A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Leviticus · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Verſ. 1. ANd when any will offer a meat-offering unto the Lord, his offering ſhall be of fine flowre.]
There was a meat-offering that was alwayes to be joyned with their burnt-offerings, for which direction is given elſewhere: but here direction is given onelyonly for voluntary meat-offerings; and therefore it is ſaid, When any will offer a meat-offering, &c. neither is there any ſet quantity here appointed▪ but it is left free to the offerer to bring what he pleaſed, whereas for the meat-offering that was brought together with their burnt-offerings of the herd, or of the flock, there is an expreſſe law how much there ſhould be of it, to wit, a tenth deal of flower mingled with the fourth part of an hin of oyl, Numb. 15. 4. Now theſe voluntary meat-offerings were for the ſame end that the burnt-offerings were, both to make atonement for them, and alſo to teſti…ie their conſecrating of themſelves to God; but withall particularly they were by way of acknowledgement that all their proviſion they had of his bounty. So then the meat-offering ſignified, Firſt▪ Chriſt his oblation of himſelf, of which the Apoſtle ſpeaks, Epheſ. 5. 2. Christ hath loved us, and given himſelf for us an offering and a ſacrifice to God for a ſweet ſmelling ſavour; and again, Heb. 10. 8, 9, 10. When he ſaid, Sacrifice and offering, and burnt-offerings, and offering for ſinne thou wouldſt not, neither hadſt pleaſure therein, which are offered by the law: Then ſaid he, Loe, I come to do thy will, O God! He taketh away the first that he may establiſh the ſecond: By the which will we are ſanctified through the offering of the body of Jeſus Chriſt once for all. Secondly, Chriſtians wonne to God by the Goſpell, and then conſecrated to his ſervice, Eſay 66. 20. They ſhall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord, out of all nations, to my holy mountain Jeruſalem, ſaith the Lord, as the children of Iſrael bring an offering in a clean veſſel into the houſe of the Lord. Thirdly, all our Evangelicall ſacrifices of prayer and prayſing God, with other ſervices done to the Lord, and to his ſaints for his ſake, Mal. 1. 11. In every place incenſe ſhall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: And laſt of all, more particularly their acknowledgement of Gods bounty in all the food they injoyed, and therefore it was that in all theſe meat-offerings they are appointed to bring fine ſlowre, without any mixture of branne, to ſignifie the purity of all Evangelicall ſacrifices.
He ſhall poure oyl upon it, and put frankincenſe thereon.]
The oyl poured upon the flowre figured the graces and comfort of the holy Ghoſt, whereby we ſerve God with a willing mind and a chearfull ſpirit, Ye have an unction from the holy one, ſaith the Apoſtle, ſpeaking of this oyl of Gods ſpirit, 1. John 2. 20. and the ſweetneſſe both of the oyl and frankincenſe ſignified how ſweet and acceptable their ſervices were unto God in and through the mediation of Chriſt, who hath given himſelf for us an offering and a ſacrifice to God for a ſweet ſmelling ſavour, Epheſ. 5. 2. whence it was that the Prophet told the Jews that their incenſe was in vain when God regarded not their ſacrifices, Jer. 6. 20. To what purpoſe cometh there to me …ncenſe from Sheba, and ſweet calamus from a farre countrey? your burnt-offerings are not acceptable, nor your ſacrifices ſweet unto me.
Verſ. 2. And the priest ſhall burn the memoriall of it upon the altar.]
That is, the handf…ll which he had taken out of the meat-offering, which ſhould in ſtead of all put God in mind (which is ſpoken of God after the manner of men) of all this offering which the offerer had given to the Lord, and of the covenant which he had made to accept it, and withall be a memoriall to the offerer that he acknowledged all the ſtore he had to be from God, and therefore to be conſecrated wholly to his ſervice, and that God would take in good part the offering he had now brought him.
Verſ. 3. And the remnant of the meat-offering ſhall be Aarons and his ſonnes.]
To eat the ſame in the Sanctuary, Levit. 6. 16. And the remainer thereof ſhall Aaron and his ſonnes eat; with unleavened bread ſhall it be eaten in the holy place, in the court of the tabernacle,&c.
It is a thing moſt holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire.]
And therefore onelyonly to be eaten by the prieſts that offer it. Of other offerings others might eat, but of the moſt holy things, whereof part was burnt on the altar, onelyonly the prieſts.
