“When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it… When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil. And you shall bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the Lord, and when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar. And the priest shall take from the grain offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. But the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the Lord’s food offerings. No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the Lord.” (v1,4,8-11)
At first glance this chapter sounds extremely simple – Israel was to bring grain offerings to the tabernacle, a portion was burned on the the altar and the rest was food for the priests (their food had to come from somewhere).
The text is not quite that simple however, seeing how there are very precise guidelines as to how the food offering was to be prepared, specifically what ingredients had to be included or excluded. Even the grain offerings were to be treated as holy for the Lord and His servants – the highest quality of food without any harmful additives to help the priests stay strong and keep the people mindful of the bountiful food God provides.
Some of the symbols mentioned are:
– fine flour (it had to be the absolute best you could purchase/make, nothing half-processed was good enough for God)
– oil had to be added (symbolic of anointing and the presence of the Holy Spirit, it also aided in cooking the food)
– frankincense was to be added (this aromatic resin was also used in the incense so it had a pleasant smell when burned, though we’ve recently discovered many health benefits to it’s consumption as well)
– salt was also to be added (symbolic as well of God [specifically the indwelling Holy Spirit] it adds flavor and preservation to that in which it is used)
– the offering itself given from firstfruits was a form of tithing (it meant returning a portion of what God gave them and it supported God’s work [ie. the priests])
The main emphasized symbolism was no leaven was to be used in any form of grain offering – leaven in the Bible is symbolic of sin. Leaven (eg. yeast) has the nature of reproducing itself and fundamentally altering any dough it contacted. Once introduced to dough, the entire lump of dough was “infected” and you could not remove the leaven. This is why God uses it as an analogy for sin – it gets in there, multiplies, and fundamentally alters the behavior of those it contacts, and is impossible for us to remove on our own.
So what does this mean for us today? I would suggest it means we should still tithe unto the Lord from our firstfruits – whether that’s our money, our time, our food, etc. This helps remind us that these things are not actually ours, they are gifts from God, and we are acknowledging that fact and honoring God by returning it to Him. It’s also a reminder for me to give Him my absolute best – He doesn’t wants yesterday’s leftovers, He wants the freshest, most diligently prepared portion of what we can offer. For example, if we’re giving to a food pantry, let’s give high-quality food that we ourselves would rather eat and not give the cheapest processed food that isn’t even fit for our pets.
For me, part of tithing looks like spending the first portion of my day doing this – exercising the gifts and abilities He has entrusted to me by reading and writing. I find that when I offer my time to Him in the mornings, I’m much fresher and much more able to serve Him at my best. If I wait until the evening, He receives my leftovers – what little energy and mental capacity remains. Am I always returning to God the best of what He entrusted to me? No, I do sometimes fail, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t keep striving.
Food for thought: What are you currently offering to God – is it from your firstfruits, and is it the highest quality you can give?
Final thought: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor 9:7)
Father God, thank you so much for the lavish gifts You bestow on each of us. Whether we recognize it or not, everything that is good within us as people and provided to us physically comes from You. Father we ask that You would please guide our hearts to know how it is we can serve You with the gifts You have given us – please be the master of our resources, as we are mere stewards administrating the resources entrusted to us. Father please help us to use our gifts, talents, abilities, money, time, energy for Your glory and the building of Your kingdom in accordance with Your will. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training