The Purpose of the Grain Offering
Korban is the Hebrew word that defines the grain offering. Its basic meaning is: “Given to God.” Mark interprets the word in 7:11: “But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God) . . .”
There were several examples of these kinds of gifts given in the Old Testament. Generally they were given in recognition of the worthiness of the person who received the gift. Also, it seems evident they were given to increase friendly relationships between the donor and the donee.
In Genesis 32:13 we read of Jacob sending a gift to Esau—quite evidently to seek his favor. In Genesis 43:11, Israel, the father of the twelve tribes, sent a gift, a korban, to Joseph who was then regent over the land of Egypt. In II Samuel 8:2 there is another example of gifts that were given in recognition of the dignity of the person who received them. They were given to God not only in acknowledgment of His worthiness and dignity but also as a deep expression of gratitude for His goodness and providence.
The first fruits of the land were always required by God on the part of Israel. First fruits were demanded from the land and from their beasts. It is a sacrifice belonging to the sweet savor or the fragrant odor category. It is therefore patently a sacrifice of worship and praise to God. Just as in the burnt offering, the Hebrew seems to be saying to God, “I want to give all that I am to you.” Then in the grain offering the Hebrew is found to be saying, “I want to give you all that I have.”
When the Hebrew gave “all that I am” in the burnt offering, and then gave “all that I have” in the grain offering, there was absolutely nothing left to give. These two sacrifices, viewed together, communicate to the Hebrew just how completely and unreservedly he belongs to God. God’s total claim on his life is vindicated by these two sacrifices.
Differences Between Grain Offering and Burnt Offering
There are some significant differences between the burnt offering and the grain offering. Though both were “made by fire,” both belonged to the fragrant aroma category and both were “fumed” to God on the altar of burnt offerings, each was unique in several ways. In the burnt offering life is given, and this is not so of the cereal offering. Blood was shed in atonement in the first, but there is no blood shed nor life taken and no atonement concept associated with the grain offering. There is no confession of sin in the grain offering. It was strictly a gift of gratitude to God. There was absolutely no thought of buying the favor of God associated with this sacrifice. Its ceremonials amply confirm that fact.
Only cultivated grains could be presented in this sacrifice, never in their original or crude state. At the very least they had to be ground into flour or had to be parched before they were presented. Generally, the Hebrew would make this flour and the grains that he would cultivate into cakes and would lay those cakes before the priest who would then place them upon the altar as an offering to Jehovah God.
It was to be offered on the altar as was the burnt offering. It was fumed or incensed to God and therefore manifestly was an act of worship. As a matter of fact, it was one of the purest forms of worship, for in the burnt offering there was a secondary purpose of atonement. However, in this sacrifice there were no secondary purposes. The original and only purpose was to consecrate to God, out of a deep sense of gratitude, the unmixed devotions of the Hebrew through the consecration of all his substance to God.
In the meal offering, the basic thrust was consecration of an individual’s possessions to God. It was given in daily recognition of God’s worthiness of Israel’s praise and thanksgiving, and it was to be given without reservation. It insisted that there was no essential separation between the religious life of a person and what might be called his secular life, because all of man’s life—body, soul and spirit—belong to God simply in virtue of creation. Also, since Israel has been redeemed, not only in creation but in recreation, Israel belongs to God. Therefore all of the resources of body, soul and spirit belong to God as an expression of religious korban. Paul said in I Corinthians 10:31 that there is no separation to be made between the religious life of an individual on Sunday and the rest of the week. He said: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
In Deuteronomy 26 there is an interesting passage of scripture that explains something of the background out of which this sacrifice arose. It begins by telling about the early history of the children of Israel. They went down into Egypt, and while enslaved there, they became a numerous nation. They were delivered by God and brought into the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. God’s redemptive activity toward Israel evoked grateful acknowledgment by the people. As the Hebrew harvested his crop, he would bring the first-fruits as a gift to God.
