Lectures on Leviticus (9) : Grain Offering (3)
3) Yeast and Honey
People may like leavened bread better than unleavened bread. Nonetheless, God says that yeast must not be put into fine flour given as grain offerings. Why is it so? Yeast ferments flour and changes its characteristics. Thus, yeast spiritually represents corrupting or rotting of the offering.
James 1:17 says our God does not change like shifting shadows. Because God is perfect, He wants to receive offerings as the fine flour itself that is not changed in any way.
There are some people who give offerings unwillingly because they are conscious of other people. On the contrary, some others hesitate, thinking, “Shall I give this money to God as an offering or spend it for my needs?” Still others are filled with worries or anxiety, thinking, “I will have little to spend for myself if I give this to God as an offering”
However, Jesus said in Luke 12:1, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy,” and in Mark 8:15, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” God says that we should be recognized to be godly in the sight of God, but the Pharisees in Jesus’ days pretended to be godly and were interested in gaining the approval of other people.
King Herod and his followers had their interests in worldly honors and earthly benefits regardless of the will of God. They pretended to be the people of God and live according to His law, but their hearts were like corrupted offerings far away from the will of God.
For this reason, we should give offerings with love and gratitude for God without yeast. Besides, we should not give offerings unwillingly or with worries and anxiety. We should do it believing that God will rejoice in your offerings and bless you spiritually and materially. God says that we must not put yeast into grain offerings to let us understand this spiritual meaning.
The other thing that we must not put in the grain offering is honey. Why does God tell us not to put honey in the offering? He tells us not to put yeast because it ferments and corrupts the flour. Similarly, He forbids us to mix fine flour with honey because it changes the characteristic of the flour. Actually, the honey of Palestine is extracted from grape or jujube and is easily changed and fermented.
For this reason, God forbids them from putting honey in it to prevent fermenting the fine flour. People regard honey as precious and think bread with honey is better than plain bread. So, bread with honey may seem to be more proper as offering to God, but God wants His children to obey what He commands rather than what seems to be good to us. Also, He is delighted when we do what we have decided to do in our heart.
Some people determine to give something to God, but change their mind when their situation changes. In other words, they do not give God what they first decided to give, or they give Him something different from what they decided. God does not want us to change what God commanded with our own thoughts nor does He want us to change for our own benefits what we determined in the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Deuteronomy 23:23 says, “You shall be careful to perform what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God, what you have promised.” Leviticus 27: 9-10 says, “Now if it is an animal of the kind which men can present as an offering to the LORD, any such that one gives to the LORD shall be holy. He shall not replace it or exchange it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good; or if he does exchange animal for animal, then both it and its substitute shall become holy.”
If we vowed to give an animal as an offering, we cannot exchange it for either the worse one or the better one. If we want to exchange it for the better one, we must give both of them to God.
God wants us not to change our mind because He is unchanging. God says, “Be perfect as I am perfect.” If you have changing mind or shrewdness, you will naturally reveal actions that are improper in the sight of God.
For example, King Saul changed the command of God as he wanted and disobeyed God. Finally, he was forsaken by God. God commanded him to destroy the king and all people of Amalek and all its animals. Saul went to battle by God’s command and he defeated the Amalekites by the power of God, but he changed the command as he desired and thought proper. He did not kill the king of the Amalekites but captured him and he did not destroy all their possessions, but he brought many of the good animals back with him.
He thought capturing the king of Amalek would make his victory more honorable, and brought many good cattle since he felt it was wasteful to kill all of them. He gave the excuse that he would offer them to God. Then, God sent His prophet to Saul and the prophet reproached him. But he did not repent but continued to make excuses.
As a result, he was forsaken by God. If you give excuses, you cannot find yourself. Even if you made such a big mistake, if you give excuses, you will not realize your mistake. Saul might have received the mercy of God if he had repented instantly when he was reproached for disobeying God’s command. But Saul did not repent of his sin despite God’s reproach and also walked the way against God’s will over and again. In the end, he was completely forsaken.
We must have steadfast hearts to please God. Even though something may seem very good in our sight, we must not do it if it is God’s command not to do it. We must not change with the passage of time. When we become a man of steadfast and upright heart and obey the will of God without changing, God will be pleased with our offerings and bless us with joy.
There is more explanation about the command, “Do not put yeast into fine flour.” Some of you know and have question about the verses of Leviticus that allow putting yeast into a grain offering. You may wonder why yeast is allowed in some grain offerings and not in others. Although the Bible sometimes allows it, it is very exceptional. This is a special kind of offering and is not burnt before God, but the priest just waves it before the altar, and they eat it. This offering is called the Wave Offering. Basically you must not put yeast into grain offering that is burnt before God, but in some cases yeast is allowed in grain offering given according to some different procedures. But, it does not mean it is acceptable to change the offering that is supposed to be given to God. In fact, it means we must keep the law of God that is a must, but according to the situation, God has some flexibility for allowing minor changes.
