Original
Word: מִנְחָה
Transliteration:
minchah
(min-khaw')
It means, The Gift
The Meal Offering:Leviticus 2:1-13,
or all that I have belongs to you Lord
The Principle behind the Meal Offering____ meaning that God does not accept "portions" when we give. Giving is an act of consecration. When we put money in the collection plate on Sunday, the small part sanctifies the whole. The Sunday contribution makes our entire income "holy." Therefore, it is incumbent on us to watch how and on what we spend God's holy money. As in the burnt-offering it says that "all that I have belongs to God."
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16If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too. Romans 11:16 |
The Sacrifice of the animal in the burnt offering (Lev. chapter one) had represented the entire surrender of the offerer's will and life to God; the presentation of the meal offering represents man's gift of homage, whereby he acknowledges God's sovereignty over all things and over himself!
1) The Hebrew word (Minchah) means like its Greek equivalent (doron), a gift made by an inferior to a superior.
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a gift, tribute, offering
Original
Word: מִנְחָה From an unused root meaning to apportion, i.e. Bestow; a donation; euphemistically, tribute; specifically a sacrificial offering (usually bloodless and voluntary) -- gift, oblation, (meat) offering, present, sacrifice. |
A. Mark 7:11 - Such gifts to God were called korban.
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a. Gen. 32:13 - Jacob sent a gift to Esau (Minchah) b. Gen. 43:11 - Israel sent a gift to his son Joseph. c. The sacrifices of Cain and Abel were their Minchah to God. d. Always a recognition of dignity and authority. e. Often express a desire to procure the favor of the receiver. |
B. As in the burnt offering, so here it is made by fire but the differences are substantial.
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a. It is not bloody - No life sacrificed - Not for atonement. b. There is no confession of sin - it is strictly a gift. c. Only cultivated grains were used - but never in the natural state. d. Ground, cooked, sifted and sometimes cooked in different ways. e. One cannot offer to God things he has no investment or work in! |
1.
Fully prepared to become food for man.
2. The minimum requirement was to parch the grain.
3. Offered on the altar of burnt offerings - thus manifestly an act of worship.
C. The basic thrust is consecration to God - as in the burnt offering but in this case, it is all that you have belongs to God! God does not accept portions!!!
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a. The burnt offering consecrates to God the person - all that he is. b. The meal offering - consecrates to God the fruits of his labor - all that he has. c. It is given in daily recognition of God's worthiness of Israel's praise and thanksgiving (Deut. 26:1ff). d. It insists that there is no separation between the religious and secular life of the people of God. |
1. All of man's life - body, soul, spirit belong to God.
2. I Cor. 10:31 - "whatever you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God."
D. The amount of flour to be offered was to be one-tenth of an ephah or one omer.
a. Approximate measure - 5/8 gallon
b. Generally considered to be the diet of one man for one day.
A Closer Look at the Ingredients.
1. Frankincense - incense - always used as an expression of worship.
A. It is a symbol of prayer - the offering to be presented with an accompanying prayer to God for acceptance.
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a. Psalms 141:2 - let my prayers be as incense ...the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice (meal offering). b. Exodus 30:8 - Candlelight service as incense. c. Luke 1:10 - at the hour of incense the multitudes were in prayer. d. Rev. 5:8 - Bowls of incense - the prayers of the saints e. Rev. 8:3 - added intercession to the prayers of the saints. f. Isa. 1:13 - incense is an abomination to me. |
B. All the incense must go into the part that is burned to God - as stated in Lev. 2:2; 6:15.
C. Since the incense is symbolic, so must be the other ingredients.
2. OIL - must be included in every sacrifice.
A. Biblically an ingredient symbolic of anointing by God.
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a. Psalms 133: 2-3 - Like the oil that ran down Aaron's beard. b. Isaiah 61: 1 - prophetically Jesus was to be anointed with the Holy Spirit for His messianic mission. |
C. Used to inaugurate religious and political dignitaries into office.
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a. Kings anointed - and Judges - Judges 9:8, 15; I Sam. 9:16, 10:1 b. High Priests were called anointed priests - Exodus 29:7; Lev. 4:3 8: 12. c. Prophets: I Kings 19:16 d. In the cleansing of the Leper - to reconsecrate him to God's use. Lev. 14. e. Perhaps used to inaugurate the use of crops, giving God the first fruits. |
D.
