Christ in the Old Testament

Leviticus 2:1

When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, their offering is to be of the finest flour.They are to pour olive oil on it, put incense on it. (NIV)

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 2:1-16 and John 6:30-40

The Grain Offering is the second type of offering that God gives to Moses. As we will see, there are five types of offerings to God and this is the only one that doesn’t involve blood. There are three things required for the Grain Offering:

• fine flour
• oil
• incense (frankincense)

The main ingredient is the fine flour which is representative of Jesus’ humanity. In order to make coarse grain into fine flour, you must pound, grind, and sift it repeatedly. Jesus is fine, perfect and tender. Christ’s humanity had no excess and no deficiency. Like fine flour, Jesus was also pounded, ground and sifted yet was found without any fault.

The oil is representative of the Holy Spirit. We learned earlier in our studies that oil was used to anoint the priests. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). Jesus declared that the Holy Spirit had anointed him. So just like the oil is poured on the fine flour, the Holy Spirit was poured on Jesus.

The incense is representative of Jesus’ death on the cross. Much like the Burnt Offering, the incense was a sweet smelling aroma to God. Jesus death reconciled us to God which is the sweetest aroma to God. It’s interesting to me that God wanted all the incense to be burned in the offering which was not the case with the fine flour and oil. A portion of the flour and oil belonged to Aaron and his sons. But all of the incense belonged to God.

Finally we see the salt again. All the grain offering were to be seasoned with salt. It was not to be left out. The salt represents God’s covenant with us in that it cannot be destroyed by fire or decay. This covenant is eternal. This covenant of salt is the New Covenant that Jesus secured through his death and resurrection.

“And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger’ (John 6:35). Jesus called himself the Bread of Life that was symbolic of the manna but also symbolic of the Grain Offering as well. He was without sin just as the manna and Grain Offering was without yeast. “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Today’s Prayer: Thank you Jesus for the eternal promise of being filled by you and for bringing life to us.