In previous posts we saw that Christ is the reality of the burnt offering (see Part 1 and Part 2). In this post we will progress to see Christ as the reality of the meal offering. Leviticus 2:1 says “When anyone presents an offering of a meal offering to Jehovah, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it.” This verse mentions three ingredients present in the meal offering: fine flour, oil, and frankincense. Verse 13 says, “Every offering of your meal offering you shall season with salt,” showing that salt is another ingredient present in the meal offering. Each of these ingredients has spiritual significance that points us to Christ as the reality of the meal offering.
The fine flour refers to Christ’s perfect humanity, which is fine and balanced in every way and without leaven. The oil signifies the Spirit of God as the divine element mingled with the flour and poured upon it to anoint it (Isa. 61:1; Lev. 2: 1, 4-6, 15). This indicates that the Spirit was mingled with Christ in His humanity and was poured upon Him (Matt. 3:16). Frankincense is a type of incense that signifies the fragrance of Christ’s resurrection. Hence, frankincense as an ingredient in the meal offering reveals that Christ’s humanity has a sweet aroma of resurrection. The last ingredient, salt, is a preserving element that kills germs. Thus, it signifies the cross of Christ. As a man in the flesh, Christ denied His human life and lived a life under the cross according to the will of God (John 6:38; 7:16-18). All these ingredients of the meal offering are aspects of Christ that we can experience whenever we contact the Lord in our regenerated spirit.
The meal offering was not only an offering to God but also food for the priests (Lev. 2:3). This means that Christ is available to us believers, the New Testament Priests, as our food (1 Pet. 2:5). We need our eyes opened to see Christ as the meal offering so that our appreciation of Him may increase and cause us to hunger more for Him. Whenever we contact the Lord as the Spirit in the Word, we can enjoy the meal offering Christ and be mingled more with Him. In this way, we experience His Spirit-saturated humanity and can live a life under the cross for God’s satisfaction. Praise the Lord for such a Christ!
Further Reading:
Witness Lee, Life-Study of Leviticus, Messages 11-13 (Nook, Kindle, Print).
Witness Lee, Christ as the Reality, Chapters 4-5 (Nook, Kindle, Print).
Holy Bible Recovery Version, all verses mentioned in this post and their corresponding footnotes (Nook, Kindle, iBooks, Print).
(Most references in the Further Reading can also be viewed on http://www.ministrybooks.org.)