At the offering of the gift the Hebrew would say:
“‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, putting us to hard labor. Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, O LORD, have given me.’ Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him. And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household” (Deut 26:5-11)
It is quite clear that this sacrifice was an expression of praise and gratitude for the providence of God who not only gave them Canaan but also fruitfulness in the land. They brought some of the “milk and honey,” the first fruits of their crop, and presented it in expression of praise to Jehovah.
The Amount of Grain Flour to be Offered
The amount of grain that was required in the offering was not the total crop, quite evidently. They only offered what was called “a tenth of an ephah,” which was called in Leviticus 2:2 a “memorial portion.” In Hebrew measure, that would be about three quarts of ground flour. That was about the amount that would be required to sustain a man in his daily food. The Lord always required the first fruits of man, of animal, and of the field.
Paul makes a statement in Romans 11:16 that needs to be remembered by the Hebrew but particularly remembered by the Christian: “If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy . . .” In other words, the portion that is presented upon the altar is holy. It belongs to God. It is special. It is dedicated in sacrifice to Him. It is consecrated to Him. However, that does not mean that the rest of it is unholy, or that it is to be treated or used however a man may choose. It means that everything a man has must be dedicated to God. All of a man’s resources must be used for purposes God sanctions and in ways consistent with His law.
The Ingredients of the Grain Offering
Frankincense – Or Incense
There were certain required ingredients that were included in this sacrifice. The first ingredient was incense. In the entire Bible incense is always a symbol of prayer. Quite evidently as the Hebrew presented to God the first-fruits of his harvest, he did so with a prayerful expression of gratitude, as Deuteronomy 26 commands. To represent the prayer, the Hebrew was to add incense to express externally his eternal gratitude.
In Psalm 141:1-2, we read these words as David was presenting his prayer to Jehovah God: “O LORD, I call to you (quite evidently in prayer); come quickly to me (in other words, “give attention to my prayer”). Hear my voice when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” That sweet savor column of incense that ascended to the Father arose from a devoted heart of gratitude. The evening sacrifice related to the continual burnt offering. The continual burnt offering, presented every morning and again each evening, was to be accompanied by a continual grain offering.
In Exodus 30:8, God commanded the Levitical priests to offer incense every day as a part of the national worship in the Tabernacle to Jehovah God. In Luke 1:10 we find Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, offering incense in the temple in Jerusalem at the hour of prayer. To confirm that incense is symbolic of prayer, read Revelation 5:8. You will find the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders, twenty-eight parsonages, standing around the throne of God, each of them “holding golden bowls full of incense,” as least 56 bowls in all. John explains that the bowls of incense “are the prayers of the saints.” Then in Revelation 8:3 an angel comes, and he was given much incense that he offered “with the prayers of all the saints.”
Possibly the “much incense” that was added to the 56 bowls is symbolic of the intercession of Christ on behalf of His people. These 56 bowls of incense and the “much incense” representing the intercession of Christ is all poured out on the altar before God. Thus it is evident that Christ joins together with His church to share in their praise and supplications. When He, being the head, and the church the body, joins His intercession with ours, immediately things begin to happen on the face of the earth. Surely God is sensitive to the prayers of His people.
All our gifts to God—all of our contributions, whether in the collection plate on Lord’s day morning, or whether gifts to others out of the resources that we have from God’s providence, ought to be given with a prayerful heart that gives with a deep sense of gratitude. “I thank you, God, for giving me the opportunity to share with others and to express to you my gratitude for your gifts to me.”
Oil Must Be Included in Every Sacrifice
The second ingredient that was added to the grain offering was oil. It was probably olive oil or oil extracted from other vegetables. In the Old and New Testaments, oil was always a symbol of consecration. As in the burnt offering, there was the final stage where the entire body of the sacrifice was consecrated to God, so in the ceremonial of the grain offering there was the addition of oil, symbolic of the anointing processes. In the Old Testament individuals who were inaugurated into sacred service were always anointed with oil. In Old Testament times, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with oil to consecrate them to their divinely appointed ministries.