For example, church workers must attend every kind of worship service, not only Sunday worship services. But it is not considered a sin for new believers with weak faith if they do not attend Wednesday service or Friday all-night service. In this way God allows flexibility according to the measure of each one’s faith except for indispensable decrees. For example, you may get off late from your work, so there can be some flexibility. But for the Sabbath, you cannot say, “I keep only half of Sabbath because I work.” In any case, you must attend a Sunday service. There is no exception here.
Regarding the procedure of worship service, Sunday service must follow the proper procedures. This is not so with other services like cell service or member-visiting service. Basic procedure such as the sermon, prayer, and praising is a must, but other items are allowed to be added or omitted. This is the spiritual meaning of allowing yeast in grain offerings.
Let me cite another example. Suppose that your company boss worships idols and you must be present at places of idol worshipping in your company. It is the best for you not to be there at all. If you can, you should avoid that kind of situation. But it is not considered unclean before God if you cannot avoid being present in that kind of place. Nonetheless, you must never kneel down before idols even in that situation.
There are things that you must surely keep, but God allows some flexibility according to different situations or the measure of faith. But you must never misunderstand or try to take advantage of the flexibility for your own benefit. You cannot say, “I have some freedom here. It’s the order of the president of the company for every employee to participate, and everybody is bowing down to idols, so it will be OK for me to bow down, too.” If you do this, it will lead you to death.
Did Daniel and his three friends bow down since it was the command of the king? They did not compromise knowing they would be thrown into fiery furnace and lion’s den. Worshipping idols is strictly prohibited. There is no flexibility for this.
But basically, we should not put yeast into grain offerings. By this, we should remember we must never violate any basic rules that we have to keep.
4) For the first fruits, but not for soothing aroma
Following verse 12 says, “As an offering of first fruits you shall bring them to the LORD, but they shall not ascend for a soothing aroma on the altar.” It was the duty of the people of Israel to give the first fruits to God. But, God says, “but they shall not ascend for a soothing aroma on the altar.”
When you give burnt offering or grain offering to God and please Him, it was a pleasing aroma to God. God neither eats the animal nor takes it. He just smells the aroma contained in the offerings, so you must give God the aroma pleasing to Him. But this verse says, when you give first fruits, “They shall not ascend for a soothing aroma on the altar.” It sounds as if it is against the command of God. In fact, this word helps you to be careful about your attitude in giving offerings to God.
The phrase “but they shall not ascend for a soothing aroma on the altar” does not mean that you must not make your offerings a pleasing aroma to God. It is right to give a pleasing aroma to God, but it is wrong to burn the offering for the purpose of physical smell, namely to burn the grains for the burning smell.
The purpose of giving a grain offering is not in the action of burning the offering itself for the smell of the offering, but in offering the aroma of the heart. When Noah gave burnt offerings, God smelled it. Here, God smelled the aroma of Noah’s heart, not the smell of the burning of the animals. We should offer the aroma of our heart. Even though we give good offerings to God, the aroma of the offerings is not pleasing to Him, but only pleasing to men, unless we give them to God with the heart that is acceptable to Him.
Suppose many children give their parents pocket money from their income every month. In this case, the heart of each child is different. Some of you may be giving pocket money to your parents, so with what kind of heart are you giving it to your parents? If there are ten children, all ten children’s hearts are different. Some give pocket money to their parents with deep thanks remembering the grace of their parents in giving them birth, raising them and providing for their welfare, and for their education. They put the money into a pretty envelope together with thanks-letter and gifts, feeling sorry for not being able to give more. In this way, when parents feel their child’s love, thanks and sincerity, the money and gifts are pleasing to the parents.
However, some children just routinely give pocket money to their parents out of habit as if they were deducting taxes from their salary. They still think they are doing their duty to their parents and feel confident, but they do not try to give more to their parents or give it in a way to please them. Nor do they feel either grateful or sorry about anything.
What the parents want to receive is not just the pocket money that their children habitually give to them as if being forced to pay taxes saying, “I am doing my duty to my parents.” The parents will joyfully receive the money when the children’s true thankfulness and love are expressed in the money.
It is the same with God. When we give to God, we should try our best with overflowing thanks and love for God who has given us eternal life and daily bread. We should give our whole heart knowing it is the basic duty as God’s children.
We should not think that we are doing our duty just by giving offerings habitually, just with sense of duty or without love.
God does not want you to give grain offerings by burning first fruits and making burning smell saying, “I did my duty to God.” He wants to receive the pleasing aroma of love, faith and hope through your offerings.
For this reason, God said that the offering is not to be given to the altar for a pleasing aroma. Even though the ear of grain becomes ripened, it cannot become pleasing aroma by itself. Please remember that it can be a pleasing aroma only when it is given with your thanks and love for God and aroma of faith.