The Meat Offering performed during the ceremony for the cleansing of the leper in Leviticus 14 is symbolic and pertinent to today's Christian. This Offering consists of both bread and drink. Today we will look at the bread.
The King James uses the word "meat" for bread which causes some confusion when reading the Law. This word is used with the idea that we use to crack a nut and take out the "meat". The main part of the food, which contains the nourishment, is the idea.
The Law says and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering: And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar. (Lev 14:19b) Notice that the unleavened bread was a part of the Burnt Offering. The bread is always a sign of God's provision for mankind. Just as God provides bread which is a staple of life on earth, He also provides for us spiritually. This illustrates that Jesus is the bread (meat) of our life. After salvation comes to us we must live the same way Jesus lived unto God. The bread used in this offering was made with fine flour and oil. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. There is no other way to consecrate ourselves without the Spirit being active in our lives. Jesus is the bread of life I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (John 6:51) We partake of Jesus every day or we are not his children.
Only a broken piece of the bread was used And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire (Lev 2:9) Remember that the broken bread of the communion service stands for his suffering. Bread stood for the presence of God given to men in the Scriptures and today we have Jesus who is the presence of God in people. The bread of this offering was never to have yeast in it because yeast represented the growth of sin in man. No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire. (Lev 2:11) No person may come to God until the sin (yeast) has been removed. Honey was also not to be used for it represented the sweet enticements of this world. The honey of this world will have no place in heaven because our Savior and all his true followers have suffered at the hands of this world. Everyone in heaven will have suffered for the sake of righteousness and will have this bond with Jesus.
Many churches of today have replaced and confused the things of God with prosperity even though God said that no offering made to Him could have any honey whatsoever. There is nothing wrong with sharing our abundance with the poor, our friends, or the church but God does not want things from your overflow of wealth for himself. God is looking for people who will give themselves at a cost of everything else. His son gave his life and told us that the servant is not greater than the master. The abundance of this contemporary world has no place in the new heaven for eternity.
Another rule for the meat (bread) offering was to always add salt And every oblation of thy meat shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of the God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. (Lev 2:13) The Scripture uses the salt as a symbol of the everlasting covenant between God and his followers. Today we are the evidence of God's covenant with mankind like the Israelites were supposed to be. This is another picture showing how the people of God are different from the world. Salt is used to purify and preserve things in this world. In the New Testament we are called "salt". Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and be trodden under foot of men. (Matt 5:13) Our covenant requires that we do not lose our saltiness. Today we have church people blending in with the world. How can this be if they are to live righteously and standout from the world?
This is the Devil's world and the people of God are greatly outnumbered, but all this will change someday. May the Lord help us see the importance of the continual fire, the lamb, the bread mixed with oil, lack of yeast and honey, also the salt used in this offering.
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