There is something sacred about unity among brethren, for it consecrates their fellowship. In Psalm 133:1-3 is stated:
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”
Leviticus chapters 8 and 9 describe the ceremony used by Moses when he consecrated Aaron and his sons into the priestly office. He poured great quantities of oil (about three quarts) on Aaron’s head. It was called the oil of consecration, and it indicated that Aaron was then devoted exclusively to the service of God. Hebrews 1:8-9 quotes from Psalm 40:6 as the Father is speaking to Jesus: “Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” The “oil of joy,” symbolic of divine gladness, indicates that Jesus was always consecrated to Jehovah God in the great office of His Kingly, Priestly and Prophetic function. Therefore, the Hebrew would add this element of consecration by adding the oil to his grain offering.
Salt – “Of the Covenant”
The third ingredient that was added to the grain offering was salt. Salt was always, in Old Testament and New Testament symbolism, a sign of covenant. Just as incense was a symbol of prayer, and oil was a symbol of consecration, salt was always a symbol of covenant. It was used to establish covenant relation, to confirm standing covenants or to renew covenants. As the burnt offering was cut down the middle in renewal of the covenant, so salt was added to the grain offering in renewal of covenant responsibility in the use of resources.
In Leviticus 2:13, God says, “Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.” Salt is intended by God to stand as a symbol of their two-way covenant. There are other passages that indicate the same concept. In Numbers 18:19, God explained to Israel that he has given the Levites their share, their portion from the altar. They get to participate in the animals that were sacrificed there. They will get their share for God said: “It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord for both you and your offspring.” The Levites had no land inheritance in the division of the land of Canaan once Israel had conquered the land. Therefore God gave them their portion from the nation’s offerings to Him—with a “covenant of salt.”
In II Chronicles 13:5, God explained to Israel: “Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?” Since the grain offering is a worship sacrifice offered by one who is already in a covenant relationship with God, then the salt is added to confirm and renew covenant obligation.
When Christians make their contributions to God, mentally and with deep spiritual implications, they should add these three ingredients. There should be the incense of prayerful gratitude. They should add the oil of personal and substantial consecration to God, and the salt of their covenant responsibility should be generously added to their gifts.
In Mark 9:49 Jesus said: “Everyone will be salted with fire.” The fire discussed in this verse evokes the language of Leviticus 2. The fire must relate to the altar where the individual consecrated a sweet savor sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Since Jesus is giving Kingdom legislation, He demands that every one have this covenant commitment to the Lord God as he presents himself at the altar. Of course, there is no literal “altar” in the New Testament church, only symbolism borrowed from the Hebrews.
Jesus said in verse 50: “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?” The Greek would more directly ask: “Wherewith will you season it?” In other words, if a man loses his covenant standing before God, how can he ever be “sweet savor” to God? There is no way he can be pleasing to the Lord. His gifts are not sweet savor to God. They are not fragrant odor. Then Jesus imperatively commands: “Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with each other.” In Matthew 5:13, Jesus said that Christians are the salt of the earth. That means that they are God’s covenant with this world. Quite evidently Jesus Himself is the one who keeps the world and not Christians. We are just simply God’s covenant with this earth.
Ingredients Excluded From the Grain Offering
As there were three ingredients that were added, there were two ingredients that were excluded in the grain offering. The first one was yeast. The second one was honey. As the incense symbolized a prayer, as the oil symbolized consecration and as the salt symbolized covenant, yeast or leavening symbolized the corruption and decay that is characteristic of it. Even honey is subject to fermentation and therefore was excluded as an additive to the grain offering. They were not intrinsically evil elements, for Leviticus 2:12 demanded that they be brought as a part of their first-fruit gifts. They were simply excluded from the grain offerings because of symbolism.
