In the Book of Leviticus, God is establishing order for a people who were once slaves but are now exiled into freedom. In Chapter 2, He distinguishes how to present a Grain Offering. Unlike a burnt offering for sin, the grain offering is about thankfulness and worship for the "work of our hands."
But there is a specific chemistry required for this offering to be accepted. It consists of three primary ingredients: Flour, Oil, and Frankincense.
The Labor of the Flour: Threshing and Winnowing
Flour isn't a natural ingredient, it is a process. To get flour, the kernel has to be separated from the stalk (threshing process) and then it has to be separated (winnowing process).
Did you know it is the wind that causes the separation? The grain is tossed into the air, and the wind removes the useless chaff. In our lives, the "wind" of the Spirit separates those who choose God from those who don’t.
The Grinding: Purification Under Pressure
Once the debris is gone, the grinding begins. Using a stone mortar and pestle, the grain is crushed. This is the refining process. The result from the crushing is fine flour which can now be mixed with other things. Parallel to the refining process we go through in serving the Lord. The crushing and pressure needed to make something pure is what the Lord puts us through to make us look more like Him.
The Significance of Oil: The Binding Agent
When flour and oil are mixed, the fat coats the flour which prevents gluten from forming. Preventing gluten is important because that is how we get tender, flaky texture in baked foods. No one likes to bite into hard bread. Oil is a binding agent. Used to help make whatever is mixed easier to handle, bend and mold. Sounds like the Holy Spirit to me.
Frankincense: The Aroma of Devotion
Frankincense is a hardened tree sap (resin). In this offering, its purpose is purely aromatic. But here is the catch: you only get to enjoy the fragrance when fire touches it.
It doesn’t matter how much work you put into the flour if your devotion isn't aromatic. How is your prayer and heart posture when the fire of a trial hits you? Does it release a fragrance that is pleasing to the Lord?
The Prohibitions: Leaven and Honey
God strictly forbids two things in this offering: