The Grain & Peace Offerings

Last month we covered one of the five major offerings as listed in the Old Testament. We covered the burnt offering. Today I want to cover the next two, the grain and the peace offerings. My point today is the same as it was when I talked about the burnt offering. But we want to see God's perspective as New Covenant, New Testament Christians, on proper worship.

As we look at all five of the sacrifices in their order, we're going to see some amazing things as to God's perspective on how He would like us to think about worshiping Him and how we should be worshiping Him. God has a story to tell through these five major offerings.

We're told in Scripture to live by every word of God. So we certainly want to take our time to cover that material. I want to spend a few minutes to cover some basics that we covered last time. These are also true for the material we'll be covering today. These sacrifices are found initially in the book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus is an instruction manual on how we should be holy as God is holy.

Let's take a look at Leviticus chapter 19 for a moment. This is nestled in the midst of the book here, but it gives you the theme statement of the book. Leviticus chapter 19, verse 1, And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. Just as the book of Genesis was a book showing God as creator, the book of Exodus was a book showing God as lawgiver, the book of Leviticus is a book showing how we are to be holy as God's people.

Now, that was being said to Old Testament, Old Covenant people, who didn't have the use of God's Holy Spirit as we do. Certainly, more is involved with us, more is incumbent upon us in terms of keeping not only the letter but the spirit of God's law.

What we're about to look at are various aspects of how we can be holy people before God. As I mentioned last time, we're covering this material, the phrase the Lord said is repeated more than 50 times in the book of Leviticus, more in that book than any other one book of the Bible. The book speaks about holiness, and the word holy or holiness or some form of the word holy occurs more than 100 times in the book of Leviticus.

So that's where we find these major sacrifices. And as we drill down even deeper, we see that God begins the book of holiness by talking about these offerings, these sacrifices. Last time we were together, we looked at the five sacrifices and what they meant, five offerings. The burned offering, which we covered last time, talked about our total dedication, our total surrender to the great God.

Today we'll be going through what the King James calls the meat offering, better called the grain offering, because there is no meat in this offering. That was an old Elizabethan phrase, but it's done with grain. So we'll be covering the grain offering today and the peace offering today. I quoted for you last time Mark 12, where Jesus said, the first of all, the commandments is here, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

And you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, with all of your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. So those first three sacrifices do not picture sin at all. And again, that gives us a frame of mind in terms of how God views our sacrifice, how we should be viewing ours, our walk with Him. Typically we think about Christ's sacrifice and what He's done for us. We think about the last two offerings.

We think about the sin offering and the trespass offering, which we'll get to the next time I cover this material, and not today. The first three are united in their sweet savor offerings. We covered that last time. Let's take a look at 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Because here in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, we see the idea behind these first three offerings.

Actually, 2 Corinthians chapter 5 will turn that for another reason. I'll give you a little bit of my notes here. The grain offering was to show man's duty to his fellow man. Burn offering represents Commandments 1 through 4, our love for God. The meat offering or the grain offering shows our love for our fellow man, Commandments 5 through 10. We'll be covering this more in detail in a few minutes. The peace offering combines both. The peace offering shows God, Christ, and man becoming at one. God, Christ, and man becoming at one. And there's where you would place Mark chapter 12. The sin offering is focusing in on man as a sinner, man in general. We as human beings, we are sinful people. That's the idea behind the sin offering. The trespass offering drills down deeper, and the trespass offering looks at specific acts of sin, not just man as a general, but specific acts of sin. And here's where you'll place 2 Corinthians chapter 5.

2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21. For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us. So, in these last two sacrifices, sin is very much the focus.

For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

As I made mention last time, I'm using a book by Andrew Jukes as some background information. This book is recommended by the church, United Church of God, and is so recommended in our Bible reading program. The takeaway, brethren, from these messages, and there'll be three, one I gave for today's and next month, the takeaway is we want to live like Jesus Christ lived. All five of these sacrifices picture aspects of his sacrifice, aspects of how we should be honoring and obeying God, how we should allow Christ to live in us, how as Christ loved God, we need to love God. As Christ loved a fellow man, we should love our fellow man. As Christ wanted at one meant with God and man, we should want at one meant with God and man. And so that's the takeaway. We are to be living sacrifices, as it says in Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2. We are to be a sweet-smelling aroma, as it says in Philippians chapter 4 and verse 18. We are to be wholly dedicated to God in his way of life, as it talks about in 2 Corinthians chapter 8. Now, all of that is a little bit of background, what we covered last time. Let's get into now some new material.

