2:11 ¶ No meat offering,
which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall
burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire. 12 As
for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but
they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour. 13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt
thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of
thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt
offer salt. 14 And if thou offer a meat
offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat
offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even
corn beaten out of full ears. 15 And
thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat
offering. 16 And the priest shall burn
the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of
the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering
made by fire unto the LORD.
I’ve already talked
about how leaven represents corruption. God did not want it in His sacrifices
and it was forbidden to the Hebrews fleeing Egypt. Honey and leaven are not bad
things in and of themselves for our use but represent things that have been
corrupted. Honey is produced by the insects’ regurgitation or enzymatic
activity and leaven is used for dough and batter to soften it by a foaming
action of gas bubbles making it useful for making food. They do not represent
things in their unadulterated state but after being processed. This is not to
say that we must not eat honey or leaven as their references refer to spiritual
things. This underscores the problem of trying to apply the Law given to the Hebrews then to a Christian today.
In Exodus it was
reported that the firstfruits were to be offered to the Lord.
Exodus
34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast
of weeks, of the firstfruits of
wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end…26 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the
LORD thy God…
God wanted these
sacrifices seasoned with salt which can represent metaphorically the flavor of
those in the world who believe Him, trust Him, and love Him. The salt of the earth
is present in the world to speak of the truth of God. Notice the context of Jesus’
sermon popularly called ‘The Sermon on the Mount’ although it is not given a
name in the Bible. Why are His followers called the salt of the earth and the
light of the world? It would not be for walking around with your nose up in
the air acting how you have some secret knowledge and everyone else would do
well to hang on your every word as you wear a sandwich board and scream Bible
verses at the top of your lungs on a busy street corner. There is more to being
the salt of the earth than that.
Matthew 5:1 ¶ And seeing
the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples
came unto him: 2 And he opened his
mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 ¶ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for
they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain
mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of
God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed
are ye, when men shall revile
you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
13 ¶ Ye are the salt of the earth:
but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is
thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot
of men. 14 Ye are the light of the
world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it
under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in
the house. 16 Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
In America when we
think of corn we think of ears of maize,
a cereal grain possibly first cultivated in the Americas. However, the British
definition and the Bible definition of corn
is for a head of wheat. In British English corn refers to any type of cereal
plant growing in a particular area, for example wheat, barley, or maize. In the
following verses in John, Christ’s impending death is likened to the planting
of wheat.
John 12:23 And Jesus
answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be
glorified. 24 Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Except a corn of wheat
fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth
forth much fruit.
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