You Lost Me at Leviticus, Part 3

One of the great ironies of living in the most advanced civilization in human history is that we have so much to be grateful for, yet we often struggle with entitlement and privilege. Fortunately, this is not a problem unique to us 21st Century westerners. This is a human problem. And it’s a problem the grain offering, the second major offering of Leviticus, is intended to address.

Freedom
Jesus Culture

That’s the Power
Hillsong Worship

Jesus Over Everything
The Belonging Co.

My King Forever
Bethel Music

Leviticus 2:1-16
When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it and bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of fine flour and oil with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as it’s memorial portion on the altar a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. But the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the Lord’s food offerings. When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil. And if your offering is a grain offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil. You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it: it is a grain offering . And if your offering is a grain offering cooked in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. And you shall bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the Lord and here it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar. And the priest shall take from the grain offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. But the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons: it is a most holy part of the Lord’s food offerings. No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the Lord. As an offering of firstfruits you may bring them to the Lord, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing aroma. You shall season your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of your covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering: with all your offerings you shall offer salt. If you offer a grain offering of firstfruits to the Lord, you shall offer for the grain offering of your fresh fruits fresh ears, roasted with fire, cured new grain, And you shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it: it is a grain offering. And the priest shall burn as it’s memorial portion some of the oil with its frankincense; it is a food offering to the Lord.

–

Deuteronomy 6:10-12
“And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

–

Are you grateful? Is your life marked with gratitude?

–

1. Practicing gratitude means more than saying you’re grateful.

–

2. Practicing gratitude involves intentionality.

–

Elizabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity
“If we hold tightly to anything given to us, unwilling to let it go when the time comes to let it go or unwilling to allow it to be used as the Giver means it to be used, we stunt the growth of the soul. It is easy to make a mistake here, ‘If God gave it to me,’ we say, ‘it’s mine. I can do what I want with it.’ No. The truth is that it is ours to thank Him for and ours to offer back to Him…ours to let go of.”

–

3. Practicing gratitude involves giving.

–