The second of the five offerings, the grain offering, symbolize man's duty to his fellow man. Man's duty to his fellow man, picturing commandments number five through ten. Now, together they are complementary, burnt showing commandments one through four, grain commandments five through ten. And an interesting point, brethren, I've got a number of scriptures here for you today, but I'm not going to turn to these. The book of Numbers frequently talks about these two offerings being given in conjunction, being given together. You see that in Numbers chapter 28 and Numbers chapter 29. I'm not going to turn there. But those two were frequently put together, sacrificed together. We're going to see that as we go into the peace offering later in this sermon. So it shows a certain foundation, a certain at oneness with the grain offering and the burnt offering. Four major aspects of the grain offering. It was, one, a sweet saver offering. Let's go to Leviticus chapter 2. Let's get into it. Leviticus chapter 2.

Leviticus chapter 2 and verse 1, verse 2, Now, we're going to come back to this in a little bit. Notice the ingredients. Notice the portions that are the parts of the sacrifice.

Now, there's other things that will be added, but we want to take a look at those three as we take a look at this first verse. Verse 2, Sweet-saver offerings were not dealing with sin. Verse 9, So again, first thing we need to appreciate, this offering has nothing to do with sin. That's not the emphasis of this offering. As we looked at verse 1, we saw it was made of fine flour, oil, and frankincense. How do we get fine flour? And what does that have to do with our worshiping of God today? Fine flour is flour that's been made from grain that has been ground and ground and crushed and ground till it's very, very powder-like. Very powder-like. The emblem of grain ground in the powder is one of deep suffering. Jesus Christ was the ultimate example of suffering and yet being true to God and loving fellow man. It is so easy for us when we are going through trials at the hands of other human beings for us not to be like a grain offering. It's so easy for us to feel cool towards somebody or cold towards somebody or turn our back or want revenge or want to get back, but that's not what this offering teaches us. God has a story here to tell, and this offering was made of fine flour. Put a marker here, and let's go over to the book of Isaiah, something we read on Passover, Isaiah chapter 53. We're going to see as we go through this, just as we did last time, that these offerings were not just old things for an old covenant church. These are teachings that are very relevant for you and I in our day-to-day. Isaiah chapter 53, starting in verse 3, talking about Christ and His suffering. He is despised and rejected by man, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him. He was despised and we did not esteem Him. Christ realized He was going to go through this. This is written in Isaiah. Christ came in the flesh many, many years later. He didn't say, well, you know, those people aren't worthy of me. That part was true. But He continued on with His love for mankind anyway. Surely He has borne our griefs. He has carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But notice now verse 5. He was wounded for our transgressions and He was bruised for our iniquities. Now, my new King James, the word bruised, has a number 2 by it. When you go to the center reference, it shows an alternate translation of being crushed like fine powder. Jesus Christ was crushed. We are to live our lives as He lived His life. We are to follow His example in all things. So if we are to be a grain offering, as Christ was the fine flower, we too need to be fine flower. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes we are healed. We all as sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to His own way. And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted. Yet He opened not His mouth. He was going to love His fellow man. Even when He was being ground and hurt and beaten and bruised, He didn't allow His human nature to take precedence over the way He knew He needed to obey God. Yet He opened not His mouth. He was led as lamb to the slaughter, as a sheep before a shear is silent. So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? He was cut off from the land of the living. And for the transgression of my people, He was stricken. So the grain offering was composed of fine flour.

Fine flour, brethren, has no unevenness. Fine flour has no contradiction. It's not lumpy. It doesn't have hypocrisy. It's all in. It's all fine. As we heard in today's sermonette. Interesting sermonette is one who is on a diet, hopefully not a crash diet or a fad diet.

Enjoyed that on a number of levels today. But in Galatians chapter 6, we heard Mr. Chappizak read the first six verses, and certainly verse number 2, which talks about bearing one another's burdens as they are being ground to powder. As sometimes as we are helping support our brothers and sisters, and we feel that as we're supportive of them, we feel we're being ground to find powder. We're wondering, God, why are we allowing this to happen? Hasn't that person suffered enough? When is enough enough, Father? And yet, we're told we are to be like flour. We are to follow the exact same lifestyle as Jesus Christ, our example. We saw in Leviticus chapter 2 and verse 1 that flour, fine flour, is a part of the sacrifice, but also oil was a part of the sacrifice. As you're well aware, oil is used throughout the Bible as a symbol of God's Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit that gives us the power to live as Christ lived. That gives us the power with the Spirit of Christ. You know, we've got a definition. Let's turn to Romans chapter 8. A definition of what a Christian is. Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 and verse 9. But you are not in a flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ, same Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, He is not His. Defining Mark of a Christian, He has the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ. That oil that we see in this grain offering. Let us turn over to the book of Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4. Where it says in verse 13, Philippians 4, 13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Christ, the oil from the grain offering. God is telling us something that He wants us to be allowed to be tried and to be ground and yet to maintain our standing with God and our fellow man. To use God's Holy Spirit in these trials to maintain our relationship with God and our fellow man. The third thing we saw in Leviticus chapter 2 and verse 1, various ingredients of the grain offering, was frankincense or incense. Frankincense or incense, as you know, is a very perfume-like material. Smells really good. Has an enduring, delightful fragrance. But when is that fragrance really noticed? When is that fragrance really noticed? Frankincense or incense's fragrance is really noticed, brought forth when it's submitted to fire. When it's submitted to fire, your fragrance before God, as a wonderful, God-loving Christian, is brought forward when you are submitted to the fires of life, the trials of life, and you are unwavering. Again, as we heard in today's sermon, you are unwavering in terms of your love for God and your love for fellow man. Let's go back to Leviticus chapter 2.

Leviticus chapter 2 and verse 11. Let's notice some other things. Leviticus 2, 11, No green offering which you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven.

Now we don't want to offer God sinful things. For you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in the offering to the Lord made by fire. Honey was not to be used. Now I love honey. You love honey. I've enjoyed the honey that I get in this area because it keeps my allergies at bay. The little bees, I don't know if they're Union little guys or what, but I get honey in Michigan, I get honey other places. It doesn't help me at all. The local Illinois honeybees, they keep my allergies in check. But we don't use honey with this offering because honey is corruptible when heat is used on it. And so there are certain things that you don't want with heat. Honey is one of them. On the other hand, we do want the incense. We do want the frankincense.

Let's turn to 1 Peter chapter 2, another scripture we use every year at Passover.

1 Peter chapter 2.

Again, we see Christ our example, who when the flame was put to him, he was like that incense.

1 Peter chapter 2 verse 21. For to this you are called, because Christ also suffered from us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. And as I've said to you on a number of occasions, brethren, we use this verse generally speaking, and generally speaking it's certainly very true. But explicitly speaking, talking about Christ's example along these lines, is talking about his example in suffering. His example as the fire was put to him, 2 Peter chapter 2. Who committed no sin, nor was the seat found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, didn't that revile in return? Again, how do we love our fellow man? The grain offering shows our love and our dedication to our fellow man. When he was reviled, didn't that revile in return? When he suffered, did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously? Remember, the grain offering and the burnt offering were offered together. One works with the other. We love God, and as a portion of our love for God, we love our fellow man. Who committed himself to him who judges righteously, end of verse 23 verse 24. Who himself bore our sins and his own body in the tree, that we, having died to sin, might live for righteousness. That we would be a burnt offering. That we would be a grain offering before the great eternal. That we would live for righteousness. 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 7.

That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold a perishes, though it is tested by fire, you as frankincense, as you are tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory. Fire comes, you're like that incense, and you give God something that's beautiful smelling in his nose.

Praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now, there was another ingredient besides the fine flour, the oil, and the frankincense. Let's go back to Leviticus chapter 2. This occurs later on in the chapter.

