The Meat Offering

 

The Meat Offering

 

Leviticus 2:1

 

And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

 

The words of our Lord Jesus Christ should immediately identify the one who is typified in the meat offering: when He said “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). The fine flour represents the Man, Christ Jesus. In Him there were no unequal grains, no unevenness of any sort, no clumps nor clogs, there were no impurities: it was the pure essence of the perfect sinless Man “who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen” (Romans 9:5). The fine flour typified “that holy thing” that was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary (Luke 1:35). Our Lord Jesus was “made of a woman” as it is written: “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law” (Galatians 4:4). God the Holy Ghost took of the substance of woman and in her womb was conceived (Isaiah 7:14) “her seed” as it is written: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).

 

Our Lord Jesus took His perfect sinless Humanity from the woman, and in that Humanity He is the “Second Man” (I Corinthians 15:47) who has the humanity of the “first man Adam” without the taint of sin (I Corinthians 15:45). It is that perfect sinless Humanity which was taken into union with the Son of God (John 1:14; Hebrews 10:5). The Second Man is the Covenant Head of the new creation, “created in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:10; II Corinthians 5:17). And in that perfect sinless humanity our Lord Jesus is the near kinsman Redeemer, who has the right of redemption (Leviticus 25:25), by which He redeemed the lives of His many brethren who were sold under sin in the first man Adam (Romans 8:29; 7:14; Hebrews 2: 11,12,17 ).  Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only perfect man who ever walked on “the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22). Adam was created upright, as it is written: “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions” (Ecclesiastes 7:29)

 

Adam suffered mutation, he fell in sin with all his race in him and all that race is held accountable for sin by which they were defiled in Adam. They were accounted guilty of sin in Adam according to the judicial government of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ the Second Man is one with the Father (John 10:30) and like Him “with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17) our Lord Jesus is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). For “it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven” (I Corinthians 15: 45-47). The first man is the head of the natural race of men, the Second Man is the head of the spiritual race of men which is the church of God. The first man brought death on his race by sin, the Second Man, “hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (II Timothy 1:10). These two men with their respective races must be kept separate, if the word of truth is to be rightly divided. The following explanation may shed light on this topic.

 

Great confusion, and horrible error in extreme proportions has been introduced into the professing church by ignorance or neglect of the fact that the first man Adam, was covenant head over his race, and that the Second Man, Jesus Christ is the covenant head over His race, the true Israel of God (Galatians 6:16). These two races are entirely different, although the second is taken from among the first, that is, the church is taken “from among men” as it is written: “These are they which were not defiled with women; (they did not participate in idolatrous worship: writer) for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Revelation 14:4).  And they are redeemed out of every kindred and tongue, as it is written: “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9).

 

“Therefore as by the offence of one (one covenant head, that is Adam, the first man: writer) judgment came upon all men to condemnation; (all men that were of Adam’s race were condemned in Adam: Writer) even so by the righteousness of one (The Second Man Jesus Christ: writer) the free gift came upon all men (all men who are of the chosen generation [I Peter 2:9] created in Jesus Christ, The Last Adam: writer) unto justification of life” (Romans 5:18). Additions to this verse of scripture or any verse of scripture are not acceptable. However some have added the following words: “whereby the grace of God became equally accessible to all men”. This totally distorts the scripture in that  it wrests the word of God (II Peter 3:18). Additions to the scriptures by the ingenuity of men are destructive of the truth. They deny the truth that the purpose and grace of God was given through the election of grace before the world began (II Timothy 1:9). It passes by (as if nonexistent) the scripture which declares that those chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world are predestinated to the adoption of children (Ephesians 1:4-5). This also vitiates the truth that: “by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17). From Romans 5:17 it is clear that it is only those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness that shall reign in life by Jesus Christ. And who are these? They are they who are predestined of God to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29), who were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) these were beloved of the Father from all eternity (John 17:23-24), they were redeemed by the Son of God at Calvary, and all and every one of them will be effectually called by God the Holy Ghost to eternal life in Jesus Christ. All the devils in hell, and all the men of this world cannot hinder the purpose and grace of God, from bringing His many sons to glory by Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:10). They shall all be made willing in the day of his power (Psalm 110:3) for it is God that works in them both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13), And that good work that He begins in His chosen people He will also finish (Philippians 1:6).