May also involve all religious service through the medium of the Holy
Spirit.
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a. Eph. 6:18 in the Spirit b. Heb. 9: 14 - Christ offered himself through the eternal Spirit. c. Romans 15:16 - The Gentiles are seen as a meal-offering to God - sanctified by the Holy Spirit. |
3. Salt - of the covenant of God.
A. The Covenant idea is symbolized by salt - Numbers 18:19; II Chron. 13:5 and possibly Mark 9:49-50 (the footnote reading).
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a. Renewal of covenant sacrifices by adding salt to those sacrifices not normally offered with salt. b. The preserving nature of salt suggests the enduring nature of God's covenant with His people. |
The Conditions for Offering the Meal Offering!
A. He must offer either:
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a. uncooked flour with frankincense, oil, and salt or b. Flour made into an unleavened cake with oil, salt. and frankincense or c. Roasted grains, with oil, salt, and frankincense. |
B.
He must bring His offering to the court of the tabernacle and give to
the priests at least as much as one omer and not more than sixty-one
omers. The priests receiving it must:
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a. Take a handful of oil, and salt, or a proportionate part of the cake or grain and burn it with all the frankincense as a memorial upon the altar of burnt offering. b. With his brother priest he must eat the remainder within the precincts of the Tabernacle. |
Ingredients
to be avoided in the Meal Offering__
Leavening bread is to be avoided. - Lev. 2:11
A. Principle of decay and corruption - therefore symbolic of sin.
B. In Egypt it was a symbol of the old corrupt ways of Egypt in contrast to the new way of YHWH.
C. Symbol of evil influences that contaminate God's people.
a. Matt. 16:6 - beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.
b. Luke 12:1 - which is hypocrisy
c. I Cor. 5: 6-8 - purge out the old leaven.
e. Gal. 5:9 - a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
D. Must be careful with this concept. Not always bad
a. Israelites used leavened bread without suggestion of contamination.
b. Matt. 13:33 - the spread of the kingdom is like leaven.
1. Honey is to be avoided - same principle as leaven.
2. Honey makes leaven work faster.
A. Both leaven and honey were required as gifts of the first fruits.
B. Neither could be offered on the altar as a sweet smelling sacrifice - Lev. 2:12.
C. Their intrinsic nature is not evil but only the symbolic use.
4. Meal Offerings were given for atonement for the poor__in lieu of bloody sacrifices normally required. (cf. Leviticus 5:11ff).
A. But it may be implied in verse 13 that the priest then "shall make atonement for him perhaps with a bloody sacrifice.
B. Otherwise Hebrews 9:22 could not be universally true___for it affirms that "according to the law without the shedding of blood there is no remission."
5. The gift must be brought by the worshiper himself.
A. It must be a voluntary act of worship.
B. Even if through the mediation of a priest.
a) The offerer must never exclude the priest or personally lay any sacrifice on the altar. See Hebrews 7:13-14
C. Thereby, Jesus becomes the Mediator of our worship.
a) "Through Him.." Hebrews 4:16
b) "Acceptable through Him..." 1st Peter 2:5
c) "In His name" Colossians 3:17, Ephesians 5:19
6. Only Part of the 1/10 ephah was burned to God....Why?
A. In the burnt offering the burning of the "whole" symbolized the consecration of the whole.
B. How then are we to understand the consecration of the "whole meal offering" if only part is burned?
a) It is all given to God and He then in turn gives back the major part to the priest for his needs and for compensation of services.
b) 1st Corinthians 9:13 clarifies this point___
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13Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? |
C. Romans 11:16 tells us that:
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16If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too. |
a) The priest in Leviticus 2:2, 9, 16 shall offer only "a memorial part."
b) According to Leviticus 6:15 the "memorial part" is one handful__and the rest goes to the priest.
c) The larger portion of our earnings are allowed us as priest but all we have is as much a gift from God as the part we give Him.
