Obedience Preferred

Verse of the day: Leviticus 2:1, 11 “When anyone offers a grain offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it. 11 No grain offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the LORD made by fire.”

Although the grain offering represents us coming to the altar in thanksgiving, both Christ and the Holy Spirit are represented here also. The oil, a picture of the Holy Spirit in us, and the frankincense as a picture of Christ’s intercession; both making us acceptable in the presence of the Father. The requirements/instructions set for offering the grain offering involved the restriction of mixing leaven or honey with this offering. This is significant in that leaven is pictured as sin in Scripture (Matthew 16:6; Mark 8:15). A small piece of leavened dough from an old lump, added to a new lump, permeates the entire lump, and causes it to rise (Galatians 5:9). Honey, commonly used for idol worship, and in the process of fermentation, is sweet to the palate, but if too much is eaten, it will become bitter in the stomach (Proverbs 25:16; 27). In essence, what we have here is a picture of us today bringing our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving before the Lord. Hebrews 13:15 reads, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Note that we are to bring this sacrifice “by Him”. Again, in and of ourselves, what we offer is not good enough; and outside of Christ, it is impossible to bring true praise and thanksgiving in the midst of trials and tribulations. When we come before God to bring our praise and thanksgiving, we are to do it with pure hearts and a clear conscience. Leaven here pictures both pride and hypocrisy, which both, if unchecked, will permeate our attitude and affect how we view ourselves, and treat others; sins that the LORD abhors. Honey is a picture of lust, and how it is sweet to the taste, but has a bitter end, as it leads us to fornication and adultery; again, sins that the Lord abhors. In 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.” In verse 23, he equates rebellion and stubbornness to witchcraft and idolatry. Samuel said this in response to King Saul’s disobedience in not annihilating the Amalekites as God had commanded. In Matthew 6, Jesus condemned the “religious” actions of that day’s religious leaders, calling them hypocrites, because they did that which was honorable before God, but did it only for the purpose of looking good before men. In other words, their pride made them hypocrites. They fasted in a manner that brought attention to themselves, giving the impression that they were spiritual and intimate with God. They publicly prayed their fancy prayers, even though their hearts were far from God. They gave for everyone to see; only to impress the people, once again, with how spiritual they were. God does not want our vain facades. He wants us to bring our offering, and sacrifice, of praise and thanksgiving, with clean, pure, hearts; and this is only possible in Christ Jesus. Far too many Christians put on a show for all to see, but their pride and hypocrisy outshine their testimony for the LORD. They harbor secret lusts and affairs, but judge and criticize others for doing the same. In verse 13 of this chapter, God tells them that every grain offering is to be seasoned with salt, and none should lack it. Salt was used as a preserving agent, and added flavor to the offering. This is both a picture of how we are preserved in Christ, but also how we are to add flavor to the lives of those that God places us in. Are we a welcoming sight to those who do not know Jesus, because we not only tell them about Christ, but we truly show them the love of Christ? Do we add flavor to the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ who struggle and need encouragement? Do we add flavor to the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need? Are we the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16)? Is our attitude, words, and deeds, seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6)? The bottom line is that far too often we bring our praise, and our sacrifices, whether giving thanks, fasting, praying, or giving, but take little care to make sure that our attitude and inner self is right with God. We bring them filled with pride, hypocrisy, sinful lusts, and pretending to be someone we are not, as if we can fool God, or bribe Him with our worthless sacrifices. Let us be mindful of Proverbs 21:3, “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.”

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).