Forgiveness and Gratitude Go Together
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Leviticus 2:1-16. Let’s go!
Leviticus 2:1-12 (NIV)
1 “‘When someone brings a grain offering to the LORD, his offering is to be of fine flour. He is to pour oil on it, put incense on it
2 and take it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the fine flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
3 The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings made to the LORD by fire.
4 “‘If you bring a grain offering baked in an oven, it is to consist of fine flour: cakes made without yeast and mixed with oil, or wafers made without yeast and spread with oil.
5 If your grain offering is prepared on a griddle, it is to be made of fine flour mixed with oil, and without yeast.
6 Crumble it and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. ……
On verses 1-12: Leviticus 2 describes a second type of offering that the Israelites were commanded to give: the grain offering. Whereas the burnt offering in Leviticus 1 involved sacrificing animals for the forgiveness of sins, the grain offering in Leviticus 2 involved sacrificing vegetables (i.e. grain) and was for the purpose of giving thanks to God.
If the burnt offering described in Leviticus 1 points us to Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, what can we learn from the grain offering? Just as the burnt offering is followed by the grain offering in Leviticus 1-2, God’s forgiveness (represented by the burnt offering) should always be followed by our gratitude (represented by the grain offering).
