Sermon Tone Analysis

Show Me Jesus

offering

The Grain Offering

Leviticus 2 (NRSV)

1 When anyone presents a grain offering to the Lord, the offering shall be of choice flour; the worshiper shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it, 2 and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests.

After taking from it a handful of the choice flour and oil, with all its frankincense, the priest shall turn this token portion into smoke on the altar, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the Lord. 3 And what is left of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons, a most holy part of the offerings by fire to the Lord.

4 When you present a grain offering baked in the oven, it shall be of choice flour: unleavened cakes mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil.

5 If your offering is grain prepared on a griddle, it shall be of choice flour mixed with oil, unleavened; 6 break it in pieces, and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.

7 If your offering is grain prepared in a pan, it shall be made of choice flour in oil.

8 You shall bring to the Lord the grain offering that is prepared in any of these ways; and when it is presented to the priest, he shall take it to the altar.

9 The priest shall remove from the grain offering its token portion and turn this into smoke on the altar, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the Lord. 10 And what is left of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings by fire to the Lord.

11 No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you must not turn any leaven or honey into smoke as an offering by fire to the Lord.

12 You may bring them to the Lord as an offering of choice products, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing odor.

13 You shall not omit from your grain offerings the salt of the covenant with your God; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.

14 If you bring a grain offering of first fruits to the Lord, you shall bring as the grain offering of your first fruits coarse new grain from fresh ears, parched with fire.

15 You shall add oil to it and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering.

16 And the priest shall turn a token portion of it into smoke—some of the coarse grain and oil with all its frankincense; it is an offering by fire to the Lord.

Most of the ingredients were ordinary, from the daily stuff of life.

They are listed in the first verse.

Choice flour came from wheat (Exod 29:2) and not barley, the other main grain of the area.

(According to 2 Kgs 7:16, the value of wheat was double that of barley.)

Olive oil was obtained by crushing, pressing, or grinding the olives.

It was a staple part of Israel’s diet (1 Kgs 17:12–16) as well as part of its rituals.

It was a part of sacrifices such as this, though never offered on its own, and was also used for purification through anointing (see commentary on 8:10–13).

The exception to common household products was the incense.

It was made of a tree resin available to Israel only through trade with its source areas in southern Arabia (Jer 6:20) and Somalia.

It was transported in dried form and was used not only with grain offerings (Neh 13:5, 9; Isa 43:23; Jer 17:26) but was also burnt on the inner incense altar (Exod 30:7–8, 34–36) to provide a sweet odor.

It was very costly since it was imported.

Only a part of the offering was burnt, in contrast to the completely destroyed offerings of chapter 1.

This was called a token portion since only a part, or token, of the whole was burnt.

The Hebrew word (’azkarah [234, 260], 2:9) involves “remembrance,” though what was remembered is debated.

Some suggest it was the goodness of God, especially in his provision of food, or that it serves as a prod to God to remember the offerer (Hartley 1992:30).

More likely it was a reminder that this was just a token of all the offering, which in fact belonged completely to God (Milgrom 1991:182).

The remainder was given to the priests for their use, since they were to be provided for from the people’s gifts instead of having to raise their own food (Num 18:8–32; cf.

Deut 18:1–4).

Just because they were dedicating themselves to God’s work, they should not miss out on his goodness.

This has serious implications for today’s full-time religious workers, who are often expected by their congregations to exemplify sacrificial poverty rather than enjoying God’s providential bounty (see Luke 10:7; 1 Cor 9:3–14).

Grain = minchâh, min-khaw´; to apportion, i.e. bestow; a donation; tribute.

“Any of these ways” = no loopholes

All of the details lead to the offering being Holy

Frankincense - an imported commodity

oil

unleavened

salt of the covenant

Anybody could bring this offering

There is no atonement

Let’s keep this in context

NO ATONEMENT

NO BLOOD, NO ATONEMENT

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN

IS THE OFFERING SYMBOLIC OF JESUS’ BODY?

OR, IS IT YOURS

TONIGHT I WANT TO SHOW HOW THIS OFFERING POINTS NOT JUST TO JESUS, BUT TO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS

SO WE ARE A SACRIFICE?

LET’S LOOK AT A REAL COMMON SCRIPTURE USED IN RECOVERY

A Living Sacrifice

Paul describes our bodies as being the Temple of God

We can’t take an offering to the Temple anymore, because we are the Temple

So we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, a living offering, to God

Like the fine unleavened flour and frankincense, we must present ourselves as a holy offering to God

BUT THERE’S MORE

Take up The Cross

IT IS A CHOICE

I could keep my entire offering to myself and gain the whole

Or deny myself the nicer things of the world through service and sacrifice

The Israelites were denying themselves of something valuable, fine and expensive prepared foods, to both make a tribute to God, AND to feed the priesthood.

Jesus is asking us to deny ourselves, sacrificing a rich life in the world, to enrich the body of Christ, the church

We are going to suffer when we follow Him and take up the cross

PAUL DISCUSSES THIS

Paul on Perseverance

Hope through Suffering

Suffering -> Endurance -> Character -> Hope

Resilience and Perseverance

THERE IS A PART OF YOU THAT IS GOING TO GET YANKED OUT, SMASHED DOWN AND BURNED IN FLAMES

AND IT SURE FEELS LIKE MORE THAN A TOKEN PORTION

BUT WE ARE NOT RUNNING ON EMPTY

GOD’S LOVE HAS BEEN POURED INTO OUR HEARTS

THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT

WE HAVE BEEN FILELD WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT THROUGH JESUS’ SACRIFICE

AND THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES US HOPE

AND HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT

THROGH IT ALL WE SHARE IN THE GLORY OF GOD

THAT IS OUR TRIBUTE

OUR HOPE IS IN THE VICTORY OF THE CROSS

BUT HOW???

Victory in The Cross

Colossians 2:6–15 (NRSV)

6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.

11 In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; 12 when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

13 And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, 14 erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands.

He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.

15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.

WE LIVE IN THE FULLNESS

ROOTED IN HIM, ESTABLISHED IN FAITH

ABOUNDING IN THANKSGIVING

AND WE GUARD OURSELVES AGAINST CLEVER TEMPTING ARGUMENTS OF THE ENEMY

JESUS DWELLS IN US IN FULL, AND HE IS ABOVE ALL

SO WE REMAIN ROOTED