D. To be noted, all the incense goes into the handful that is burned___none remains for man's part.
7. The Daily Meal-Offering__Leviticus 6:19-23__see Exodus 29:39-40.
A. As in the burnt_offering so also in the meal offering.
a) The priest represents the nation.
b) But the nation was expected to identify with the prayers of thanksgiving offered at the time of the daily offering.
B. The amount of the meal was a "tenth part of an ephah."
a) The same ingredients are excluded.
b) Half the offering was offered in the morning (2nd Kings 3:20) and half was offered in the evening (1st Kings 18:36).
C. This was "by a statute forever, it shall wholly be burned unto the Lord...." not just on the day of the anointing of the priest as some assume__it is "a statute forever" as Exodus 29:39--40 indicates.
8. Christ is herein foreshadowed.
A. Each and every meal offering pointed to the day that Christ consecrated all of His works to the Father.
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19"For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. John 17:19 |
B. Christ had no fields to offer "first-fruits"__ so what did He offer? If we put John 12:24 together with Isaiah 53:10 we see:
1. To man He offered healing to the lame, sight to the blind "gifts to men" (Eph. 4:8, the "earnest of Spirit" (Eph. 1:13), heavens in the form of "every spiritual blessing" (Ephesians 1:3), the "abundant life" (John 10:10).
2. To God He offers the redeemed, the fruits of His cross.
a James 1:18 "we are the first-fruits of His creatures"
b. Ephesians 2:10__"we are His workmanship, created in Jesus Christ.
c. 2nd Corinthians 2:15__"for we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God."
d. Revelation 14:4__those purchased by the blood of Jesus are called "the first fruits unto God and unto the Lamb.
9. What meal offerings do Christians have to offer?
A. Romans 15:16__
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16to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. |
B. Philippians 4:18___ Giving is a meal offering.
C. Hebrews 13:15-16___ The fruit of our lips, doing good and sharing.
D. 1st Peter 2:5, 9
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5you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. |
E. Acts 4:32__ Giving all one has___
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32And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.
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10. A Special Section on the Drink offering. Drink Offerings generally accompanied the meal-offering which itself was generally accompanied by the burnt offering.
A. Only mentioned in Leviticus , but elsewhere enjoined (see Lev. 23:12; Ex. 29:40; and Num. 15:5, 10).
1. Leviticus 23:12 speaks of the burnt offering and then verse 13 adds "the meal offering thereof...and the drink-offering thereof."
2. Leviticus 23:17-18 demands the drink-offering with the first-fruits of the field.
3. Numbers 15:1-13 demands the drink-offering accompany any sacrifice that grows out of a vow to God.
4. Leviticus 5:11-12 indicates it was offered also with the peace offering.
B. The Drink-Offering was never consumed!
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Original
Word: נֶ֫סֶך Or necek {nay'-sek}; from nacak; a libation; also a cast idol -- cover, drink offering, molten image. see HEBREW nacak
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As noted above, the original word "necek" several things but the general meaning is "anything poured out."
C. Examples of this sacrifice are:
1. Genesis 35:14__Jacob poured out a drink-offering on the altar.
2. Numbers 28:7___commands that it be poured out "unto YHWH."
3. 2nd Kings 16:13__poured out on altar.
4. Isaiah 57:6___poured a drink-offering
5. Ezekiel 20:28__"they poured out their drink-offerings."
6. Several passages from Jeremiah 7:18; 19:13; 32:29; 44:17, 18, 19, 25.
D. Special Occasions
a. 2nd Samuel 23:16 David poured out "unto YHWH" the water of home__which was obtained at such risk___only God deserves such devotion__so water poured out to Him.
b. Deuteronomy 32:38___the Israelites deride the Egyptians who eat the fat of their sacrifices unto their gods and drink their drink-offerings. "Did those gods save the Egyptians?"
c. Philippians 2:17___Paul told the Philippians: "If I am poured out as a drink-offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all: and in the same manner do you also joy and rejoice with me."
d. 2nd Timothy 4:8___ Paul said: “I am already being poured out....”
cover,
drink offering, molten image