Section 891
The Meat Offering Typical Both Of Christ And Of His People
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; 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—Leviticus 2:1, 2
Sacrifices of old were of divine institution; and they were appointed of God, long before the Levitical dispensation; when a variety of them were in a particular manner enjoined upon the people. They commenced almost as early as the fall of Adam: they immediately took place thereon. Adam's sons, Abel and Cain, offered sacrifices; one of the fruits of the earth, the other of the firstlings of his flock. And the one is said to offer up a more acceptable sacrifice than the other; because he offered it up by faith in a view to the great sacrifice of Christ, the antitype of all the sacrifices, whether before, or under the Levitical dispensation. Wherefore he is said, for this, among other reasons, to be the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the world. The patterns of things in the heavens were purified by legal sacrifices; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these: (Hebrews 9:23) which better sacrifices can be no other than that of Christ. His sacrifice is expressed in the plural number; not that there has been a repetition of it: for it is but one sacrifice, and but once offered up, and will never be reiterated; but to shew the excellency of it, it being usual with the Jews to use the plural number in. speaking of things the most excellent. So Christ is called Wisdoms, Proverbs 1:20. Besides, respect may he had to the many sacrifices under the law, which were types of it, and were answered and fulfilled by it; and to the many persons on whose account it was offered; and to the parts of it, the soul and body of Christ: and this is a better sacrifice than the legal ones. The legal sacrifices could not make those who came to them perfect, or remove from their consciences a sense of sin. The blood of bulls and of goats could not take away sin; but Christ, by his own offering of himself (which has put an end to all other sacrifices) has "put away sin for ever, and perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14)
Various kinds of sacrifices were offered before and under the Levitical dispensation. Some were peace-offerings, others sin-offerings, and others trespass-offerings; of which we have an account in some of the following chapters. These were all typical of Christ. The peace-offering was typical of him, who is our peace: and who has made peace by the blood of his cross. The sin and trespass-offerings were typical of him, "who knew no sin yet was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21) He is the sum and substance of them all; and has completed them, by finishing transgression, making an end of sin, making reconciliation for iniquity, and bringing in an everlasting righteousness.
Among these sacrifices and offerings, that of the burnt-offering was a very considerable one. Of which we read at large in the preceding chapter, and are told what it consisted of; of the herd, and of the flocks, and of fowls. Those that were of the herd, were the ox; those that were of the flock, were the sheep or the goat; and of the fowls, turtles, or young pigeons: all fit emblems of our Lord Jesus Christ. The ox, or bullock, was an emblem of his strength and laboriousness; the sheep of his harmlessness and inoffensiveness; the turtle and young pigeons, of his meekness and humility, and of those dove-like graces which are to be found in him. These were to be perfect; to have no spot in them: typical of Christ, who is spotless and perfect, holy and without blemish, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. These offerings were to be voluntarily brought, intimating, that the sacrifice of Christ, the sum and substance of them, would be freely offered up, as it was "He gave himself an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet smelling savour." (Ephesians 5:2)
When these were brought, the offerer laid his hands upon them; which was expressive of a confession of sin, and was an acknowledgment that he deserved to die, as that creature was about to do, in his room and stead. Moreover, this action signified the transferring of his sins from himself to this sacrifice, which was to be offered up to make atonement for them; and it denoted the imputation of our sins to Christ, the great sacrifice. "God made to meet on him the iniquity of us all;" (Isaiah 53:6) and who was as they were, a vicarious one, offered up in the room and stead of his people. The Just suffered for the unjust.
But I shall now call your attention to another very particular sort of offering, which is mentioned in the text, the meat-offering: which might with as much, if not greater propriety, be called the bread-offering; being made of fine flour. When any will offer a meat-offering to the Lord, it shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil upon it. (Leviticus 2:1)
There were several kinds of these meat-offerings. There was one that always attended the daily sacrifices; the lamb that was offered in the morning and in the evening, as you may see in Exodus 29:38. " Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year, day by day, continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning, and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even; and with one lamb and a tenth deal of flour, mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink-offering, and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat-offering of the morning, and according to the drink-offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord," This was to be done continually, every morning and evening. There was also a meat-offering, at the consecration of the priest, and which the high priest was obliged to offer every morning, at his own expense. (Leviticus 4:20, etc.) There was another which accompanied the wave-offering, offered at the time of the harvest yearly. (Leviticus 23:10, etc.) These meat-offerings were appointed and fixed at certain times, and were obliged to be offered; but this, mentioned in our text, was a free-will offering; wherefore it is said, when any will offer.
Now this was as the rest were, typical of the Lord Jesus Christ. As the daily sacrifice was typical of the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world; continually takes away the sins of his people, whether of the night or of the day; so the meat-offering was typical of Christ, who is that meat which endureth unto everlasting life. Continually endures, and abides to be food for the faith of God's people, whose flesh is meat indeed: and whose blood is drink indeed: and that not merely typical and shadowy, but really solid and substantial; who is that bread of God which came down from heaven, and gives life unto the world. And, moreover, this meat, or bread-offering, may be considered as an emblem or representation of the children and people of God, as well as of Christ; for the same word is used of them, and particularly of the converted Gentiles; as you may see in the prophecy of Isaiah, where it is said, And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord, out of all nations, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord; as the children of Israel bring an offering in a c/can vessel into the house of the Lord. (Isaiah 66:20) And this had its accomplishment in and under the ministration of the great apostle of the Gentiles; who was made so useful to the Gentile world, being instrumental in converting multitudes among them. In his epistle to the Romans he says, Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ unto the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. (Romans 4:15, 16) By the offering up of the Gentiles, he means the Gentile converts wrought upon by his ministry; who were either offered up and presented by him unto the Lord, as a chaste virgin to Christ; or who, under the influence of divine grace, presented themselves, bodies and souls, unto the Lord, as a holy, living, and acceptable sacrifice; which was but their reasonable service.
Now whether we consider this meat offering as having a regard unto Christ, or his people, or both, (for both may be included) we may observe the agreement between the one and the other in the following things.
III. In the composition thereof, and the different manner of dressing it. It was either to be fine flour mingled with oil, and to be baked in an oven, or in a pan, or fried in a frying pan, or if of the first-fruits, it was to be corn beaten out of the full ears and dried by the fire.