Offerings of Praise

Leviticus 2:4-10  -  "When you bring a cereal offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil. And if your offering is a cereal offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil;  you shall break it in pieces, and pour oil on it; it is a cereal offering. And if your offering is a cereal offering cooked in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. And you shall bring the cereal 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 cereal offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.  And what is left of the cereal offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings by fire to the LORD. 

God loved his chosen priests so much that he provided for them from his own private stash!  God knew his anointed men…the ones that would complete duties at the tabernacle 24/7…would be unable to provide the basic needs of their families on their own.  Their job could not have been an easy one…they had to keep incense burning…switch out bread…kill sacrifices and keep the altar fires burning. Ashes had to be carried out of the camp…and somewhere in between these duties…they needed rest…sleep….nutrition. These were not unmarried men…the tribe of Levi was chosen to keep the priestly order sustained.  This tribe was given the holy job of supplying all the priests for the tabernacle.  The  grain offerings brought to the lord…that helped sustain these families…but they had to follow 5 important instructions.

The grain offering had to be a ‘gift’ of thanks to the Lord…accompanying all the burnt offerings they brought. It was an act of worship…as opposed to an act of atonement. It had to be mixed with olive oil…be completely without yeast….and full of salt. This seemed so curious to me…for no reasons are given in this chapter as to why….so I did a little research and found some theories for these simple rules.  It wasn’t enough to just fill your obligation to God with a burnt sacrifice…to pay for your sin.  Your heart should be so full of thanks that you want to bring him a gift…just because you loved him…and wanted him to know you appreciated his love. The oil they put in their gift mimicked the anointing oil that consecrated the priests themselves. Maybe God wanted all his gifts sanctified as holy.  The yeast…it spread through the bread…and corrupted it. It is a bacteria…that spreads quickly…like sin does in our lives.  God wanted his grain pure…holy…without sin. The salt…it was the preservative…the purifier of the grain. It could heal and cleanse the grain of any impurities.  The frankincense…it was simply a sweet smelling scent…to give God pleasure.

So…just how do I follow this wish of the Lord in the present day. That is easy…if I throw down all the selfish thoughts I harbor…to save and store my money for a rainy day….instead of spend it on the things God brings to my attention each day to help others.  It is hard if I continue to lock myself in that bubble of confusion that Satan tries to convince me I belong....and think that what I have been given still belongs to me.

Thank you God for reminding me that I need to give you an offering of praise…a gift that is not compulsory…but a gift …just because I want to praise and worship you. Thank you for reminding me that all I have is yours…and that I should stop trying to control it myself.  Help me to bring you an offering worthy of your love and mercy…mixed with the oil that will consecrate me to your service…. void of any yeast that will cause me to sin..full of salt to heal and make me strong for what you have planned to prosper me and use me to build your kingdom…and mixed with just a touch of sweet perfume…so the aroma of my offering will make you smile with pleasure. Amen.