112_The meal offering Lev 2:1-3 “When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it 2 and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 3 But the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the Lord's food offerings. 11-13 “No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the Lord. 12 As an offering of first fruits you may bring them to the Lord, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing aroma. 13 You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt. Long ago, a missionary traveled deep into the heart of Africa to preach the gospel. Reaching a remote village, he found the people to be kind and attentive listeners. However, their deeply entrenched traditions coloured their ideas of religion. One day, the missionary spoke to them of Christ’s death on the cross, how he offered himself in love to God to redeem mankind from their sins. The chief listened intently and then asked, “How can an offering be costly?” In response, the missionary told him about the grain offering described in Leviticus 2. The chief pondered and finally said, “So, to give to God, I must give my best, something that takes time, effort, and care to produce.” This realization transformed the village’s perspective on worship. They no longer saw their offerings as mere rituals but as acts of heartfelt devotion springing from grateful hearts. The grain offering in Leviticus 2 was distinct from the burnt offering in that it involved no shedding of blood. Instead, it was composed of fine flour, olive oil, frankincense, and salt—ingredients that were not easily obtained in the wilderness. These instructions were primarily intended for the Israelites after they settled down in the Promised Land. The grain offering symbolized Christ in his role as the bread of life, the provision of God for fruitfulness, strength, life, and fellowship with him. The elements of this offering point to Christ in profound ways: Fine flour is the product of long grinding. Christ was ground through the many and varied trials that he underwent like us, but was demonstrated to be without sin. Its even fineness speaks of his uniformly noble excellence in every virtue. Olive oil, obtained by beating the olives until the oil emerges, reminds us of the anointing of Christ without measure by the Spirit of God and with power. He was led by the Spirit through suffering