Another ingredient, Leviticus chapter 2, verse 13. And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt. Season with salt. You shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all of your offerings you shall offer salt. So salt was also an ingredient. Salt was a type of a preserving agent in the ancient world, preserving against corruption. Just as the honey would have been corrupted through the heat, we don't want to have anything corrupt our walk with God. It's symbolic, salt is symbolic of purity and perpetuity. Purity and perpetuity. I'm not going to go there, but in your notes you might want to jot down Numbers chapter 18 and verse 19. Numbers 18-19. And also 2 Chronicles chapter 13 verse 5.

Those two verses talk about covenants of salt. Covenants of salt. In other words, covenants that last. Covenants that are pure. Covenants that are in perpetuity.

Now for us as New Covenant Christians, let's take a look at 1 John chapter 3. 1 John chapter 3.

1 John chapter 3 verse 1. Behold, what manner of love the fathers bestowed on us that we should be called the children of God. Therefore the world does not know us because it didn't know him. Beloved, now we are the children of God. Why? Because we've got that spirit of God. We've got that spirit of Christ. Now we are. Now we are the children of God. It has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed at a second coming, we shall be like him. Why? Because it's a second coming. We'll be resurrected. And we shall see him as he is. And notice verse 3. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself. Here we see the salt of the grain offering. We are to purify ourselves just as he is pure. Just as Christ is pure. We are to purify ourselves through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and through our lifestyle as we allow him to live his life in us through the Holy Spirit.

Now the meat offering and difference to the burnt offering was not totally consumed, not totally burnt. It wasn't totally burned up. Going back to Leviticus chapter 2.

Leviticus chapter 2 verse 2. He shall bring it to Aaron's sons, the priest, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with the frankincense. And the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord. The rest of the grain offering shall be Aaron's. So some of the offering was burnt to God, but some was left. Some was given to Aaron and his sons. In other words, they were given to man.

It was the most holy of the offerings to the Lord made by fire. So that which was burnt was symbolically given to God. That which remained was given to man. Nothing was left for the offerer, which shows everything in all of our being. We give everything to God, everything to our fellow man in terms of our love for our fellow man. And you know what you might want to jot down Ecclesiastes 12 and verse 13. Ecclesiastes 12 and verse 13. The whole duty of man is to love God and do his commands. And as you're here in Leviticus chapter 2, let's take a look at verse 1.

When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord, the grain offering was to God. Yes, it shows our love for our fellow man, but we love our fellow man because we love God and the things of God.

So that is the grain offering. We now move on to the peace offering. The peace offering is sometimes referred to as the fellowship offering. It pictures God, Christ, and man becoming at one. It's a sacrifice that shows atonement at one-ment. This offering serves to establish the individual more firmly in the fellowship of God. And because of our firmer fellowship with God, we have a firm, loving relationship with our fellow man. And as Scripture says, we should love our neighbor as ourselves. We are included. This particular offering is different than the other two offerings because in this offering, the offeror is allowed to participate. The offeror is allowed to participate.

Two major aspects of this offering. It was a sweet-saver offering. I've covered that enough. I'm not going to refer to that any more other than this one point. Let's take a look at chapter 3 of Leviticus.

Along the lines of this being a sweet-saver offering, you know what that means. Chapter 3 of Leviticus, verse 3 and 4, Then he shall offer from the sacrifice of the peace offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord, the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat that's on the entrails, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove. Fat was a major ingredient of this offering. The fat symbolized the dedication of the worshipper. It showed his energy. It shows his great love.

There's another very interesting aspect to this offering. We see it in verse 5. Leviticus 3, verse 5. And Aaron's son shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice. So this offering, the peace offering, is we burnt upon the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire as an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord. Now remember, from what we've covered just a few moments ago, the burnt offering and the grain offering were many times put together. They complemented one another. So what would take place is you would have the burnt offering, the grain offering being offered there, the way they would be properly offered. When that was done, on top of that, burnt offering, a piece meal offering being foundational, on top of that, you've now got the peace offering, showing the relationship of loving God, loving man. On top of loving God, loving man, you now have the peace offering that's a part of that. By typology, as we've talked about several times, burnt offering showing love toward God, grain offering love toward man, peace offering love to love between God, Christ, and man, we see that God is very much pleased with this whole procedure. Chapter 7 of Leviticus talks more about the peace offering. Let's turn there. Leviticus chapter 7. Here we see where the offeror takes part, which is different than the other things we've seen in the past. The past two sacrifices. Leviticus chapter 7, verse 16. But if the sacrifice is of His offering, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that He offers His sacrifice. So we're talking about the person giving the offering here. He offers His sacrifice, but on the next day the remainder may also be eaten. So here we see man becoming at peace with God. He shares in this offering with the great God.

