verse there is oil poured upon it. In verses 4 and 5, it is “mixed with oil.” In verse 7 it is, “with oil.” The whole life of Yeshua on earth was led by obedience to the Father
Frankincense was a form of incense that puts forth it’s sweetest fragrance when it is broken, crushed, or burned. Yeshua Messiah was that way. When He was under the burdens of exhaustion, poverty, enemies, and persecution, He displayed His perfect character and obedience to the Father. Even at His death, His love poured out from the tree (Luke 23:34). He was consistent at all times in doing His Father’s Will even when He was under the worst of conditions.
(Lev 2:2 NASB) ‘He shall then bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests; and shall take from it his handful of its fine flour and of its oil with all of its frankincense. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke as its memorial portion on the altar, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD.
(Lev 2:3 NASB) ‘And the remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy, of the offerings to the LORD by fire.
Lev 2:3: The priests were to take a portion of this offering also. Since the grain offering speaks of the perfection of the Messiah to come, It does make sense that the priests were to partake of it also. Similarly, we are told to partake of bread at Passover which speaks of the sacrifice of Yeshua Messiah (1 Cor. 5:7-8).
Fire is spoken of several times. This once again, speaks of the fire of the Spirit of Elohim in the life of Yeshua Messiah (Matt. 3:11).
Now we come to instructions on grain offerings that are mixed and baked.
(Lev 2:4 NASB) ‘Now when you bring an offering of a grain offering baked in an oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil.
(Lev 2:5 NASB) ‘And if your offering is a grain offering made on the griddle, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil;
Lev 2:5: Notice the intentional exclusion of leaven from the grain offering.
(Lev 2:6 NASB) you shall break it into bits, and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.
Lev 2:6: Just as this bread was to be broken in sacrifice as the grain offering. Yeshua Messiah was broken also. In His perfection, He was broken and killed as the sacrifice given as payment for the sin of you and me.
(Lev 2:7 NASB) ‘Now if your offering is a grain offering made in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
(Lev 2:8 NASB) ‘When you bring in the grain offering which is made of these things to the LORD, it shall be presented to the priest and he shall bring it to the altar.
(Lev 2:9 NASB) ‘The priest then shall take up from the grain offering its memorial portion, and shall offer it up in smoke on the altar as an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD.
Lev 2:9: The sacrifice of Yeshua was a sweet aroma to Elohim (Eph. 5:2). It is described as a “soothing aroma.” This was pleasing to Elohim. Yeshua was described as a sacrifice that pleased Elohim early on in His teaching (John 1:28-29, Matt. 3:16-17).
(Lev 2:10 NASB) ‘And the remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy, of the offerings to the LORD by fire.
Lev 2:10: This is to be shared with Aaron and his sons. The believer and follower of Torah has the privilege of sharing in Messiah Yeshua with the Father. His perfection should be reflected in your life. The works of His life should come out in your life too because He is “the Bread of Life” (John 6:48-58).
(Lev 2:11 NASB) ‘No grain offering, which you bring to the LORD, shall be made with leaven, for you shall not offer up in smoke any leaven or any honey as an offering by fire to the LORD.
Lev 2:11: There are two ingredients that are to be left out of the grain offering: leaven and honey.
Leaven is mentioned 98 times in Scripture. It always refers to evil (Matt. 16:11-12). There was no evil (or leaven) in the life of Messiah whatsoever. He was perfect and only did the will of His Father (John 8:29).
The other item not allowed in the grain offering was honey. Honey is a sweetener. Yeshua did not need extra sweeteners. He did not say one thing to someones face and another behind their backs. If He had something to say to someone, He told them to their faces..
Yeshua had an absolutely perfect life and it is exhibited in the grain offering. He did not have any artificial sweeteners or leaven in His teaching.
(Lev 2:12 NASB) ‘As an offering of first fruits, you shall bring them to the LORD, but they shall not ascend for a soothing aroma on the altar.
(Lev 2:13 NASB) ‘Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.
Lev 2:13: Salt is to be used on the grain offering. Salt is a preservative and is the opposite of leaven. Leaven is a bacteria which corrupts and infects the bread. Salt is a preservative that prevents corruption. We are told in Luke to be salt and to keep our saltiness (Luke 14:34-35). We are to be the salt of the earth by keeping and preserving His Word that was given to us in His Torah. “Salt” is a reference to keeping our covenant with Him (Num. 18:19).
(Lev 2:14 NASB) ‘Also if you bring a grain offering of early ripened things to the LORD, you shall bring fresh heads of grain roasted in the fire, grits of new growth, for the grain offering of your early ripened things.
Lev 2:14: The grain offering can be a first fruits offering also.
The grain offering was optional. We are not obligated to partake of Messiah. It is optional to have fellowship with Him. But He is here for us to reach out to.
(Lev 2:15 NASB) ‘You shall then put oil on it and lay incense on it; it is a grain offering.
(Lev 2:16 NASB) ‘And the priest shall offer up in smoke its memorial portion, part of its grits and its oil with all its incense as an offering by fire to the LORD.
Lev 2:16: The grain offering presents another aspect of Messiah as His Father sees Him. He came as a perfect man, which was Elohim’s plan for us all along.
Keep in mind that these first three offerings are free-will offerings. They are not mandatory. They are only intended for those who wish to have fellowship with Elohim. When we truly desire fellowship with Him, we can come to Him in obedience. But only on His terms, not our own.
Patrick McGuire
Copyright 2014 Patrick McGuire and Beit Yeshua Torah Assembly All rights reserved, no portion of this Lesson may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews. Beit Yeshua Torah Assembly Fort Smith, Arkansas