Shall We Sweeten The Sacrifice?

Whenever a grain offering was brought to the Lord, as mandated in Leviticus, chapter two, it was not to have any honey or other fruit type syrup that was sometimes called honey, no artificial sweeteners of any kind. The salt, oil and frankincense were added, but no sweetener or leaven. This would be a pollution of the offering given to the Lord. Anyone bringing this offering to the altar with leaven or honey would immediately have the offer rejected, no question about it, the Priests could not even eat it. This sacrifice was an offering given as a thanksgiving offering, one that represents in today's Christian life the life that begins to eat more of the knowledge of Christ and the Christian life, beginning to absorb some insights and understanding from the Father through the Holy Spirit's teaching through the scriptures and Godly teachings from the word. It represents the life starting to walk into the deeper things of God, beginning to see clearer and understand more things in Christian living. It was never the last offering of course, the Burnt Offering was the most precious offering given to the Lord, the total life dedicated to Him, a whole life of dedication to the Lord's work, full submission and obedience.

Although the grain offering was not the final offering, I'm afraid today, many in the church think that it is, and that it can be manipulated according to our own desires. There is much teaching, much wisdom and insight, but there is also leaven and sweetener added to many lives in the church, lives that will give themselves to service for the Lord, but fashioned in a way to include a twist of honey and leaven. The desire to serve two masters, part in the world and part in Christ. This life is content with the compromise, the change in the gospel to include elements of the worldly desires and philosophy. A mixture in the temple will never be accepted of God, no matter how beautiful Herod's temple, it will not have one stone left standing in the day of judgment.

The life dedicated to Christ must be exclusive. It is a life of obedience and sacrifice. The gospel message is to be preached clearly, no sweetener needed, the salt of the Lord is enough. He stands alone amidst the sea of corruption, calling you and I to a life of dedicated service to Him, will I repent of my mixture, will you repent of yours? He will not bless a half-hearted effort, nor will we see the power of the Holy Spirit fall until we live a life of obedience to His word. We must turn our lives around for Him.

Leviticus 2

The Grain Offering

¹ ‘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. ² He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense. And the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD. ³ The rest of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is most holy of the offerings to the LORD made by fire.
⁴ ‘And if you bring as an offering a grain offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. ⁵ But if your offering is a grain offering baked in a pan, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil. ⁶ You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.
⁷ ‘If your offering is a grain offering baked in a covered pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. ⁸ You shall bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the LORD. And when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar. ⁹ Then the priest shall take from the grain offering a memorial portion, and burn it on the altar. It is an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD. ¹⁰ And what is left of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is most holy of the offerings to the LORD made by fire.
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. ¹² As for the offering of the firstfruits, you shall offer them to the LORD, but they shall not be burned on the altar for a sweet aroma. ¹³ And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
¹⁴ ‘If you offer a grain offering of your firstfruits to the LORD, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits green heads of grain roasted on the fire, grain beaten from full heads. ¹⁵ And you shall put oil on it, and lay frankincense on it. It is a grain offering. ¹⁶ Then the priest shall burn the memorial portion: part of its beaten grain and part of its oil, with all the frankincense, as an offering made by fire to the LORD.