Commentary - Leviticus 2:4-10

Bird's-eye view

In this section of Leviticus, we move from the whole burnt offering, which dealt with the worshiper's complete consecration, to the grain offering, or minchah. This is a different kind of sacrifice altogether. It is not an offering for sin, but rather a tribute, a gift acknowledging God as the source of all our provision and labor. It is an act of worship that consecrates the work of our hands to the Lord. The details here are not tedious minutiae; they are rich pictures of Christ and the life He calls us to live.

Paul tells us that whatever we do, we are to do it heartily, as to the Lord (Col. 3:23). This passage gives us the liturgical grammar for that kind of life. Whether baked in an oven, cooked on a griddle, or prepared in a pan, the work of our hands, represented by this grain, is to be brought before God. It must be prepared according to His instructions, pure and holy, and offered through the proper mediator, the priest. What is offered to God is a pleasing aroma, and what remains provides for the priests. This is a beautiful picture of the Christian life: our work, offered to God through Christ, is a sweet savor to Him and provides for the work of His kingdom.

Outline

Context In Leviticus

Leviticus chapter 2 follows the instructions for the ascension offering (the whole burnt offering) in chapter 1. The burnt offering symbolized the complete surrender of the individual to God. The grain offering, in contrast, represents the dedication of the fruit of one's life and labor. It's important to see that these are not all sacrifices for sin. The Old Testament sacrificial system was a rich tapestry that taught the Israelites how to approach a holy God in every aspect of life. This offering is a tribute, a gift of fealty from a vassal to his king. It is an act of worship that says, "All that I have, and all that I produce, comes from you and is dedicated to you." This sets the stage for a life of grateful service, not just appeasement for wrongdoing.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 4 ‘Now when you bring near an offering of a grain offering baked in an oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers spread with oil.

The offering is brought "near," which is the language of worship. This is not just dropping off a casserole; it is a formal approach to the living God. The offering itself is specified. It is baked in an oven, representing a certain kind of preparation, a work that has been done. But the key ingredients are what we must pay attention to. First, it must be unleavened. Throughout Scripture, leaven is a consistent symbol of sin, corruption, and false doctrine. It puffs up, and it spreads. Christ warned of the leaven of the Pharisees (Matt. 16:6). Paul tells the Corinthians to purge out the old leaven of malice and wickedness (1 Cor. 5:8). So this offering, representing our work, must be pure, without the corrupting influence of sin. It must be offered in sincerity and truth. Second, it is made of fine flour. This signifies the best, not the leftovers. We are to offer God our finest work, not our second-rate efforts. Third, it is mixed or spread with oil. Oil is a consistent symbol of the Holy Spirit. Our work, to be acceptable to God, must be done not in the strength of our own flesh, but in the power and anointing of the Spirit.

v. 5-6 And if your offering is a grain offering made on the griddle, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil; you shall break it into bits and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.

Here we have a different method of preparation, the griddle, but the essential elements remain the same: fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil. This shows that the principle applies to all forms of our labor, not just one particular kind. But a new action is introduced: the cake is to be broken into bits. This is a picture of humility and brokenness. Our work, even our best work, is not offered to God with arrogance. It is offered as something broken, acknowledging our own insufficiency. We are not presenting God with a flawless masterpiece that He should be impressed with. We bring our efforts, and they are broken before Him. And then, more oil is poured on it. In our brokenness, in our admission that our work is not enough, there is a fresh application of the Spirit. It is when we are weak that He is strong.

v. 7 Now if your offering is a grain offering made in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.

A third method of cooking is mentioned, in a pan. Again, the core ingredients are what matter: the best of our efforts (fine flour) empowered by the Spirit (oil) and, implicitly from the context, without sin (unleavened). The variety of preparations, oven, griddle, pan, teaches us that all legitimate vocations, all the different ways we labor in this world, can and should be consecrated to God. Whether you are a baker, a builder, or a bookkeeper, the fruit of your labor is to be brought as a tribute to the King.

v. 8 And you will bring in the grain offering which is made of these things to Yahweh, and it shall be brought near to the priest, and he shall bring it to the altar.

The worshiper does not take his offering directly to the altar. There is a necessary mediation. He brings it to the priest, and the priest brings it to the altar. This is a foundational principle of biblical worship. We do not approach God on our own terms or through our own merits. We must come through the appointed mediator. For us, that great high priest is the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 4:14). Our works, our lives, our worship are only acceptable to God as they are presented to Him through His Son. We lay our offerings in the hands of Christ, and He, being our advocate, presents them to the Father.

v. 9 The priest then shall raise up from the grain offering its memorial portion, and he shall offer it up in smoke on the altar as an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.

The priest takes a "memorial portion" (azkarah) from the offering. This is the part that represents the whole. It is brought before God as a reminder, a token of the worshiper's devotion and God's covenant faithfulness. This portion is then burned on the altar. The result is a "soothing aroma to Yahweh." This phrase is crucial. It doesn't mean God has a physical nose that enjoys the smell of barbecue. It is anthropomorphic language to describe divine pleasure and acceptance. When our work is offered in faith, cleansed of sin, empowered by the Spirit, and presented through Christ our priest, it is pleasing to God. He delights in the faithful service of His people. Paul picks up this very language when he says that we are the aroma of Christ to God (2 Cor. 2:15).

v. 10 And the remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy of the offerings to Yahweh by fire.

Not all of the offering is consumed on the altar. The memorial portion goes to God, and the remainder goes to the priests, Aaron and his sons. This is their food, their provision. This teaches a profound spiritual reality. When we offer our lives and work to God, He is glorified (the soothing aroma), and His kingdom work is sustained. Our faithful giving, our consecrated labor, provides for the ministry of the gospel. The priests who serve at the altar share in the things of the altar (1 Cor. 9:13). This offering is designated as "most holy." This is not just priestly leftovers; it is a sacred provision, set apart for a holy purpose. What we give to God not only pleases Him, but it also builds His house.

Application

The grain offering is a powerful antidote to the secularism that infects the modern Christian mind. We tend to divide our lives into the sacred (church on Sunday) and the secular (work on Monday). This passage demolishes that wall. Your work, on the griddle, in the oven, or in the pan, is an act of worship. It is to be done with the finest flour, meaning with excellence and diligence.

It must be unleavened, free from the corruption of deceit, laziness, or cutting corners. It must be mixed with oil, meaning it must be undertaken in dependence on the Holy Spirit, through prayer and reliance on His strength, not your own. And it must be brought to the priest, Jesus Christ. You cannot offer your work to God on your own merits. You must offer it in the name of Jesus, acknowledging that only His perfection makes your imperfect efforts acceptable.

When you live this way, your daily grind becomes a soothing aroma to God. He is pleased. And not only that, but your consecrated labor becomes "most holy" bread that feeds the ministers of the gospel and builds the church. So do not despise your daily work. See it for what it is: an altar where you can present a holy offering to the living God.