 

And he shall pour oil upon it: Oil represents the Holy Ghost. The oil was either mingled with the fine flour, or the oil was used to anoint the offering. Our Lord Jesus was anointed “the most Holy” (Daniel 9:24) by the Holy Ghost, as it is written: “Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased” (Luke 3:21-22). All that our Lord Jesus did upon earth was by the Holy Ghost. “That holy and heavenly vessel in which God the Son was pleased to appear in this world was formed, filled, anointed, and led by the Holy Ghost” (C.H.Mackintosh). Although our Lord Jesus possessed in His own Person divine power, yet he did all His works, wrought all His miracles, and finally offered himself without spot to God, by the eternal Spirit. And He said “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you” (Matthew 12:28).

 

Our Lord Jesus was the sinless perfect Man in thought, word, and deed form His birth in the stable at Bethlehem to His death at Calvary. And although He is “God manifest in the flesh” (I Timothy 3:16), yet as Man and Mediator He would do nothing without the authority of the word of God, nor by the power of the Spirit. For in His offices He did not come to earth to fulfill His own will as though He were an independent though, perfect man, but He came to do the will of the Father who sent Him (John 6:38). And therefore He said “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30). In the day of judgment every man who has built with the wood, hay, and stubble, of popular opinion, and dogma of the traditions of men will certainly suffer loss. But if we wait to be endued with power from on high our labor will not have been in vain. (I Corinthians 3:12; Luke 24:49; I Corinthians 15:58).

 

And put frankincense thereon. The priest of the sons of Aaron would come and take his handful of the fine flour, and of the oil, and all the frankincense, and burn the memorial on the Alter of burnt offering. All the frankincense ascended up to God, it was not for the offerer, nor the priest. Everything in the life and death of Jesus Christ was first and foremost for the glory of God. The ministry of our Lord Jesus brought to light the glory of the holiness and truth of God, in that, where and upon whomsoever sin is found, God must and will punish sin to the uttermost. Although it was God’s own Son, “who bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (I Peter 2:24). Even though the Lord Himself had laid on Him the iniquity of all the church of God of all ages (Isaiah 53:6). Even though the Son of God offered himself by the eternal Spirit, in full obedience to the will of the Father: “Yet it pleased the lord to bruise him” it is written: “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand” (Isaiah 53:10).  The Father had charged His Son with the sin which had been, and is being committed by the church, not sin committed by the Son, but sin imputed to the Son by the Father. As it is written: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). The Son must answer the charge for He is the Good Shepherd of the sheep. Christ Jesus satisfied the glory and honor of the law, justice, truth and holiness of God being put to death, the death of the cross, in the room and stead of the sheep. Sin has met its punishment in the body of Jesus Christ, therefore the God of peace, has called the Good Shepherd up to glory to rule over His redeemed creation.

 

But not only is the law and justice of God glorified in the cross death of our Lord Jesus, but the love of God is manifested. God gave His only begotten Son because of His love for the world of His elect (John 3:16; Romans 8:32; Isaiah 53:8, 11; Matthew 1:21). God the Father turned His back on His well-beloved Son, in the hour of His most severe torment. Satan and the hosts of hell, with the men of this world had done all they could to torture the only pure man and holy Man on the face of the earth. But that was not the worst  of the misery which the Son of God He had to endure, for He endured all this in silence as it is written: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). But when the Father turned His back, when the light of His countenance no longer shown down on the Son, then His holy heart burst with sorrow and agony of soul, then He must cry out: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring” (Psalm 22:1). Thus the unutterable agony, the infinite misery of the Son of God, was brought forth by the love of the Son for the glory of God, and for the welfare of His beloved church and people. Thus all the frankincense must be for God. It must rise in the smoke of the Alter as a sweet savor of the accomplishments, both God-ward, and toward the people of His love. It must rise as a sweet savor of the accomplishments of Jesus Christ in His death. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2). 

 

AJ Ison

 

See the writers blog at www.hebrews915.blogspot.com hear the authentic gospel preached at www.13thstbaptist.org webcasting live at listed service times.