Verſ. 4. And if thou bring an oblation of a meat-offering baken in the oven.]
Theſe were prepared and baked within the Sanctuary, as it ſeems by Ezekiel 46. 20. This is the place where the prieſts ſhall boil the trespaſſe-offering, and the ſinne-offering, where they ſhall bake the meat-offering, and 1. Chron. 23. 28, 29. Their office was to wait on the ſons of Aaron, &c. both for the ſhew-bread and for the fine flowre for meat-offerings, and for the unleavened cakes, and for that which is baked in the pan, and for that which is fried.
It ſhall be an unleavened cake of fine flowre mingled with oyl, or unleavened wafers anointed with oyl.]
See the notes upon Exod. 29. 2. and upon the 11. verſe of this chapter.
Verſ. 11. No meat-offering, which ye ſhall bring unto the Lord, ſhall be made with leaven.]
This muſt be underſtood onelyonly of theſe voluntary oblations, part whereof was to be burnt upon the altar; for with ſome euchariſticall or thankofferings they might bring leavened cakes, Levit. 7. 13. as alſo in the firſt-fruits, Levit. 23. 17. but theſe were not burnt upon the altar. And where leaven was not to be uſed in the oblation, the part remaining the prieſts might not eat with leaven, Levit. 6. 16. becauſe part of the offering was burnt upon the altar. Now leaven was thus generally forbidden: Firſt, to put them ſtill in mind of their deliverance out of Egypt, a type of their redemption by Chriſt: Secondly, to teach them to worſhip God as he had appointed, and to know that all humane devices therein are an abomination to God: Thirdly, to ſhew the perfect purity of Chriſt, in whom there was not the leaſt leaven of ſinne, and the ſincerity that muſt be in our evangelicall ſacrifices; for leaven ſignifieth ſinne of all ſorts, in doctrine and manners, diſtaſtfull to God, and infectious to men, Luke 12. 1. Beware ye of the leaven of the Phariſees, which is hypocriſie. 1. Cor. 5. 8. Let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with t he leaven of malice and wickedneſſe, but with the unleavened bread of ſincerity and truth.
For ye ſhall burn no leaven, nor any hony, in any offering of the Lord made by fire.]
Not onelyonly leaven but hony alſo is forbidden: Firſt, becauſe it hath a kind of leavening nature: Secondly, the more fully to exclude all humane devices in Gods worſhip: the ſweetneſſe of hony might be a pretence of mixing it with their ſacrifices: when neither ſoure nor ſweet ple…ſeth him but onelyonly what is appointed, what place is left for humane inventions? Thirdly, if any myſtery be thought implyed, it may be the abandoning of all carnall pleaſures and delights by thoſe that will conſecrate themſelves to Gods ſervice.
Verſ. 12. As for the oblation of the first-fruits ye ſhall offer them unto the Lord.]
To wit, though with leaven, Levit. 23. 17. They ſhall be baken with leaven, they are the first-fruits unto the Lord; though hony 2. Chron. 31. 5. The children of Iſrael brought in abundance the firſt-f…uits of corn, wine, and oyl, and hony.
Verſ. 13. And every oblation of thy meat-o…ri…g …alt thou ſeaſon with ſalt.]
By this ſalting was ſignified the covenant o… grace in C…riſt, which we by faith apprehend unto incorruption: wherefore o…r un…genera…e eſtate is likened to a child new born and not ſalted, Ezek. 16. 4.
Neither ſhalt thou ſuffer the ſalt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat-offering.]
To wit, the ſalt which is a ſigne of the covenant of thy God: that is, be ſure that ſalt be not wanting, which you are bound as by a covenant to uſe in all ſacrifices; and be ſure that faith in the covenant be not wanting, which is ſignified by that ſalt, for then all your ſacrifices will be of no value with the Lord.
With all thine offerings thou ſhalt offer ſalt.]
Not onelyonly meat-offerings, but alſo burnt-offerings, and all other ſacrifices, Ezek. 43. 24. The prieſt ſhall caſt ſalt upon them, and they ſhall offer them up for a burnt-offering unto the Lord. Mark 9. 49. Every ſacrifice ſhall be ſalted with ſalt.
Verſ. 14. And if thou offer a meat-offering of thy first-fruits unto the Lord, &c.]
That is, a freewill-offering of the firſt-fruits, beſides injoyned by the law.