Leviticus 2:1-16
1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:
2 And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD:
3 And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.
4 And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
5 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan,a it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.
6 Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meat offering.
7 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in the fryingpan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
8 And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the LORD: and when it is presented unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar.
9 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, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
10 And that which is left of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.
11 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.
12 As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burntb on the altar for a sweet savour.
13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.
14 And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears.
15 And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering.
16 And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Leviticus 2:1. When any (Hebrews nephesh) soul; to denote that true religion is seated in the heart. Offer a meat-offering (Hebrews mincha) which Aquila renders, a gift of wheat to the Lord.
Leviticus 2:13. Salt of the covenant must not be lacking, as is often noticed. The rabbins, as well as the primitive christian doctors, seem agreed that salt here signifies incorruption, and the good savour of piety. Salt preserves flesh, and the alkali in limestone ranges will preserve fish; salt is therefore a figure of the fidelity of the promises of God to man.
REFLECTIONS.
In the preseding chapter we saw the sinner purged with blood, and permitted to enter the congregation of the Lord: here we find him feasted, as one of the King's friends. The Lord himself has no need of meat- offerings and drink-offerings: if he were hungry, he would not apply to man, but he wished here to presignify the more excellent food he has provided for the soul. Here are wine and oil, marrow and fatness for the hungry, without money and without price. By enjoining these oblations he previously bound him self, as Lord of nature, to bestow them on man. Hence Israel, and all God's people might see in these laws, so many promises that their harvests and vintages should never fail.
The meat-offerings were to be free from leaven; and even honey, though sweet in itself, and calculated, as the ancients say, to prolong life, could not be admitted, because it partook of the nature of leaven. We must eat in the presence of God, the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. The sour leaven of factions and parties in the church, spoils the unity of the spirit, and breaks the bonds of peace. In doctrine and discipline, in life and temper we must be simple and upright before the Lord, and being found as little children, we shall be admitted into his kingdom.
All the meat-offerings were to be seasoned with salt: every sacrifice, says our Lord, must be salted with salt, and every man shall be salted with fire, or purified by the fire of affliction. If grace then is to be in our hearts, as salt in the meat-offerings, how holy should we be, how fervent in spirit, and zealous in the Lord's service! For if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and trodden underfoot of men.
The cakes were to be eaten with olive oil, and with incense: the former made them rich, the latter fragrant. There is no food so pleasant as that which we eat in the presence of God; no meat which gives such health to the soul, and joy to the countenance. Oh, how we should pity the poor sinners, whose only food is the news of the day, and the vanities of life.
But the Lord did not forget his priests, who were not allowed vineyards and lands: they were partakers of the altar. Let those engaged in the ministry, and on that account deprived of trades and lands, learn to trust in the Lord; he will give them food and raiment, and by some means provide for their children. Nor let them murmur and faint in the time of difficulty, but be thankful that God has counted them faithful, and put them into the ministry.