John chapter 17. Something we read again at Passover. Again, brethren, so much of what we're looking at here shows us as New Covenant Christians how we should respond. The picture God wants us to see, the lessons we are to learn, the story we are to know.

These offerings were not just there for the sake of being there. They were there to teach. They were there to teach Old Testament Israel and New Covenant Christians. John chapter 17 and verse 21. That they all may be one. All may be one. As you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. So here we see the atoning work of God and Jesus Christ in this offering. Mankind, the offer being at one with God. We go back to Leviticus chapter 7.

Let's take a look here starting on verse 31.

The priest representing Jesus Christ is a part of this offering. They're offering the offering to God. He's obviously a part. We see where Jesus Christ is a part of the offering. The priest representing Jesus Christ. Luke chapter 22. Again, another scripture we read at Passover time. Is it amazing that all these scriptures dovetail in with Passover thinking? Luke chapter 22. Verse 15. Then he said to them, With fervent desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. With fervent desire, the priest, the high priest, Jesus Christ, wants to participate in the program. And of course, he participated in a very profound way as our Passover sacrifice. He feasts with the offer. And lastly, let's take a look back at chapter 7 of Leviticus. Last time we're going to turn back here. Leviticus chapter 7. Verse 31. We've read this, but let's take a look at something else along these lines in this particular verse. Leviticus chapter 7 verse 31. And the priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the fresh shall be Aaron and his sons. And his sons. We want to emphasize, and his sons. Also, the right thigh shall give to the priest as a heave offering from the sacrifices of your peace offerings. He among the sons of Aaron, who offers the blood of the peace offering and the fat shall have the right thigh for his part. So here we see where not only the offer has a part to play, the priest has a part to play, we see the children of the priest, or by analogy, God's church members, members of the church. They also take part in this peace offering, this atonement offering. Paul wrote of this in Hebrews chapter 10.

You would turn to Hebrews chapter 10.

Verse 19.

Hebrews 10.19, Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus. Now, the whole last sermon in this sermon talking about the sacrifices of Jesus Christ. We typically, as it says here, think about the blood, but let's also think about the burnt offering portion. Let's think about the grain offering portion. Let's think about the peace offering portion. By a new and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh, having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast a confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And now notice verse 24 and 25. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, now forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some, but exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day approaching. Verse 24 and verse 25 show the priests' children, Christ's children, getting together, fellowshiping, honoring God in our worship and loving one another as our Father desires that we love one another. Two more scriptures, brethren, will be done early for today. Let's go back to Romans chapter 12.

Romans chapter 12, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, a burned offering totally dedicated to God, a grain offering. Because we're totally dedicated to God, we are dedicating ourselves to our fellow man in love, as God shows us how to love. A living sacrifice in terms of a peace offering, where we are at one with God and Christ and our fellow man. And since we participate, we are learning to be at one with ourselves as we repent, as we draw close to God. We get rid of the things that hinder our thinking, that hinder our walk with God, the things that want to hold us back. We get rid of those things, we repent of those things, so that we can have at one with God. We are a living sacrifice, holy. We're looking at the book of holiness, Leviticus, holy, acceptable to God. Those first three offerings, the three we've covered, were offerings for acceptance to God as we live our life pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Let our minds be changed through the power of God's Holy Spirit, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Last scripture, Mark chapter 12.

Jesus answered, and the first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, O Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, with all of your strength. This is the first commandment. The second is, like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. So today, brethren, we've taken a look. We've now, in two sermons, looked at the first three of the sacrifices, showing how we do this, showing how we break down those sacrifices and understand how we do this even better as we understand the Old Testament sacrificial system. As we read about in the New Testament, when they talk about the sacrifices, we've got a better idea as to what that means for us today. So hopefully this has been relatively clear. If not, see me afterwards.