June 6, 2013
ADD THE SALT, BUT HOLD THE HONEY?
Leviticus 1-2
Benson Hines
Central Truth
Because God is holy, He gets to define the "pleasing offerings" He wants from our lives. So will my offerings be based on good intentions or God's definitions?
Key Verse | Leviticus 2:11, 13
"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. . . . Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt . . . ." (Leviticus 2:11, 13a)
Leviticus 1-2
Laws for Burnt Offerings
1 The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.
3 If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. 4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 5 Then he shall kill the bull before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 6 Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, 7 and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 And Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; 9 but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering 1 1:9 Or an offering by fire; so throughout Leviticus with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
10 If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish, 11 and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 12 And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar, 13 but the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
14 If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or pigeons. 15 And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He shall remove its crop with its contents 2 1:16 Or feathers and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes. 17 He shall tear it open by its wings, but shall not sever it completely. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Laws for Grain Offerings
1 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 2 and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 3 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.
4 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. 5 And if your offering is a grain offering baked on a griddle, 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 And if your offering is a grain offering cooked in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. 8 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. 9 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. 10 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.
11 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. 12 As an offering of firstfruits you may bring them to the LORD, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing aroma. 13 You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.
14 If you offer a grain offering of firstfruits to the LORD, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits fresh ears, roasted with fire, crushed new grain. 15 And you shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering. 16 And the priest shall burn as its memorial portion some of the crushed grain and some of the oil with all of its frankincense; it is a food offering to the LORD.
Dive Deeper | Leviticus 1-2
We've already seen "how it all began" in Genesis and started trekking to a new homeland in Exodus. While there might be a detour coming in Numbers (spoiler alert!), right now we're sitting with the Israelites to hear the laws God used to form a nation for Himself. Welcome to Leviticus!
Several years ago, God showed me something powerful through chapter 2, verses 11-13. After several other instructions, God proclaims that grain offerings should never contain leaven (yeast) or honey -- and should always contain salt. That seemed strangely specific to me! But what God showed me that day helped me understand Leviticus as a whole.
It's not completely clear why God was "pro-salt" but "anti-honey" for these particular offerings (although scholars have some good guesses). But those very specific instructions reminded me that God chooses what constitutes a "pleasing offering," not me. Even though we don't worship with grain offerings today, God still gets to define righteous living -- whether I fully understand or not.
I want to offer myself as a "living sacrifice" to God, but He wants only one kind: "holy and pleasing" (Romans 12:1, NIV). So will I learn God's specific definitions -- through the Bible's rules, principles, and examples? Or will I simply follow my own assumptions of what "loving others" and "using money well" and "fleeing immorality" should look like? Are my "offerings" based on good intentions or God's definitions?
God Defines Because God is Holy
In various ways, the entire book of Leviticus makes an amazing point: God is holy. "Holy" doesn't just mean "pure"; it means "separate." God was so separate that His new nation needed 27 chapters of very specific laws, even down to the ingredients for each offering.
God is still just as holy. He defines how we should live. And He provided an ultimate sacrifice, His Son, because no one lives perfectly by those definitions.
So if you start feeling bogged down reading the rules, repetitious topics, and difficult passages of Leviticus, remember the overall theme it is communicating! This "conglomeration of legalities" makes one big point: God is HOLY.
Discussion Questions
1. What do you already know about the Book of Leviticus? What do you hope to learn from it?
2. Do you think you're living by God's definitions or your good intentions? How can your life conform more to His specific definitions of "love," "faithfulness," "kindness," "honesty," "holiness," and other traits?
3. What does "God is holy" mean? How should that characteristic of God affect your life?
4. Flip quickly through the Book of Leviticus in your Bible, looking at any headers and topics you notice. What overarching themes do you see? What does the book seem to be saying as a whole?