At the Passover of the children of Israel, they were required to remove all leaven from their homes because it was symbolic of Egyptian immorality and idolatry. Jesus said in Matthew 16:6, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Also, in Luke 12:1 He explained what that Pharisaical leaven was: “. . . which is hypocrisy.” Jesus warned the disciples concerning the Pharisees who played at religion. On the outside they appeared to be very religious. They were like white painted tombs, beautiful on the outside, but on the inside they were full of dead men’s bones.
In I Corinthians 5:6-8, the apostle tells us that our Passover has also been sacrificed, “For Christ, out Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” Then Paul urges us to purge out the old leaven so that we can keep the feast of Christianity with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, not of iniquity and unrighteousness. In Galatians 5:9 Paul said, “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” In other words, a little leaven, leavens a whole lump.
The Foreshadowing of Jesus Christ
The First Fruits of Jesus’ Activity
The “Saved” Are the First Fruits of Christ
Paul says in II Corinthians 2:14, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance (the sweet savor) of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” Christians are Christ’s fragrant aroma gift to God.
James 1:18 says of God: “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of all he created.” Christians are the first-fruits of the redemptive activity of Jesus Christ. We read in Revelation 14:4 about the 144,000. He tells us: “They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” Therefore they are Christians. Then John adds this thought: “They were purchased from among men and offered as first-fruits to God and to the Lamb.” Jude informs us in verse 24 that on the great day of days, Jesus will “. . . present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” All of these Biblical references confirm that Jesus is the primary fulfillment of the typology built into the old Hebrew grain offering.
The Grain Offerings of Christians
Christians offer the sacrifice of grain offerings, not in the physical sense of the Hebrews but spiritually. Our gifts are the first-fruits of our labor, and they belong to God. Our gifts to God of a financial nature are defined by Paul: “They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18). There are three phrases Paul used in this verse to convey the concept of sweet savor sacrifices. Again Hebrews 13:15 says: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” The series of “first-fruit offerings” include praise, confession, doing good and sharing.
Naturally the passage of I Peter 2:5 and 9 is necessary when examining the Christian’s fulfillment of the Old Testament grain offering typology. Peter presents Christians as a “holy temple” and the “royal priests” that serve in the temple, with the people of God themselves being“spiritual sacrifices” offered to God. “. . . you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” The concept of “acceptable sacrifices” suggests that they belong to the sweet savor category.
The terminology used by Paul in Romans 15:15-16 is highly suggestive of priestly sacrificial activity. The passage reads: “. . . because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” The word “minister” comes from the Greek and is a word defining “a liturgical service.” Liturgy, in the Greek, always relates to a religious ceremonial devoted to God. Paul saw himself as “liturgically” presenting the gospel to the Gentiles. Actually, the Greek words “priestly duty” are verbal action of “priesting” the gospel. Paul was functioning at a symbolic altar—offering as a priest God’s gift of the gospel to the Gentiles.
Those who accepted heaven’s gift by obedient faith, Paul then symbolically placed on the same altar and “presented” them to God as an “acceptable” (sweet savor) sacrifice. So Paul sees the preacher of the gospel as a kind of two-way priest—first “priesting” God’s gift to men, and then secondly as a priest “presenting” in sacrificial fashion those converts to God as his “first-fruit offering.” This passage is filled with terminology from the pages of Leviticus.
In summary, a Christian’s worship begins with his “presentation” (first stage of all Levitical sacrifices) to God on the symbolic altar as a “burnt offering.” He is a “living, holy and acceptable” gift to God. Having given himself, he is then qualified to offer New Testament counterpart to the Old Testament grain offerings. Thus he gives of the financial resources God has providentially given him. He shares his money with the needy to promote the progress of the Kingdom of Christ. He does good deeds at every opportunity for all these spiritual sacrifices “are well pleasing to God.” He involves himself in the evangelistic activity or in the presenting of the Gospel to the lost in hope that he can then present those converts to God as first-fruits of his soul-winning zeal.
All the typology relative to the Hebrew grain offering is amply fulfilled—first by Christ, then by His people.